Question: Question on the water in my firebellys tank

[sammie18]

I have 2 firebelly newts and Ive got them in a 10gal tank I buy big jugs of water and use that for there water. Ive Been recently having problems with the water in there tank..Its got alot of white stuff in it and my newts are getting the white stuff in the water dryed to them and it just looks gross and I have no clue what it is or what it could be! I cleaned out the tank not that long ago and it looks like I havnt cleaned it in a long time! I was thinking maybe to move them to a smaller tank? They bigger newt goes in the water alot the other one likes to stay in the hide out, I was thinkning maybe the tanks to big for how small they are still. Any ideas on what this could be and what I can do? I took sum pics this morning so you guys can see. Any advice would be great!

 

[Abrahm]

I would consider changing your whole setup and begin by removing all the rocks you currently have and rinsing out your aquarium thoroughly. Your newts are completely aquatic so I would try a setup like on this page. Use a piece of cork bark or an emergent rock or flowerpot as a land area. This will also allow you to use a water filter or another device to circulate water.

The gravel you have there will trap waste and can result in scummy water like you have there. There is also the fact that you are not providing enough water which makes it hard to clean and concentrates waste.

The tank size is fine. There is really no such thing as too big. Making it smaller would amplify your problems.

 

[achiinto]

I would suggest trying to fill up your tank with water (make sure the tank is escape-proof). Then perhaps use a turtle dock as a resting place for them. My tank sometime get white stuffs on it when the water is not circulated enough. A submersible filter will help to circulate the water surface.

I think the gravel substrate is fine if you have lot of water and you change water regularly. The gravels will help to increase surface area for the healthy bacteria to colonize. I think the major problem is that you are having too few water in your tank, which make it dirty real fast.

 

[slowfoot]

I'm 99% sure that what you have there is a bacterial film. I've fought an identical looking issue many times. The problem has always occurred in my newt tank when the water is too still and too warm at the surface.

Do what Abrahm suggests: clean everything thoroughly. Add a gentle filter and more water. Make sure you keep the temperatures down. I'd also add some live plants, too, to out-compete the bacteria for the nutrients and minerals in the water - that was what really did the trick for me.

 

[keechoo]

You said you buy jugs of water but you didn't say what kind. Is it Spring water or distilled? That might make a difference. Just a thought.

 

[spendday]

hey the long answer on yahoo answers is from me but it basically just says what these guys said

 

[oregon newt]

I would also add more hides.

 

[sammie18]

Ok I cleaned out the tank and all the rocks I also put ALOT more water in, This time I just used sink water I didnt have anymore jugs of water. I will buy sum live plants..Now If i buy live plants do I need to use any type of lighting for them? Im not useing any lighting at the moment I read it could kill the newts. So yea I think I got it down now lol I wont be able to put a filter in the tank tho..Is it ok If i dont have that?

 

[achiinto]

Fluorescent light do not increase the temperature, at least not significantly, so it should not kill the newt. Incandescent light can be dangerous though. However, if you are to have plant, you will definitely need to have light for the plant, some will do okay with light from the room, however, healthier the plant will yield healthier newts.

You will do fine without filter. However, without the circulation generated by the filter, you might have the same problem again. I have keep a large population of newts in a 55gallons without filter for a long time. They still do very well.

You can use tap water, unless your tap water have any problem. Bottled water is not necessarily better than tap water. I have tested the water quality of tap water with bottled water, most if not all of the bottled water have worse water quality than tap water. If you are using bottled water, you should use spring water. I believe that most people in this forum uses tap water. For more information, please reference this link, http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Spring_water.shtml.

Also a word of caution, if you have cleaned your entire tank, you might have disturbed the nitrogen cycle of your tank. So, watch your water parameter carefully or do more frequent water change for the first couple of weeks until the nitrogen cycle is established again.

 

[sammie18]

Can I just use fake plants? lol

 

[tritonfin]

Use real plants they will help to keep a good water quality.
The bacterial film is nothing wrong, it just can happen when cycling the tank or when to much food has been given. Those bacteries come to the surface because they need oxygen when develloping.
Add water from an other cycled tank and put a lot of plants.

 

[oregon newt]

Fake plants are fine, but as said, real live plants are beneficial. And if you choose not to use a filter, you will have to clean your tank more often. Just do weekly water changes, and remove any waste you see between your weekly water changes with something like a turkey baster. When you used your sink water did you treat it? If not you will need to go buy a conditioner that removes chlorine and chloramine. What are your water parameters? Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite?