Question: Recommendations for a good beginner newt, with rather specific conditions.

I have baught a 54l (12 gallon) tank, and am now looking for an easily maintained true salamander or newt, and other aquatic amphibian will certainly be considered.

I understand there are a number of similar threads in existance, however I do do operate under some rather specific constraints.



Tank has a capacity of 54l, currently filled with 48l water.

• Conditions is completely aquatic, with water height of approx 12in. The entire system is submerged.
• Substrate is river rock (approx 3mm)
• Quite heavily planted and contains some driftwood (lots of hiding places).
• Heating element (thermostat) is present, but no cooling elements.
• Mechanical filtration is present, chemical filter is activated charcoal

Captives need to be completely aquatic, other desirable properties include:

1) No live food. Pellet feed is much preferred

2) Should display neoteny, ie no terrestrial morphologies.

3) Should not outgrow its habitat. This is not essential though, I am happy to expand my pet's habitat if the need arises.

I am presently strongly considering the axolotl and the surinam toad (I am aware it needs live food).

If you know where your recommendation could be purchased in the London area, please include this information. If a fellow member has a captive bred specimen they are willing to sell, then all the better!

I thank you in advance for your recommendations, it is much appreciated.

If you're interested in keeping any fully aquatic species of Caudate, the heating element is really unnecessary, and using one (unless you live in a very cold environment) pretty much takes Caudates out of the picture, especially in the case of axolotls.

The heating element is a thermostat, so if it is indeed not nescessary, it will simply be a redundant system.

The heating element is shielded against contact by organism.

I live in the UK, so I suspected the winter conditions may be too cool for most caudates, particularly those originating from the tropics.

There are very few species that actually live in the tropics.
In general, caudates like cold. Ideally most species should be kept under 20ºC. During winter they can tolerate(in fact it´s healthy) temperatures as low as 4ºC. So there really is no need for a heater. Take it out, you´ll never have to use it.

About the caudate of choice i´m not sure what you want..you say you want newts, but then think about axolotls, and neotenic species. If what you are looking for is any fully aquatic species there´s a fair list of good choices.
Any Triturus, Pleurodeles waltl, Tylototriton verrucosus, axolotls...all are available as CB and make great beginner fully aquatic choices.

About the gravel, it´s not your best option, it can be swallowed, causing impaction, and it retains a lot of waste. Fine sand or no substrate are better options that will not pose a danger for the animals and will make cleaning a lot easier.

Although some pellets are excellent food, it´s always best to offer variety, specially with live foods such as earthworms, crickets, waxworms...and that applies to all caudates, so if you really want to keep a caudate, reconsider very seriously your non-live foods policy.

Hope that helped.

Greetings Azhael,

I apologise I have been unclear. I am looking for any amphibious species with the above characteristics, particularly true salamanders and newts. I have corrected the above post as such.

I accept that caudates favor cold temperatures, that is a manifest fact, however not all aquatic amphibians can survive British winter, the various clawed frogs for example will most likely not survive. Again I point out that the heater is a Thermostat, which maintains (not increase) temperature, and not a heating strip.

The gravel has since been overlaid with sand.

Do you have any suggestions on where I could purchase the abovementioned species in london.

If you go with a caudate, you will not need the heating element. I routinely keep my caudates between 4-10C in the winter (some of the more hardy species' tanks closer to the window have accidentally skimmed over with ice). I guarantee even in the British winter (which is no where near as harsh as the Michigan winter), your house will not be that cold.

As a side note: Even those VERY few caudates that originate in tropical regions come from high elevation, where it is much cooler.

As for the gravel, again, if you go with a caudate, this will not work. Caudates are natural hunters, and will easily root through the sand and find the gravel underneath. Simply covering the gravel with sand will not keep them from ingesting the gravel. It should be removed.

With all due respect it seems as if you are asking for a bit much. A fully aquatic species that doesn't require live food is pretty hard to do. Might I suggest any type of newt such as Cynops Orientalis, as they are witty little creatures with vibrant colouring on the under belly. Also, you could look into a lesser siren or the axolotl if you're willing to buy live foods. Also, yes take the gravel out and I do not suggest sand either as it can also be ingested. I would suggest river rocks that are large (about an inch or bigger) as this is what I use for my C.orientalis and is very easy to clean.

Have done both as recommended, the gravel and thermostat is gone.

I am still looking for an organism though, does anyone know where I could buy cordates in the London area?

i admire your changes made and must say you are very literate . i would most definately suggest an axolotl as they fit best with your requirements.

as for the previous comment before you a cynops orientalis is out of the picture.
not only will cynops orientalis require some land even if that means a floating log , i would say to go with what you believe suits your requirements best.

Cynops orientalis is not the species for you, even though most healthy animals are fully aquatic. You seem interested in CB animals, and you just won´t find adult CB C.orientalis. You can find juveniles, but they are fully terrestrial, and on the harder side in terms of care. All adults are WC and arrive to the shops in a bad shape...not the best choice for any beginner.

I too think the axolotls are good option for you. So is Pleurodeles waltl, which is not neotenic, but is fully aquatic all it´s life and it´s dead easy to care for. You can find several breeders in this forum that will ship to you, some will be between pick-up distance too. Check the For Sale and Wanted section and look for an advert, or post your own, , i guarantee you´ll find any of the two species.

Actually...........I have purchased CB C.Orientalis.

Adults? I seriously doubt it...definitely not if you got them in a shop.
CB juveniles can be found, but they are surprisingly uncommon for a species that is so widely kept in cativity...and they are not the easiest to raise...mind you they are so cute xD

Salamandrae said:

With all due respect it seems as if you are asking for a bit much. A fully aquatic species that doesn't require live food is pretty hard to do. Might I suggest any type of newt such as Cynops Orientalis, as they are witty little creatures with vibrant colouring on the under belly. Also, you could look into a lesser siren or the axolotl if you're willing to buy live foods. Also, yes take the gravel out and I do not suggest sand either as it can also be ingested. I would suggest river rocks that are large (about an inch or bigger) as this is what I use for my C.orientalis and is very easy to clean.

Click to expand...

This is tripe. I know of no newt or salamander that lives aquatically that requires live food. The only exception are newly hatched larvae.