Question: Substrate advice

[Sean90]

I have recently set up my T. Shanjing with live plants cork bark and so on. But I am having a problem with the newts flooding there tank. I am using a drainage layer of gravel even bricks I thought would be adequate and live plants to absorb the excess moisture. However the soil seems to still get damp I have placed a sheet of slate to create a dry area. Any ideas or solutions or is it just a case of changing the substrate.
I did think I was causing it through misting however been misting less and no change since last clean.

 

[Sean90]

Done a big clean added more gravel and bricks to make a larger slope. Some slate to level the water dishes and make platforms hopefully helps.
Any suggestions welcome.

 

[Lugubris]

What type of substrate are you using? If its coir (shredded coconut husk) it can stay in a soggy state for weeks. Also if you have water on one end of the tank for your newts to go into, they may be tracking some back with them causing it to become too wet. To me, it sounds like it may not be an issue as long as the substrate does not look or feel like mud. If it is too wet, I know for sure that having a fan blowing over the top of the cage dramatically increases evaporation. If I use a fan to cool my cages, I have to mist twice as often at least to maintain proper moisture levels. It also has the added benefit of lowering the temperature of the cage, which they will probably like very much depending on the breed.