Getiing into the hobby

Hey everyone,

I've been interested in making a vivarium for a long time now, I was wondering what would be a good species that would be suitable for a semi-aquatic setup. I'd like to made it 50/50 with some flowing water.

In terms of the salamanders/newts, I'd like for them to be able to fully utilize the setup and not be too sedentary, fairly easy to keep healthy, and preferably interesting to look at (behavior or physical appearance). I'm thankful for any recommendations.

How large is the tank? And what will be the winter/summer temperatures in it?

I haven't purchased the tank yet, but it will be at least 55 gallons. I live in NY, do you know how the temperature will typically vary throughout the seasons? I anticipate that I will have to use ice packs on some summer days to keep the tank cool enough. I can also consider some other passive cooling methods, I thought about pumping water through a mini fridge, I'd rather not leave an a/c on all day.

Are strauchii a suitable candidate? I forgot to mention I'd like to get captive breed species to help with conservation efforts. FYI I'm still in the brainstorming stage.

Godwin

(Message edited by enlight on January 20, 2007)

from what I understand strauchii probably arent the best to start with, and they are shy

There are lots of threads floating around here about tank cooling. A couple of themes run throughout most of them: tank coolers don't work as well as you'd expect, and evaporation works better than you'd expect. This article has a good summary of ideas.
http://www.caudata.org/cc/faq/FAQhou.shtml
look for section "How can I keep my newt/salamander cool enough during the summer?"
A search of the forum will give you lots more discussion.

Strauchii would be fine with the temperatures you will probably have, but I'm not sure whether they will use the land area or not. Now that I think about it, I don't know anyone who has kept strauchii in a 50/50 setup where they had a real choice of comfortable areas of both water and land. In my experience, the adults are not shy, they certainly do learn to beg for food, especially when they are aquatic.

Another possibility would any of the Triturus (or Mesotriton or Lissotriton). They are seasonal, generally staying in water in winter and on land in summer. Some of the crocodile newts (Tylototritons) are also possible for that kind of setup.

The best passive cooling that I would suggest is a screen lid, rather than a hood top. It is possible to get a hinged screen lid, and that way you can put a flourescent fixture on top of it and still open it easily.