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Salamander tank setup

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sandy

Guest
hello everyone i was wondering what is the best way to set up a salamander tank? like what is needed to go into the tank and the plant's that are best for them and what's the best food for them thank-you sandy.
 
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christopher

Guest
well salamanders are mostly terestrial so you dont have to stress over water changes but salamanders do need to be misted lightly 2-3 times a week...well to answer your questions a goo tank set-up would have about 2-3 inches of a top soil/peatmoss mixture then on top of that you could have some regular (damp) terrarium moss....you could use rocks for caves but the salamander dig under the soil so you probably wont need to many rocks and some good plants for sals are pothos, ferns,etc.....well hope I could help....good luck
happy.gif
oh and they love to eat worms...
 
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sandy

Guest
chris what about a pool of water? branche's?
pothos fern what kind of fern ? what other plant's?

do you mean i could cover a tank bottom with bedding with 2-3 inches of bedding and rocks and plant's and thats all? do you have any pictures i could use for a example? so far your a great help.
 
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jennifer

Guest
Hi Sandy, it depends to some extent on the kind of salamander. What kind is it, and how large is the tank?

I would not recommend peat moss, as it can be too acidic. With other kinds of moss (especially the non-live kinds), you also have to be careful not to use anything acidic. Top soil is excellent. Coconut fiber is OK, but I don't like it all by itself. It's somewhat abrasive and it doesn't do a good job of breaking down waste (meaning you have to clean more carefully and are more likely to have problems with mold). If price is not an issue, I'd recommend the "forest bedding" kinds of products. As a cheaper alternative, I'd recommend just top soil, or mixing top soil with some coconut fiber. The coconut fiber improves the moisture retention of the soil.

Regarding plants, it kind of depends on whether your salamander is going to dig them up or not. It is safest to start with cuttings, as the soil you buy with commercially-planted plants may contain all sorts of fertilizers, pesticides, etc.
 
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sandy

Guest
hello jennifer it's a yellow spotted salamander and it's a 20 gallon tank and i was told to use shredded coconut for bedding i know pothos is good but what else is good to try out and if they dig them up i'll take them out

so how do i setup a tank for them item's please list what i need thank-you jen any picture of how it's setup should look like would help thank's sandy.
 
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jennifer

Guest
The shredded coconut is OK, though I just remembered another thing I don't like about it - it tends to stick to some salamanders' skin.

Cuttings of pothos are excellent. You can also try ivy and wandering jew. Ferns sometimes work well, but you need to put them into clean soil and probably leave them in a pot, as they need real dirt.

For a list of minimum essentials, see:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/faq/FAQhou.shtml
For more ideas, see:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/setups.shtml
 
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sandy

Guest
hello jen i keep the plan's in their pot? what about the about the chemical's from the plant's? the tank setup's are great clean soil? all have fertilizer thank-you sandy.
 
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jennifer

Guest
If you buy ferns, you would need to re-pot them in clean soil before using them in a terrarium. I don't think a bit of fertilizer is a problem, I'd be more worried about pesticides. For soil, I use a product labeled "top soil", not potting soil.
 
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