Sand with Plants? and other setup questions

Hi all! I have a chinese fire-belly newt and am working towards a more aquatic-friendly tank for him, since he's decided he's a terrestrial newt. I was thinking of play sand as a substrate (I currently have large fish rock type gravel stuff). But then today at Petco, the clerk said that the live plants I bought would not work well rooted in sand. I got Mondo Grass and Java fern. Is this true, or just more Petco clerk misinformation?

Also, I have a nice colony of moss in my side yard that I currently have harvested and growing in his aquarium's land side. Does regular ordinary yard moss (I live in Iowa, USA) work RIGHT next to water and perhaps trailing into it slightly? I am going for a natural look and would like any advice I can get to make this a great habitat for my little guy.

Thanks in advance!
Angela

Hi

I have to say i grow aquatic plants in sand with no problem at all, although java fern does grow best on bog wood, but i am not familiar with mondo grass so cant say how it would grow in sand.

Hope this helps a bit!!!

Ben

Hi Angela,

Did you buy them to grow in or out of water?

The Java Fern is an amphibious fern which lives with its rhizome(roots) attached to rocks or logs. In the aquarium the Java Fern should be tied with strings to a rock or log until they attach.

Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus) is not a true auatic plant and will rarely survive any length of time in an aquarium.

Can i keep the plant in a small pot or something in my tank or does it have to be in the substrate or clinging to a rock or something?

Potted plants are fine. Just weigh them down well so the axolotls don't knock them over.

Thanks will do