Help with a 30 gal

ok i am thinking of making a half land half water terrarium for some fire bellied newts out of a 30 gal, i was just wondering how many could i have in the 30 gal

Hi Erik, I would recommend more water than land for this species. My fire belly just has lots of things that break the surface, and that seems to work well for me.

You could have several in a 30 gallon, 6 maybe? See what others say though. Good luck.

I think for 30gallons of actual water, say maybe 6. But if you are not using the full 30gallons tank for water then you should have fewer newts.

you could have 6 for sure using 60-70 percent water. Dumping substrate in one side or both you can make hills so they have land. cynops species are highly aquatic.

Dumping substrate on one side or another for hills can lead to water quality issues. Once they're fully aquatic, use a few floating islands, or a shelf attached to the side of the tank for land area. This allows you to use much more water space.

You may pile up some rocks as well, this way is more natural.

I have mostly 20 gallon longs (30x12inches) and keep them with 12-15 gallons of water. It really depends on the setup and filtration. Surface area is also key. you can have 50 gallons, in a tall tank with wasted space. How long and wide is your setup? If you have a setup with thriving plants and good water quality, you keep 6 in a 30x12 inch tank very comfortably. If your surface area is 12x36 you could house upto 8 comfortably. I keep 8 very large Spanish ribbed newts in a 48x12 inch tank (50 gallon cut down to 33gallon). They are fine with weekly water changes, good filtration, and tons of flourishing plants. Ribbed newts are your worst offenders of fouling up a tank (big eaters and poopers!). Cynops are smaller bodied newts and easier to manage.
I think the best way to maximize your "surface" area (underwater and land) is try Jen's idea with an island approach. You have 1/3 of surface for land created by an island (bricks and 12 inch plant saucers) The newts have the full tank surface area underneath while an island for land. I use this for my axolotls as well. Instead of a land area (above water), I set up shelves under water increasing their surface area below. This give them hiding spaces and keeps them off of one another.
hope this helps.

wow, guys thanks alot, well i just set it up its cycleing right now. ill trie to get some pics soon

(Message edited by newtsoffire on January 04, 2006)