Setting up a tank for 3 fire belly newts(orientalis), critique me!

[Neuter]

I am setting up a tank for 3 fire belly newts, orientalis. Please tell me anything wrong I am doing. I am going to outline everything I have done here.

I had a 10 gallon tank with 3 african dwarf frogs. A friend loved them and I was not happy that they are near blind, would take a long time to feed, my frogs were simply chronically stupid and very difficult to feed. So, my friend took them off my hands and I helped them set up a nice tank for them.

I have taken everything out of the tank and let it dry for 24 hours. I had small pottery shards(no sharp edges) for the frogs to hide under and they seemed to like them, I plan to use larger shards for the newts. I have a tetra whisper pro, an in tank filter which sits in the tank, I rigged up a little water elevator to absorb most of the kinetic energy and drop the water away from the filter, so that the tank has little vibration, I plan to use the same setup. The intake is too small for the newts to get anything caught in the filter.

I know that they need some land area. I plan to set up a small terracotta pot with a small terracotta saucer on top of, which will rise an inch or so out of the water on a slow incline, so they can get out easily. The pot and the saucer and the terracota shards have no sharp edges or any rough edges, so they should not get scratched up. I have smal small plastic, aquarium safe plants with no sharp edges, shaped almost like ivy. I'll place them at one end of the potter shards to help them feel like it is more covered.

I like the cold, I keep my living space 73 or 74 degrees for the most part, sometimes even cooler and since water left out in that sort of condition tends to be anywhere from 3 to 6 degrees cooler then the air, they should be fine with the temperature.

I have powders to set the PH of the water to 7 and to clear out chlorine. I have a large, clean bucket which I filled up tonight with filtered tap water and put the powders into, as well as some biospira.

I have frozen bloodworms and some tadpole bites. I plan to leave the bottom of the tank bare, I worry they may swallow sand or gravel.

I have a turkeybaster and a very, very, very fine metal handheld strainer to help keep the water clean. I plan to have roughly 10 inches of water, as neccesary for the filter to work properly. I'll change a third to half the water once a week.

So, any apparent problems with my setup? Anything I need to change? Any general advice?

A few specific questions. I read up on them but there is some specific information I just can’t find. What PH do they like? I’ve read plenty on what they eat, but how MUCH do they eat and how often should I feed them? Do I need to give them any cover on the area above the water?

 

[Nathan050793]

I’ve read plenty on what they eat, but how MUCH do they eat and how often should I feed them? Do I need to give them any cover on the area above the water?

The newts will probably eat as much as you give them until they are full, at which point they usually stop excepting food. They could probably be fed as much as 4-5 times per week, although 3-4 days is fine too.

A small floating island or rocks that break the waters surface would be good; this species is highly aquatic,but enjoys hauling out occasionally.

If you haven't already read this, it should help- http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cynops/C_orientalis.shtml

Good Luck!

 

[Neuter]

I did read that and I will have a surface area set up for them. A few terracotta saucers, each slightly smaller then the last stacked ontop of a small terracotta pot should give them a nice place to hang out, just above the waterline.

I've read different things about their eyesight. How good is their eyesight? Will I need to handfeed them or will they be able to find food in the tank on their own? Will they be able to see me in the room?

 

[oregon newt]

You don't really need to hand feed them, but it would be a good idea, as it helps you monitor how much they're eating.

 

[Neuter]

I did not mind hand(tweezer) feeding my african dwarf frogs, but it was frustrating just how long it would take them to realize the food was there. I would have to spend 3-5 minutes on each frog gently waving the food at varying distances from it's snout, gently tapping the inside of their feet with it etc till they finally realized it was time to eat. It was not that they were not hungry, they were hungry, once they realized it was feeding time they ate quickly but it was very frustrating that they could not see the food right in front of their noises. How is the eyesight of orientalis fire bellys?

 

[jewett]

I do not know how their eye sight is, but its my understanding that aquatic newts hunt more by smell than sight. I keep 4 adult Co's in a 10 gallon tank and feed them a mix of live black worms, frozen blood worms, and chopped up live earthworms. I simply drop the food in the tank and the newts find the meal on their own. Keep in mind these animals are not domesticated and have survived by finding food on their own in the wild, with no one hand feeding them.
Once your animals are settled I do not think you will have to hand feed them, though I would recommend taking the time to observe them once you have offered food to ensure all animals are eating and to remove any uneaten food.

 

[achiinto]

CFB Newts will accept handfeeding easily, unless really stressed or young. I have never fail to hand feed a matured CFB. CFB will hunt by both sight (movement) & smell.

I think most frogs need livefood, hunting by movement.

 

[Neuter]

I do not know for certain but I expect that the ones I am getting tommorow won't be more then a few months old. When I introduce them into the tank, should I place them on land, or in the water? If I put them on the land, should I soak the bag they are in in the tank, first? Of course if they still have their gills, then put them into the water, but if they have shed their gills I mean.

Also. The way I will have my island setup... I will have a small terracota pot which gets near the surface and then a little terracota saucer, wider then the pot ontop of it and another smaller one, ontop of that. The climb out of the water should be very easy, but there is nothing leading up the little island, since I have no gravel. Do I need to worry about that, or will they be able to swim up onto it without any issue? It will be at the right level so that they can swim up onto it, but they will have to swim on, they won't have much to walk on.

Also... should I set this up in a corner of the tank? I know my frogs, when they were not under cover, liked hanging out in corners-should my island be in a corner if possible?