Tank setup/water questions in preparaton for fire belly newt?

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Ellie94

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So, I am planning to get one or two Chinese FBNs soon :) I have a few water and tank questions,

1. Is it ok to not use a filter? What are the pros/cons of not using a filter? How much water should I change and how frequent should these changes be, without a filter? I don't want to stress my newt(s) out with a powerful filter.

2. What is the best substrate I can use? Preferably easy to clean. I was thinking of using sand. What is the safest type of sand for newts?

3. Tank cycling. How do I cycle the tank, without a filter? Should everything be cleaned thoroughly before going in my tank setup including substrate, and how is this done?

4. What plants are safe/a good idea for a FBN tank?

5. Any ideas for a small land area at the top, besides plants breaking the surface? I was thinking of putting some sort of floating platform on there. I am planning on purchasing adult newts.

6. Is it ok to not use a dechlorinator, and to just leave water to stand for a few days? I know this will get rid of chlorine, but what about chloramines, is it safe or should I use a dechlorinator too?

I know these are loads of questions, and I probably will have more soon...sorry! Thank you for your help.

Ellie
 
Ok to begin, for two newts you'll need at least a ten gallon tank. It is possible to keep them without a filter but you'd need to change the water about twice a week. I'd suggest keeping a large sponge filter. These hook up to an air pump and provide good biological filtration with minimal current. As for substrate, sand is hard to clean and maintain. I'd suggest river rocks about an inch in diameter.I use these and they're easy to clean around, and very easy to remove for major cleanings. Always keep in mind you should never keep substrate a newt can swallow to avoid impaction. All substrates and ornaments of course should be thoroughly cleaned using warm fresh water. Never use soaps on anything that goes in your newt tank.

As for cycling a tank, read up on the nitrogen cycle. You need sufficient surface area for bacteria to grow, and the bacteria needs oxygenated water to live. Having live plants can provide some surface area and oxygen but nothing will beat the sponge filter. Its inexpensive and efficient and you really should get one. There are many methods to cycling you can research. However if you can provide a large number of plants and a sponge filter you can have your newts in from day 1. If you do decide to go this route, change the water 20% daily for the first three weeks. Put a lot of fast growing plants and supply a land area so the newts can escape the water. It also helps if you can aqquire a plant or some rocks from a cycled tank as this will help the cycle along!

As for the plants to use, I would suggest sprite plants and cabomba plants as they grow fast and give the newts a place to hide and perch at all levels of the tank. You can also add some crystalwort and javamoss to make a lusher environment for your newts. For your small land area, a good idea would be cork bark with some javamoss or crystalwort tied to it. This will supply them with a floating island without taking away from your water volume. As always wash these things with fresh water before adding them to your tank.

As for not using a dechlorinator, I wouldn't suggest it. It takes at least 12hours for chlorine to dissipate and chloramine won't. Any of these chemicals will harm your newts and kill your cycling bacteria. Just be safe and use it, it doesn't cost much anyway. As for your last question, any standing water will evaporate chorinebut the larger the surface area, the faster the evaporation.

It's great that you're asking all these questions and I'm sure you'll be able to make a great home for your newts! I hope I was able to help, pls add a little reputation to my account if you liked my advice:)
 
The filter is unnecessary and undesirable for this species as they prefer no current at all. LOTS of live plants will do the trick. Water changes should be no larger than 20%.
Consider the origin of these poor animals before you decide to buy them. All pet-shop newts are WC nd imported in terrible conditions. The one who survive the process are horribly stressed and frequently develop infections, refuse to eat, etc. By purchasing these newts, you promote the continuation of this market and the death of more animals.
If you want to have a good start in this hobby, go for captive bred animals. There are a number of species that are ideal for beginners. There isenough information thoughout the forums to make your eyes bleed, so make sure to absorb as much information as you can before acqiring any animals.
 
+1 with Rodrigo
no need to filter, but it takes a lot of plants to balance the water. It is better to acquire animals NC. Personally, I change 20% water every 15 days.
;)
 
Azhael said:
The filter is unnecessary and undesirable for this species as they prefer no current at all. LOTS of live plants will do the trick. Water changes should be no larger than 20%.
Consider the origin of these poor animals before you decide to buy them. All pet-shop newts are WC nd imported in terrible conditions. The one who survive the process are horribly stressed and frequently develop infections, refuse to eat, etc. By purchasing these newts, you promote the continuation of this market and the death of more animals.
If you want to have a good start in this hobby, go for captive bred animals. There are a number of species that are ideal for beginners. There isenough information thoughout the forums to make your eyes bleed, so make sure to absorb as much information as you can before acqiring any animals.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for the comment. Sadly, I'm aware of the terrible conditions these animals are kept in. I purchased my axolotl from a pet store a couple of years ago and it really was awful to see how they were kept, and I saw the fire bellies too, it really was awful, and although I felt like I was "saving" her and was happy that we have given her a much happier and healthier life, I do not wish to promote the continuation of this market and have decided long ago that I will not buy from a pet store. I was planning to look on the website forum to see if there were any breeders near me or anybody selling a FBN.
Thanks again.:happy:
 
