S.s. terrestris Q's

Hey everyone. I'm thinking about getting one or two S.s. terrestris. Saw them at the petstore, captive bred, look good, they're juvies, only about 4 inches. Since I've NEVER seen them up here, it's really hard to resist them. They've been at the store for two weeks and the staff said I was the only one who's been interested in them!! (Keeping my fingers crossed that I remain the only one haha)

I'm currently trying to get a good priced 25gallon tank for housing them. Here are some questions I have:

- What type of moss would be safe for them?
- Would coconut fibre be an ok substrate?
- Is it safe to create my own leaf litter or should I try and purchase this from somewhere? Are there specific types of leaves I should be looking for?
- I'll probably use PVC piping as hides to start with, and look for/create more natural hides afterwards, any suggestions?
- Are there certain plants they prefer? Plants that I should NOT use?
- Should I have a water bowl? Some of my research says yes, and some says it's not necessary, except for mating.
- How do you keep the tank cool in the summer? Ice bottles around the tank? A/C won't be an option for me.

Thanks so much for reading. Any additional info would be great as well. Or pics of your tank setups. (Don't worry I've viewed the ones on CC already, and keep reading the article on these guys =)

Regarding tank size, a standard 25-gallon is 24x12x20 inches. The height of that tank is wasted (and will just get in the way when you go to take care of the animals). A 15-gal tank provides the exact same "functional capacity" (24x12"). Even better, a 20-long provides more functional space (30x12").

I like live pillow moss, which they sell at herp shows and online. Avoid peat moss and sphagnum. I think the "dead" green moss they sell in pet shops is probably fine.

Coco fiber is ok, but I find it works better if you can mix it with some "real dirt". Real dirt resists mold better, and provides a better substrate for natural breakdown of waste products. You can search the forum archives here for discussions of various kinds of dirt; you don't want potting soil.

Leaf litter is fine. Avoid oak and pine, as they are acidic. You can boil or bake the leaves to kill micro-organisms if that's a concern.

Plants - just don't use the soil that you buy with them - safer to root your own cuttings.

Water bowl is a good idea, in case the substrate gets dry.

Cooling methods for a terrestrial tank are limited. Avoid cooling methods based on evaporation, as you don't want to dry out the animals. See article below.

Here's some more reading:
http://www.caudata.org/people/JM/plants.html
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml

Also, read through the forum archives in the vivaria section. In fact, I'm thinking about moving this thread to that section, as all of your questions are about a salamander setup.

Thanks Jennifer. Please move this thread to where you think it belongs =)