What's easier: aquatic or terrestrial?

Jennewt · Oct 25, 2007

I've noticed that most people have a strong preference for maintaining either aquatic or terrestrial enclosures for amphibians. Here's your chance to state your preference. Feel free to explain why you prefer one or the other.

Daniel · Oct 25, 2007

...depending on the animals I keep, I think.

Its hard to make any lasting terrestrial setup for axolotls

But to me it's easier to maintain a terrestrial setup because the water changes take some time.

gar4016 · Oct 25, 2007

I have a preference for aquatic setups but I came into this hobby from breeding african cichlids

I am under the impression that many aquatic caudates are more active than terrestrail(feel free to give me some examples to the contrary.) I also prefer to feed smaller caudates aquatically.

Mark · Oct 26, 2007

Water changes and algae scraping are a pain! That said I voted for “no preference” because many of the small terrestrial animals I keep require cultured insects and those cultures are just as much (if not more) hard work as keeping an aquatic tank in good shape. A terrestrial animal that eats non-cultured food would probably be the easiest to care for IMO.

freves · Oct 26, 2007

I voted "moderate preference for terrestrial setup" simply because I hate doing partials. I still very much enjoy the aquatic tylos however.
Chip

i_love_necturus · Oct 26, 2007

I've only kept aquatic long term, but I have kept redbacks for a few days at a time for observation. I have kept many other animals in terrestrial enclosures before. I'd have to say land is easier but i find aquatic more fun. But yes, aquatic setups can really be a pain whit chemical balances and all. Thats a hard question.

lims · Oct 26, 2007

I voted strongly for aquatic;

* Visually better as a dispaly piece, (aquariums are apparently calming, thats why they often have them for the patients in dental surgery's). Just sit back relax and watch the newts...
* Very easy to provide a formiddable land area anyway withought loosing any room in the tank.
* Provides a real natural choice for the animal between land and water.
* Easier to feed.
* Once established water changes and algea are not a problem, although they can be time consuming in the beggining.
*Allows for certain speices mixing and makes up a mini eco-system, (shrimp, minnows, aquatic invertabrates etc).

MCampbell · Oct 26, 2007

I voted for a moderate preference for terrestrial setups simply because of less issues regarding water quality. However, many amphibians have an aquatic larval stage so that means dealing with water quality issues anyway. Still, as another poster noted, once an aquarium is well-established water quality is less of an urgent issue than it is early on.

freves · Oct 26, 2007

Sam,
You have some good points. Species mixing however is generally not recommended, at least not by beginners. Even when it is possible then other factors have to be weighed in such as the need for larger tanks, risk of disease transmission, temperature and compatability requirements for the various species, and so on.
Chip

dane_zu · Oct 26, 2007

I do preffer terrestrial, you dont have to worry about water quality and and water changes and all that jazz

however, there are a lot of outgoing nad beautiful newts that are aquatic

lims · Oct 28, 2007

freves said:
Sam,
You have some good points. Species mixing however is generally not recommended, at least not by beginners. Even when it is possible then other factors have to be weighed in such as the need for larger tanks, risk of disease transmission, temperature and compatability requirements for the various species, and so on.
Chip

Hi Foster,
I dont think being a begginner is a reason not to species mix, but lack of knowledge would be a reason if you ask me. I'm actually only talking about white cloud minnows and freshwater shrimps, which are fine to mix with newts. As you noted temperature is an issue, both the shrimps and the minnows are happy at the newts temp, I know this because I researched before I mixed.
The issue of spreading disease: Where do we draw the line? I got the minnows and shrimp from the same fish shop where I also got aquatic plants. To be honest, putting anything in with your newts is a risk, not just live animals. And quite frankly we're taking a risk by keeping them captively in the first place, they're supposed to be free in the wild, which I'm sure they prefer really.
And the issue of giving them all enough space is common sense, my shrimps hide most of the time anyway

Kaysie · Oct 28, 2007

I suppose I'm with everyone. I have a slight preference for aquatic tanks, as they sound soothing, and aren't too difficult to take care of. Terrestrial tanks with their once-quarterly complete clean are a total pain, but between are pretty low maintainance.

Jake · Oct 28, 2007

I prefer aquatic over terrestrial. The animals can be fed easier, and to me it seems they grow a bit faster in an aquatic set up. I don't use aquatic set ups for every species I keep, but I favor the more aquatic species.

tomthlee · Oct 28, 2007

I vote aquatic as well. As mentioned, it is very relaxing to look at and the sound of bubbles/filter flow can be very soothing.

I personally love doing partial water changes. I only have to do it once per week and the water always stays fresh (ammonia zero, neutral pH). Terrestrial tanks can be gorgeous but it is very hard to find species of terrestrial and/or arboreal frogs/newts that are active creatures during the day.

gar4016 · Oct 28, 2007

Aside from what I said earlier, I enjoy more active active aquatic animals ultimately because I enjoy watching animal behavior. More active animals tend to exhibit more intersting behavior. The ability to easily breed my animals is also a big plus to behavior, and my contribution to the hobby

Jennewt · Oct 28, 2007

Thanks to the 35 people who voted so far! I expected an even stronger imbalance toward aquatic preference, but it looks like there are plenty of terrarium-lovers out there.

If I had answered this question a couple of years ago, I would have voted strongly in favor of aquatic. But recently I've begun keeping more soil-based setups and I am starting to find that, in some ways, they are easier to maintain that aquariums. My current vote is 'no preference'.

Speaking of 'activity', I currently have some toadlets in a terrarium, and their level of activity puts most of my newts to shame:bowl: Perhaps it's unfair to compare anurans to caudates in this regard, as anurans tend to bounce.:lol:

Jan · Oct 29, 2007

I have a strong preference for terrestrial set-ups but that is because I really have a bias towards fossorial salamanders, at this point in time, limited to tigers....my favorite. I get my 'aquatic fix' by maintaining a 155 gallon (and smaller) aquariums for fish. Between the two set-ups, I find the terrestrials much easier to maintain even though I completely change the substrate every 6 weeks or so.

I'm forunate that my tigers are not shy, and most often visible, with the typical tiger characteristic of 'begging'...how cute is that?

lilsoul · Oct 29, 2007

I prefer aquatic to terrestrial but I don't think one is easier then the other.Thats just my opinion

freves · Oct 29, 2007

Hey Sam,
I hope that you did not misinterpret my post to mean that I was saying you are a beginner (I actually have no idea what your level of experience is but I know that you have been around here for a while). My fear is that someone new to the hobby will take your endorsement and run with it. I'm not sure what it's like in the UK but in the US it is very common for newcomers to want to mix anything and everything with newts. Many US petstores even endorse this practice by displaying newts in the same tanks with frogs, crabs, etc. You are most correct when you state some mixes may be possible with research, it's just that most people don't seem to bother themselves with a lot of research first (just a quick glance through the old posts will confirm that). Anyway, I hope this clarifies things a bit. Sorry to distract from your topic Jen.
Chip

hunter · Oct 30, 2007

Moderate preference towards terrestrial

But the problem is the terrestrials tend to spend thir time hiding. The aquatics are easier in many ways, but water quality is so vital.
I am at a 0 count for caudata these days, and am looking and lurking around for some new critters.
Here in SE Texas, the concern is temperature - are they going to get over heated in the water?

What's easier: aquatic or terrestrial?

Which is easier: aquatic or terrestrial?

Strong preference for aquatic setups.

Moderate preference for aquatic setups.

No preference either way.

Moderate preference for terrestrial setups.

Strong preference for terrestrial setups.

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