My newt aquariums

A

audrey

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I have been checking out this site for a while now and I love seeing everyone's pictures. I finally figured out how to put mine up - so here goes.
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(Message edited by jennewt on June 01, 2006)
 
WOW,excelent setup.....I love your trachia granulosas...perfection
 
Very cute Audrey. T. grans are my favorite. Don't be afraid to raise the water level higher up to the edge of the filter if you want.
 
Also, don't be afraid to just cram the tank full of plants. My Taricha love to climb amongst them. Some good live plants are Anubias nana, Elodea (anachris), java moss, java fern, and hornwort. These are low-light, cool water plants, and do well in most newt aquariums.
 
Looks very nice! I have some of those floating lily pads too.
 
Nice, but I'd also recommend adding some java moss. Live plants (especially ones that can do well without much light) not only look good but they help with water quality.

I use the same shelf-thing that you do, and it's nice because it adjusts to the water level.

I take it you have a secure lid for that tank?

Also, can you safely keep a Fluval-like submersible filter partway out of the water like that? I thought the whole thing must be completely submerged...
 
yes you could leave the fluval filter half way out of the water...I do it all the time...
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I don't doubt it works like that, at least for some length of time, but I was wondering whether it was intended by the maker to be also used that way and whether it was safe to do so. The instructions for the Fluval 1/2/3/4 Plus underwater filters has this to say:

WARNING: Do not operate this appliance out of water.

I assume this means completely out of the water, so that may not be relevant here. But it also says:

Ensure the (horizontal water) outlet is at a minimum of 1 cm below the aquarium�fs water surface.

It doesn't go on to say what might happen if it's not. So do at your own risk
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But I understand there is an optional spray bar that you can get to go with it.

(Message edited by TJ on June 01, 2006)
 
hu....I never read that...I just seen the petstore owner do it so I did it....dont know
 
Thanks, Jen. Cool. Tetra doesn't market that series here in Japan, just sponge filters and external filters.

Chris, I don't know what might happen with a Fluval, but maybe the unit could overheat. Anyway, take care
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Audrey, the only other thing I might say about a filter like that is that if you intend to breed, it might suck up larvae that get close to the water intake. But you could screen it to prevent this.

Well, just one more thing...it doesn't seem to be the case from your pics, but sometimes this type of filter can make the water pretty turbulent, and this can stress some species that prefer still water. But you can always set up some rocks or bricks in front of the filter to soften the outflow. Or cram the tank with plants as Joan suggested. If your newts spend most of the time out of the water, you might want to consider this
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(Message edited by TJ on June 02, 2006)
 
This filter is called a "whisperer". It is made for turtles or newts. It only has holes to take in water at the bottom and is marketed for not needing to be submerged. It supposedly does not cause too much water movement. It actually is not as strong as a fish filter, but it works well and the newts don't seem to have any response to it.
I am looking into starting real plants, but I have been intimidated by the maintenance factor.
I am not actually trying to breed. I just don't have the time or finances to get into it, but I do want to make my newts as comfortable as I can.
I will put more plants into the tank whether they are plastic or not.
I also have secure lids on all my tanks, though I have never had a california newt try to escape.
 
Great, Audrey, sounds like you have all bases covered
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I keep an eye out for "whisperers"

As for plants, Java moss is great. I also like various types of Anubias, which do well in low-light conditions, and Egeria densa, which also does well, especially with a bit more light.

Yeah, Taricha are not really climbers in my experience too (not that they can't!).

(Message edited by TJ on June 02, 2006)
 
Heya,

I've been using a similar filter (Tetra Whisperer) and I've liked it as a light duty filter. It's pretty quiet, and doesn't heat my tank up by any noticeable amount. Although there's a motor, the instructions seem to indicate that as long as the entire water intake part was submerged (about 2-3 inches at the bottom), it was fine. This seems different from the Fluval warnings that Tim has posted.

I'm uncertain about the turbulence. I have this filter in a marmoratus tank, and the marms are strong swimmers. While it picks up stray java moss from time to time, it doesn't pick up the anarchis or any of the java moss on the other side of the tank. In fact, the other side of the tank remains perfectly still.

Here's a picture of my tank.

(Message edited by apples on June 02, 2006)
 
Are you using a special light in the 2nd photograph? It makes the tank look beautiful!
 
That is just a ten gallon aquarium light - pretty standard, I think. However, I only turn it on for viewing because I think it might heat the tank up a little if left on long term.
 
I agree, i too think you should raise the water levels in your tanks, newts love deep water to swim in :)
 
well the one in the link that you gave me jen was too skinny to be the one I had but no worrys I have raised the water in my trachia granulosa's tank...
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I see you have used the turtle dock, very nice. I was going to build one but i went back on the idea as i only have 1 sucker and i cant remeber where i baught them...
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