New fire bellied newt owner! (Soon)

I am planning on getting a fire bellied newt for the first time and I am very nervous. I have had fire bellied toads in the past, but I have heard that these newts are more sensitive to their environment. So, I just have some questions:

1. Should I get 2? Are they better with tank mates? Will one get lonely?
2. Are there any types of fish I can house with the newt(s)?
3. I want to use live plants in my setup. Will they die if I live in a basement room with minimal light, is there a type of lamp I can use so they don't die?
4. Should I get a water thermometer just to be sure the water is cool enough? And how cold is too cold?
5. Is it okay to use tank gravel as substrate?
6. How often do I clean the water?
7. Are they attracted to live, moving prey like the toads are?
8. Will fish die in the water if there isn't a bubbler?
9. Should I purchase those drops you put in the water to take away the harsh substances found in tap water?
10. Do they need lights or do they like it dark at night?

Sorry for all of these questions, I just want my newts to be as comfortable as possible

Thanks !!

1. That’s up to you and the size of your tank/enclosure. Imo it’s not necessary for newts to be in groups/pairs unless you’re attempting to breed.
2. I’d highly recommend against keeping fish with newts.
3. I use LED and/or fluorescent tube lights in tanks with plants. It just depends on the plants you are keeping.
4. Yes. If I remember correctly I kept mine around 60f all year round. I’m sure they can go lower.
5. Yes, just make sure they can’t swallow it.
6. It depends. I’d do a weekly water change of about 25% and replace with clean water that has been treated with a dechlorinator of your choice.
7. I’d recommend a balanced diet of pellets and live/frozen foods- they’ll love an occasional treat of live foods.
8. Again I’d highly recommend you do not keep fish with newts.
9. Yes. Especially if you are using tap water.
10. All newts that I can think of prefer a day/night cycle.

I’m not insulting you at all and we are all happy to help- but the forum has a handy dandy little search tool that you can use to answer any questions you may have. If no one has answered that question (or if you can’t find an adequate answer) feel free to ask.

Heres a link that’ll be helpful: https://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cynops/C_orientalis.shtml

Another vote for skipping the fish! I consider myself an experienced newt person. I read all the warnings about not introducing fish and snails into newt tanks. And yet I still thought I could get fish for my fire belly’s tank that were small enough not to be a hazard. Big mistake.
He of course tried to eat one, and the head got lodged in his throat. I was super lucky that my emergency local vet is a rock star. She was eager to try and treat him, and even though she’d never even seen a newt before, she did her research, and was able to get the fish head out. I re-homed all the fish the next day, and my newt is now fully recovered. But I was very lucky, and my ill-advised choice to ignore the advice on this forum will never be repeated.

I second the people above. It's not the size of the fish that's matter, just the present of them. Most newts tend to leave water when a fish is placed in it. There was a study done on this on I. alpestris, that found newts do not tolerate fishes, which make sense because if there is a fish presence, it could pose danger to the newts eggs, or their young and it would be easier to just pack up and go to another pool than dealing with fish.

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