Tank set up for newts/salamanders

[nishfets]

Hello!
I have no experience in the care of newts/salamanders, but I would love to own some. I have been researching on the needs of them. Would this be an appropriate setup(?):

Sorry for the crappy ms paint drawing.
I can't decide on whether to have Fire Bellied Newts. Eastern Newts, or Southern Two-lined Salamanders (which are native to my county.)
The tank will be 20 gallons and will house probably 3-4 animals (of one species, of course.) Some rocks I will use are found in nature. I baked all of them at 350 degrees F for an hour to insure that any worms, snails, and such are dead.
Should I have a filter?
Any suggestions/recommendations are greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Erin

 

[frogman]

Ok, the drawing is great. The number of animals in the aquarium is depending on size. The aquarium is more designed for newts. FBN would need a different designed tank where they have plenty of water and a small land area poking out of the water. Heavily planted as well. Eastern newts would be similar and would also need deeper water and a little more land than the FBN. Two lines would be fine in that aquarium but may need a little more land, you could easily keep 10 two lines in a 20g. Also, not beginner newts. But vercceus would fare well in the tank. Hope this helps.
Here are some links to help
Caudata Culture Species Entry - Eurycea - Two-lined and Junaluska
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cynops/C_orientalis.shtml
http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Notophthalmus/N_viridescens.shtml

 

[nishfets]

Thanks for the reply! I think I have decided to have the two-lines. They are found in the forests here so I can use natural elements from their habitat. I think maybe more stones would be beneficial. What filter would be best for the critters?
-Erin

 

[Tadpole]

A Whisper brand filter works great----it's quiet, effective, and you can easily diffuse the outflow with plants:

Filter refills sold separately:

And you can buy your own container of activated carbon to refill your filter without having to buy a 3-pack every month, and just power-wash the old filter cloth clean and re-use.