Getting CFBN and need advice

My Daughter and I have decided we want some newts and having spent hours reading through everything we can find we have decided Chinese Fire Bellied Newts seem the best choice and I think we have everything we need, but as I've never kept newts before i just wanted to check i've not missed anything and theres a couple of things I cant seem to find out...

We are getting 2 newts, the tank is 10 gallons with a lid, we have a turtle dock at one end so they've got land, gravel at the bottom, some plants, plant pots for them to hide in and a filter (which is on a low setting so doesn't move the water too much) and ive put a thermometer in, I've got a small heater if its needed but my house is quite warm so am watching the thermometer to see if I'll need it. Is there anything else I need in the tank?

Also do they prefer the food to be left on the dock for them or dropped in the water, or does that depend on the individual newts? Will/can they eat dried mealworms? And am I right in thinking that like most pets they'll be happier with a varied diet?

Thank you.

Assuming you are getting adults or subadults that have entered the water I think that your set up sounds fine. Some might comment later on in regards to the gravel in the aquarium so I will inform you the negativity of it now. Gravel can cause a tank to become more dirty than normal because food particals and waste can fall down into the cracks and house bad bacteria formed from the waste. Unless they are in cold weather I don't think that they will need the heater. Most newts in general like to be fed in the water.

I can't answer about the mealworms because I have never tried that, but a variety within their diet is always a plus.

Good luck with your new newts.

What kind of filter? What kind of lid? The setup has to be 100% escape-proof.

Forget the heater. Even if your house were cold they wouldn't need it.

I don't recommend mealworms or any dried food. Try to find a source of earthworms, and be prepared to hand-feed chopped earthworms with tweezers, this is sometimes what it takes to get them eating.

Bear in mind that newts in pet stores are wild-caught (even if the shopkeepers tell you otherwise). It may take them a while to adjust to captivity, and they sometimes arrive with disease problems. You may also be able to buy captive-bred from a private breeder in order to avoid supporting the international export of wild animals.

If you haven't already found them, the FAQ and articles here may help:
Caudata Culture Home Page

All the best!

Sawyer said:

Assuming you are getting adults or subadults that have entered the water I think that your set up sounds fine. Some might comment later on in regards to the gravel in the aquarium so I will inform you the negativity of it now. Gravel can cause a tank to become more dirty than normal because food particals and waste can fall down into the cracks and house bad bacteria formed from the waste. Unless they are in cold weather I don't think that they will need the heater. Most newts in general like to be fed in the water.

I can't answer about the mealworms because I have never tried that, but a variety within their diet is always a plus.

Good luck with your new newts.

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What do you recommend to put on the bottom?

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You can leave the bottom bare, makes cleaning easier. Or you can use a Walstad style tank with soil, which is what I use.

I would also recommend the Walstad method for setting up a planted tank. You will need to have a light source to make the plants grow. Look around the internet and this forum to see how it works. Basically, the bottom of the tank has soil for plants to grow from, it's topped with a layer of sand. Sand is newtfriendly as there is no risk of impaction - they "inhale food so gravel can be a problem. A Walstad tank is heavily planted which is great for the newts and also means easier maintanance for you as the plants filter the water. Make sure the tank is working perfectly before you acquire any animals. I would recommend looking for captive bred animals as wild caught ones are often so sick by the time you get them that they can't be saved. You can just look through this section of the forum - most threads about Chinese fire-bellies concern sick animals from pet shops. Starting with captive bred animals can be challenging - they are harder to find, are usually still terrestrial juveniles when sold and can be fiddly to raise, but it's very rewarding.

tony1208 said:

What do you recommend to put on the bottom?

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Like others have said bare bottom is perfectly fine. Personally most of my tanks have gravel or sand glued to the bottom which basically acts as a bare bottom, but a little bit nicer of a display in my opinion.

Jennewt said:

What kind of filter? What kind of lid? The setup has to be 100% escape-proof.

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The lid is fitted plastic with a small section of very fine mesh, it also has the bonus of fitting so tightly that my youngest can't open it by herself so cant accidently aid any escape attempts.

As for the filter, its one of the little ones that fits inside the tank with a sponge to filter the water, I realise that is not the most helpful description but I don't have the box to hand and cant think what the name of it is.

I second what others have said and strongly recommend you look into other species that are frequently bred in captivity. There is a wide range of ideal species for beginners that are commonly available.
It´s not just that the pet-shop newts are wild-caught and severely misstreated or that the toll on animal live is heavy, but also that as a consumer you are acquiring animals that are likely to suffer severe consequences and frequently, die. Not the best option, that´s the point.

As for the filter, most commonly kept species prefere still water so you can substitute the filter with large amounts of live plants, which will do the same job but without any currents (or heat, or electric expense). This also provides ideal housing for many species as well as reducing maintenance and providing greater stability.

Thanks everyone, have taken the gravel out and replaced it with sand as the tank looked wrong bare.

evut said:

I would recommend looking for captive bred animals as wild caught ones are often so sick by the time you get them that they can't be saved. You can just look through this section of the forum - most threads about Chinese fire-bellies concern sick animals from pet shops. Starting with captive bred animals can be challenging - they are harder to find, are usually still terrestrial juveniles when sold and can be fiddly to raise, but it's very rewarding.

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I should have said, I've been lucky enough to find captive bred adults, I spent ages searching as wild caught seems cruel to me, Its cost a lot more than the ones in my local pet shop and meant we've had to wait a little longer but I think its worth it for animals that won't be stressed and confused at being taken out the wild.

Plus I don't like buying any pets from pet shops as they are nearly always badly looked after either through lazy/badly educated staff or because its cheaper to keep them in inadequate housing and I don't want to support that, all the other animals i've ever had have been rescues.

Just to chip in here.

Fire bellied newts won't touch dried/freeze dried anything (mealworms, bloodworms, etc) in my experience. They'll take pellets but other than that your options are earthworms (chopped into two or three at least for a medium earthworm) and frozen bloodworms. They'll take live whiteworms too if you want to have a go at a culture.

Hope this answers your food question from the original post.

Good luck and I hope you and your family enjoy them.

Just wanted to thank you all again for the advice, The newts have arrived, settled in very quickly and are eating happily. My daughter is absolutely fascinated by them