AeonMapa said:
Ok to begin, for two newts you'll need at least a ten gallon tank. It is possible to keep them without a filter but you'd need to change the water about twice a week. I'd suggest keeping a large sponge filter. These hook up to an air pump and provide good biological filtration with minimal current. As for substrate, sand is hard to clean and maintain. I'd suggest river rocks about an inch in diameter.I use these and they're easy to clean around, and very easy to remove for major cleanings. Always keep in mind you should never keep substrate a newt can swallow to avoid impaction. All substrates and ornaments of course should be thoroughly cleaned using warm fresh water. Never use soaps on anything that goes in your newt tank.

As for cycling a tank, read up on the nitrogen cycle. You need sufficient surface area for bacteria to grow, and the bacteria needs oxygenated water to live. Having live plants can provide some surface area and oxygen but nothing will beat the sponge filter. Its inexpensive and efficient and you really should get one. There are many methods to cycling you can research. However if you can provide a large number of plants and a sponge filter you can have your newts in from day 1. If you do decide to go this route, change the water 20% daily for the first three weeks. Put a lot of fast growing plants and supply a land area so the newts can escape the water. It also helps if you can aqquire a plant or some rocks from a cycled tank as this will help the cycle along!

As for the plants to use, I would suggest sprite plants and cabomba plants as they grow fast and give the newts a place to hide and perch at all levels of the tank. You can also add some crystalwort and javamoss to make a lusher environment for your newts. For your small land area, a good idea would be cork bark with some javamoss or crystalwort tied to it. This will supply them with a floating island without taking away from your water volume. As always wash these things with fresh water before adding them to your tank.

As for not using a dechlorinator, I wouldn't suggest it. It takes at least 12hours for chlorine to dissipate and chloramine won't. Any of these chemicals will harm your newts and kill your cycling bacteria. Just be safe and use it, it doesn't cost much anyway. As for your last question, any standing water will evaporate chorinebut the larger the surface area, the faster the evaporation.

It's great that you're asking all these questions and I'm sure you'll be able to make a great home for your newts! I hope I was able to help, pls add a little reputation to my account if you liked my advice:)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much, I just want it to be perfect for the little guy/gal(s)!
RE sponge filter - can you recommend a good one I can buy online?
Would you maybe be able to show me a picture of your river rocks substrate?
I have read up on the nitrogen cycle, however I read something somebody wrote on this site - that it is not necessary to cycle a tank for one small newt (although I don't know how many I am getting yet - it depends on what I can find near me, but I'm not having more than 2)? I will go with the sponge filter and lots of live plants and the 20% daily water changes for the first three weeks.
Thank you so much for the plant and land area suggestions! Do you know where I could purchase such plants, also should these plants be changed as time goes on or left alone? Thank you for the dechlorinator info. I thought chloramines eventually left the water too, but evidently not ha :)
Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it. I'll continue posting questions on here if that's alright, as I get my tank set up in future weeks.
For food - I was planning on using a staple diet of earthworms, and I also have mosquito larvae in my garden which I hear they love too, are these ok staple foods? What else can be regular foods for a fire belly newt?
Thank you!:happy:
 
vince59 said:
+1 with Rodrigo
no need to filter, but it takes a lot of plants to balance the water. It is better to acquire animals NC. Personally, I change 20% water every 15 days.
;)
Click to expand...

Thank you very much, vince :happy:
 
Earthworms are the perfect staple. you'll have to chop them up though have fun with that :p I feed mine a mix of tubifex and earthworms As for the plants, if you keep them well they'll never have to be replaced, just trimmed :)I'll upload pics of my tank soon
 
heres a photo of my tank. theres a newt on the bottom left to compare to the rock size
 

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That's an awesome tank! Is it bare bottom or sand substrate under the rocks?
 
bare bottomed, that way to clean all I need to do is pick up the rocks, or even just stick my siphon in between them:) My plants are rooted in little gauze pouches of soil, which I covered in crystalwort to hide the gauze. The tall plants are sprite and cabomba, and the bottom is covered in java moss. I left the center as a feeding area I drop some worms there and soon the newts emerge from the vegetation to feed:)
 
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