Tank set up

I plan on getting a Chinese Fire Belly newt soon, and I want to know all the tips and things I need to do to set up his tank

1: Is my current 5 gallon tank ok for now if they are small? (I can get a bigger one when they are older)

2: would they be happier if I had a pair over just a single one?

3: what should I feed them? Do I need calcium dust stuff?

4: I know they like cooler water, but since I live in Iowa and it gets really cold in my room at night, should I have a heater for them? Like maybe not in the water but off to the side somewhere? Like under some sand or gravel?


And if you have any other tips at all feel free to fill me in! I want to do this right

Hi,
do you know where you will be getting your newt(s) from? If you get them from a breeder, they will probably be young and still terrestrial. Pet shops will probably have adult animals which have been caught in the wild in China. They will be fully aquatic but that's the only advantage. The animals are likely to be stressed and ill. Many wild caught animals die soon. You also won't know the age of the animal. It is highly advisable to try and find captive bred newts.

Regarding temperatures, what are they? What is the maximum during the day and minimum at night, how does it change with seasons?

Single or pair... the newts won't mind but it will be more fun for you to have more than one, in my opinion.

5 gallon tank is definitely too small and with such low volume you will have problems keeping the water clean. You could use it for the terrestrial set up and then get a bigger tank when they go aquatic, if you have small terrestrial animal(s) to start with.

Regarding food, you won't need supplements if you provide a healthy diet. The best thing is earthworms. You can also use bloodworms (fresh or frozen) and newt pellets (some newts won't eat those). There are plenty of other things you could feed the newts.

You will almost certainly find the answers to all your questions around the forum. Also read the caresheet: http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cynops/C_orientalis.shtml
and the articles here: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/articles.shtml

Ditto, Eva!
What she has told you is excellent advice. I would only add that captive-bred Hypelotriton(Cynops) orientalis are not always available (and juveniles are not easy to raise anyway), but there is a variety of other species that are commonly bred and perfectly suitable for a beginner, like Pleurodeles waltl, Triturus complex, Ichthyosaura alpestris, Hypselotriton cyanurus...
Read as much as you can before even thinking of getting a new animal!!! It´s your resonsability to be prepared as well as possibe.

Thank you So I will just have to get a ten gallon right away then, I was thinking of giving my current one to my boyfriend and getting him some fish for his birthday anyways And they would be coming from a vary small, locally owned pet shop, but Ill ask her where they came from, they are about two inches long (5.1cm) if that helps with knowing the age? As for temperatures, indoors its about sixty five to seventy degrees F. during the day and about fifty five to sixty five at night. Though as winter comes it might get colder, but we have good heaters, as long as I can keep my roommate from leaving the window open at night. Will that be ok for them?

And don't worry Azhael, I plan on doing all the research I can! Thank you so much for this advice!