Newt noob: unable to get to surface??

Hi, I just got my fire-bellied newt yesterday and wanted to know about his ability to climb the sides of the plastic tank... he seems to be having difficulty getting to the surface of the water to breathe, he tried to get to the floating plant I have for him by swimming but he seems to get weighed down a lot, maybe, I'm not sure. How often should he be going to the surface and is he supposed to have difficulty climbing the sides of the tank? I'm new at this so I don't know what to expect, I don't want him to drown...

Newts certainly have the ability to climb and escape. I'm wondering if there's any true land areas for him that he doesn't have to cling onto like the floating plants? I have a 10 gal. tank that is mostly water, but slopes up w/ small rocks (not small enough to be ingested - be careful) to create a small land area that also has a shelter on it. I would definitely create such an area that isn't solely something he must cling to in order to be out of the water. He might be able to climb easier if he's not wet, not that you want him escaping, so keep a lid on the enclosure. Mine also went through the typical terrestrial phase you read about elsewhere on this site, but now have completely returned to the water as sexually mature adults (with babies to prove it!)

Dana

Dana is right, it needs a terrestrial area. After being bought, this species usually goes through a terrestrial stage. Once they go back to water, they probably won´t leave it ever again, but for the first month or os it´s a good idea to have some land for it (that land can be just a piece of floating bark).

I however disagree with the method Dana is using. Gravel slopes are a terrible choice for aquariums because they create pockets of anaerobic conditions, in which bad bacteria grow and create nasty compounds. That´s something you really want to stay away from.

On a side note...the newt shouldn´t be trying to climb the sides of the tank. That´s a bad sign. It probably means the water conditions are far from ok, so it´s desperately trying to get out of water. Make sure that´s not the case.

Re: Newt noob: unable to get to surface??/Azhael

Gravel slopes are a terrible choice for aquariums
Well, it figures. More bad advice from the pet store where I bought them. They only cautioned me against small gravel as they can inadvertantly swallow the pebbles sometimes killing them.

Can they really climb on a piece of bark easily? Don't they need a shady area on land, too? I will remove the gravel immediately and forego it altogether when the larva morph (will need more help w/ housing specs. then - did read, but still have questions.) What about large, ceramic smooth rocks if they're very large and can be stacked and tiered? The rough ones I've seen in the stores seem to abrasive for the FBN's skin??? They remind me of lava rock. I'm going to a nicer aquarium shop next week and can check out options there, but I don't want to leave the gravel in there if it's a potential problem. Is the gravel OK for the bottom if it's the entire bottom and does not connect to the surface at all?

Thanks for any additional help,
Dana

tashaxlinda: Your newt shouldn't be having any issues getting to the surface to access the air unless your floating plant is getting in the way? I had some problems in the past with hornwort getting in the way of one of my newts(not smart enough to go around I guess). Could this be what's happening to your newt? As for how often they should be going to the surface for air, I guess the best answer I can give is as often as they need.


Dana: Gravel should be ok for a substrate as long as it's not too deep(not too small that it can be swallowed and not too big that all of their food slips between the cracks), something like 1-2 inches or even less if you don't have live plants. Most specialty aquarium stores stock flat slate, which cost about 2-3 dollars per pound around here, that you could stack to reach the water's surface. Another choice as was mentioned by Azhael is floating cork bark. The nice thing about floating cork bark is that it doesn't take up any space in the water column so you effectively have more water which is good for temperature control and water quality.

You could also try using a turtle dock. I have one of the smaller sized ones for my 55 gal. CFBN that I picked up for around 13 dollars. I've placed some java moss on it which gets watered by the spray bar from my Zoomed 501(spray bar oriented so the water is not spraying on the newts), it's growing into a real nice carpet and the newts like to cling to the hanging moss at night. They don't spend much time on top of it but they have the choice to do so if they wanted.

Re: Newt noob: unable to get to surface??/Hank

Thank you for the great ideas. I meant to mention the turtle docks as I have seen them around here.

I'm a little nervous about using natural stones such as slate, though I suppose you all are the experts and have had success. I'm sure if they're sold by aquarium shops, they won't leech minerals into the water - a problem I remember quite well as a teenager when I put a beautiful rock I found into my fish tank - only to see corpses the next day. The memory still haunts me to this day.

My driveway and pathways are made out of smooth, light grey marble, but I'd be too afraid for the above reason to use it. I love the texture, but I have no idea as to what it would do in the tank. I will ask at the specialty aquarium shop I plan to visit on Tuesday for some safe slate. I think that or the floating dock would be best. Do they struggle to get onto the floating islands?

Thanks again,
Dana

I can't speak for cork bark as I've never used it but my newts don't seem to have any issues getting onto the dock if they need to. There's a ramp at one end and the hanging moss acts as sort of a ladder.