What's easier: aquatic or terrestrial?

[John]

Others have already mentioned it but how one votes in this poll is largely species dependent. Tiger salamanders are very easy to keep in a terrestrial setup but young Triturus can be a nightmare for some :/.

 

[nobodywhite]

clear water

hi folks

to me water is the most convenient medium, not only because its 3-dimensional. plants floating together with the animals - who could ask for more?

loving it KE

 

[p3t393]

vote

In my years keeping newts i think it is easier to keep and feed in the aquatic setup rather than in a terrestrial setup.

 

[Aitortxu]

Strong preference for terrestrial setups.

 

[Neotenic_Jaymes]

I really preffer aquatic setups. You can really see your animals alot easier in a aqua setup. In terrestrial set ups animals seem to really hide alot more, sometimes don't see them for weeks. But now terrestrial setups are growing on me and I have 4 terrestrial setups with nice dirt substrates. Since I couldn't keep my tiger salamanders aquatic I had to adopt a terrestrial kind of thinking. I preffer aqua setups and don't mind the dirt substrates either.

I think aqua setups and terriestrial setups go hand in hand. Some aquatic species breed then the larvae are aquatic. Then sometimes there are eft stages for some species of newts that require a terrestrial setup. Or lets say your A. Mexicanum starts to morph, you now need a terrestrial set up. For me aquatic setups allways lead to terrestrial setups, and reverse. My juvenile T. Verrucosus will need an aquatic setup in a couple months. Other species like N. Kaiseri breed well with a dry period and then a aquatic peroid. I think its important for me to know how to mantain aquatic setups and terrestrial setups.

 

[taapua]

Aquatic. I've kept and bred all kinds of tropical and native fish for decades and the aquatics are far more convenient for me. All the good habits for breeding fish apply to the aquatic caudates. The adults and young do really well on all the frozen, live and prepared foods that the fish get and so consequently get a very varied and nutritious diet. My first introduction to caudates was keeping N. viridescens when a young lad and I derived many hours of enjoyment from them. I then caught some local Blue-spotted 's tadpoles and raised them to adulthood. I didn't have the resources to keep them terrestrially and so released them back to the locale that I got them from. I am very reluctant to try the terrestrial species as this is definitely not my strong suit, and I feel that any animal that I keep definitely deserves my best.

 

[Ingo]

AW: What's easier: aquatic or terrestrial?

good morning,

for caudates i prefer aquatic setups. And for my interests in terrestrial set ups i keep and breed reptils and anures.

greetings Ingo V.

 

[SludgeMunkey]

I am more experienced with aquatics, but I really enjoy the look of a well thought out terrestrial.

As for the animals, I enjoy them all and take whatever steps are needed to ensure a healthy environment for them.

 

[newtboy]

i say aquatic they seem more active even though they may cost a little more it worth and there easy to care for and terrestrial i think they have a larger chance of getting obese


ps i'm new so hi

 

[Azhael]

Please, use adecuate punctuation and capitalization...it´s hard to read your posts.

 

[fishkeeper]

aquatic it is easier to feed them.

However, large terrestrial setups with plants are very low maintenance.

I have a 46 gallon tank which I decided to attempt to make an even split between aquatic and terrestrial. It is interesting to watch the newts shuttle in between them. Currently 4 newts are terrestrial and one aquatic. It may be partly due to the fact that my Dad quit feeding blackworms for a bit and starting feeding crickets. So several of the newts that were previously aquatic began to venture onto land, and now have the grainy terrestrial skin.

 

[malduroque]

I noticed a species mixing subtopic flared up here. It was tempting, but I avoided it.

I voted no preference because I like them both, though I have much more experience in the terrestrial realm. I currently have 3 terra (all anurans) and 1 aqua (caudate) setups.

 

[pondkid]

I prefer aquatic for now, but then again I haven't tried a 100% terrestrial set-up for a few years, so I might change my opinion. The thing I like about aquatic set-ups is the use of space. It's nice to work in 3-D and see the entire available space being put to good use.

At the same time, a beautifully arranged tropical terrestrial tank with bromiliads and mosses is hard to beat.

 

[JSTER720]

Re: Moderate preference towards terrestrial

I think it is easier to maintain terrestrial as I have taken care of Tiger Salamanders before, and I have never raised aqautic. However I am hoping to get a Mudpuppy soon

 

[Ben Krysa]

Re: Moderate preference towards terrestrial

I voted on the slight preference to aquatic, for personal reasons. Now, when it comes to ease of keeping, I do find terrestrial to be a bit easier. The reason I prefer aquatic is, I have grown to love the chore of water changes and balance checks. I find regular maintainance is one of the most intimate parts of newt keeping. Also , once settled, aquatic caudates seem more active than terrestrial ones. ( tiger salamanders aside, who seem to be active any time the prospect of food is apparent) I also find that newly aquired animals are for more likely to feed when aquatic as opposed to terrestrial.

 

[ellroy]

Re: Moderate preference towards terrestrial

This has been an interesting thread to follow as someone new to caudates. I have kept a variety of terrestrial herps over the years but have always steered away from aquatic species due to the maintenance requirements. However, having seen members fantastic aquatic setups I can definitely see the appeal. I guess anyone who decides to keep animals in captivity is committing to a certain amount of maintenance, especially if they want to observe different stages of a life cycle which is obviously a big appeal for amphibians in particular.

Anyway, I am slightly in favour of terrestrial but less so than when I started looking at this thread,

Cheers!

Alan

 

[otolith]

I chose moderate preference for aquatic set ups. I keep some animals both terrestrially and aquatically and find that I rarely ever see the terrestrial caudates anymore. I also have several small Bufo boreas in a terrestrial set up and they are out and about whenever i take a look at the tank. Aquatic tanks are visually more appealing to me (in general, I have seen some gorgeous terrestrial tanks) but the maintenence and upkeep required to keep water chemistry at perfect levels is a bit tedious sometimes after a long work week.

 

[henslowsparrow]

I strongly prefer terrestrial setups but I only have a terrestrial tank at the moment. I do really like my tiger salamanders and would probably choose to house another ambystomatid if I was ever to branch out. I like puttering around in their tank and cleaning almost seems like gardening when you're dealing with a terrestrial setup. It's like I have a little patch of forest in my room. My tigers are also beggars so I don't have a problem with visibility. Even when they're burrowed, I think their tunnels are cute, just like little hobbit holes. My all time personal favorite is when they burrow along the glass.

 

[stablefly]

I vote no preference due to the fact that I maintain both and find them to be equally aesthetically pleasing. as for maintenance, even my terrestrial setups are water based having sumps and false bottoms with filtration and rain bars or misters for the live mosses and other plants so the are very easy to care for.

 

[Lusiwarrior]

Hello there,
I do not give preference to any, because they both give me equal pleasure! Anyway the aquatic I think aesthetically are always better, since the terrestrial when it comes time for cleaning is much more pleasant!
cheers