looking for new/old tank advice!

Hello!

Sorry for the long post, but it's big questions.....

I've had my three red bellied newts in a critter tank since I got them about a year ago, I believe it's a 5 gal tank. It the same as one of those little beta tanks, but bigger. I know this is too small, but it was always meant to be temporary and I've finally got the time and space for a wicked big tank

The tank I am currently cycling for them is 30 gal. and I'm nearly deciding to get some fish for it instead.... I am having trouble figuring out what to use for an above water area and also an under water filter. The filter I am cycling it with is an AquaClear 200, but it makes a waterfall and the current is probably too much for the newts... Also with it, I can't keep the screen top on the tank which is vital for my wall climbing newts and cat...

The old filters are just those little green plastic ones that I'm pretty sure aren't strong enough for this big tank...

I have a smaller 15 gal. I might set up for them instead, but it doesn't have a lid.. I want to move the newts as soon as possible because their old tank is getting impossible to keep clean...

Any thoughts or ideas on this will be GREATLY appreciated!! What works well for you?

Thanks!!!

Jess

When you say "red-bellied newt" you mean these guys, correct?

I would like to ask how are you cycling the tank? You can't cycle a tank without a source of ammonia to cause the nitrifying bacteria to grow. If you just leave a tank sitting without out anything to provide ammonia then you are not cycling the tank. Check out the cycling article for more details.

To make cycling your tank really easy, just buy your new filter, place it in the tank along with your running old filter and add the newts. The newts will add ammonia and the old filter should be able to provide a starter culture of bacteria for the new tank.

Hang on back filters are almost impossible to use with newts as they will make use of the space around them to escape from the tank. My personal choice, especially for newts who tend not to like current, is a sponge filter. These are powered by a simple aquarium air pump and they provide quite a bit of biological filtration. That is they provide an excellent environment with a lot of space for bacteria to grow. A similar piece of filtration equipment is the box filter, which when filled with one of the many biological substrates out there, provides a similar environment to bacteria. Second benefit to these two filters is that they are very cheap.

Other things you could use would be internal power filters like the Duetto 50 or 100. These are completely submersed and the Duetto has the benefit of having an adjustable flow rate and low wattage which means low heat generation. If you are going to use an internal filter make sure to check the wattage. They are usually listed on the device somewhere. The lower the number of Watts (W) the less heat it will add to the tank.

As for above water areas, cork bark works really. Just float a piece of this on the top of the water and everybody should be happy. Floating plants are another excellent choice to allow the newts to haul themselves close to the surface.

How much waste do 3 red bellied newts put off? What's the harm with cycling the tank using the newts as the bio source? I think a small duetto filter, in tank whisper filter, sponge filter or something similar would be fine. If their aren't a lot of animals in the tank you don't need a huge filter. Just the newts, a small light, and some live plants should be o.k. too. You could even do it with no filter at all.

Thanks for the tips guys!

I'm cycling the tank because it's all new water and the tank hasn't been used like this before... everyone I've talked to and most things I've read say it's best to let some of that good stuff grow in the water for a while before you put anything living in it....

plus I was thinking about giving it some extra time because when I walk past the tank I can smell the chlorine... I put in some Cycle... Biological Aquatium Supplement... I have stuff to test the amonia and nitrate levels so I'm going to wait until they tell me it's safe before I put the newts in there...

The filters you mentioned sound almost like what I was already using, I'll have to check the aquarium shop to see if they've got it on a bigger scale :happy:

Will it bother the newts if the water is deep? right now it's just over a foot and they have only been in about half that.

Thanks again!

P.S

Yes, I think those are the same as my newts, but they're more spotted than blotchy... this pic is blurry, but you get the idea... like cow spots...

YellowSloth said:

I'm cycling the tank because it's all new water and the tank hasn't been used like this before... everyone I've talked to and most things I've read say it's best to let some of that good stuff grow in the water for a while before you put anything living in it....

Click to expand...

A lot of people believe this but without any food for the beneficial bacteria you are not going to get any to grow. There may be other life forms that start growing. I would look at the cycling article I linked above if you haven't already.

plus I was thinking about giving it some extra time because when I walk past the tank I can smell the chlorine... I put in some Cycle... Biological Aquatium Supplement... I have stuff to test the amonia and nitrate levels so I'm going to wait until they tell me it's safe before I put the newts in there...

Click to expand...

It's odd that your tank still smells of chlorine. Did you use a water dechlorinator that is capable of removing chlorine and chloramine? Did you use bleach to clean the tank? Your tank should not smell like chlorine if a water dechlorinator was used, especially after sitting out a day.

Just over a foot of water shouldn't be a problem for them. From your photos they do appear to be the Chinese firebelly newt. They are rather smallish, yes? About 4 inches or less? There are a lot of newts that sometimes go by the common name red-bellied newt.

I've read the cycling article and I'm going to try to get some plants on my next pay check and maybe add some more dechlorinator... the smell is nearly all gone now.

The article also said that I should add decorations and things from the old tank to help add the right bacteria, but the main reason I'm changing tanks is some of something growing in the old tank... the newts don't seem to notice, but, it's this rusty coloured film on everything. The rocks, the tank, the filters, the decorations.... everything. I can clean the tank thouroughly and it will just come back... I can see it starting within 48 hours.... any idea what this could be? is it safe to put that into the new tank?

Any idea what my newts actually are?

thanks for all your help so far!!!

That rusty colored film growing on things in your tanks is brown algae, or diatoms. Unfortunately, you will probably see growth of this in your new tank also, at least occasionally. There was a thread about brown algae not that long ago. Silica in the water and other metabolites in the water from your newt tend to lead to the growth of these guys. Luckily frequent water changes and your larger tank should keep it from appearing too often.

I would guess from that photo that your newts are Cynops orientalis, the Chinese fire-belly newt. With that photo I could be wrong, but I'm pretty convinced that is what you have. The care sheet I posted above was for this species of newt.