New to newts

Oh, that link didn' twork, either. I suspect something is wrong with the site.

Hi Bob,
what links are you trying to post? I think it won't work if it's for a website that displays ads.

Looking at the picture in your profile, it looks like you might have an incandescent light over the newt's island..? If this is the case, please get rid of the lamp ASAP - this would produce a lot of heat which is harmful for the animal. They don't need basking lamps like reptiles.

The newt should ideally be spending most of his time in the water - make sure water quality is good (is the tank cycled? If not, you must change a lot of the water frequently.)
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/articles.shtml
Look at the Water quality section.

Could you take a photo of the whole set up and either attach to this thread or put in your gallery? Maybe also more photos of the animal so it can be established which species it is.

I'm not sure what you mean by "what are you trying to post?" I did think I could post a pic in this thread, but found I could not, at least at the computer I was at.

Yes, I will ditch the lamp.

Oh, I wasn't trying to post an URL. I kept trying to read the pages with the URLs given me in this thread. But they didn't work.

I would say that set-up isn't suitable, at least not long term. The mat of soggy moss is basically decaying plant material sitting in shallow water. It'll mess with all kinds of water parameters and the conditions could quickly become lethal for your newt.

Have a look through the aquatic and semi-aquatic setups on caudata culture for inspiration and read the caresheets people have recommended:

Caudata Culture Articles - Setups

What about the fact that Sphagnum doesn't decay that much, and that partial water changes wil be made?

BTW, Sphagnum is an anti-bacterial agent, so I wonder whether it would cause much harm.

And, I don't know whether I mentioned that the moss is on top of a flat rock. The newt spends most of its time under the Sphagnum hanging over the edge of the rock, or crawls up onto the Sphagnum.

I've doen some field-research reading on salamanders, and they are ofte found on moss.

Bill

Bill B said:

BTW, Sphagnum is an anti-bacterial agent, so I wonder whether it would cause much harm.

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The antibacterial properties of sphagnum relate to it's acidity. It grows in acid rich peat bogs. High acidity will kill your newt very quickly.

Bill B said:

And, I don't know whether I mentioned that the moss is on top of a flat rock. The newt spends most of its time under the Sphagnum hanging over the edge of the rock, or crawls up onto the Sphagnum.

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I don't see anywhere else for the newt to hide. Where else can it go other than under the moss?

Bill B said:

I've doen some field-research reading on salamanders, and they are ofte found on moss.

Click to expand...

But probably not sphagnum moss sitting in a shallow pool of water.

Sphagnum moss is typical of acid peat bogs, where you won't find any newts. Your little fellow needs some decorations in the water under which to hide - some rocks, or at least plastic plants, though live plants will be better.

java moss would work well in that situation wouldnt it? likes being submerged copes with partial submersion, no acidity issues.

O.K., you guys were right. I emailed my former advisor (a bryologist; also, the same person I quoted before), and she had this to say:

The proton pump is the primary agent responsible for lowering the pH, and since those carboxyl groups that contribute the H+ are still there when the moss dies, it continues to make the pH go down when it is dead. In fact, its death causes the interior protoplasts to disintegrate, exposing more surfaces and thus more carboxyl groups.
I suggest giving the newts fresh rainwater and keeping the moss in a bowl that they can reach but that doesn't allow the moss to contact their free water. You might be able to divide your aquarium using clay, but I don't know if the clay has anything toxic in it. Or you could use a strip of plexiglass and aquarium safe silicone (check the pet store) to divide it and put soil and moss or peat moss on one side and water on the other. You will probably need to change the water often so it does not accumulate ammonia, especially if it is shallow.

You could also get the answer with a quick pH test. I would bet that the water with the moss in it is quite acidic. The other thing about your setup is that the newt would probably enjoy more water area.

I would hesitate to install a glass or plexiglass divider. There are simpler less-permanent ways to separate the land area from the water area. And if the newt is mostly aquatic, it doesn't really need the moss at all. Silk plants would be a less troublesome approach.

I have removed the Sphagnum. The rock should not serve as land area? Can anyone direct or post a good setup for especially for newts? One that isn't high-maintenace or expsnsive?

You should have a look through the gallery, there is a section for vivaria. Also check out the housing section here: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/articles.shtml

Couple of things to consider:

Substrate. A bare bottom tank is easiest to clean but there are issues with plants. Another option is play sand. Do not use gravel because newts can swallow it and die.

Plants are great for newts. Suitable ones are for example: elodea, java fern, java moss. Look through the post in the plants section of the forum for more info.

Hides: stones, terracotta pots, bricks, bog wood. Don't just take stuff from outside and put it in though - everything needs to be cleaned (boiled if possible). You can't put just any bricks, stones and wood into your tank either - again, read the Caudata Culture articles, it's all there. You can also search the forum.

The land area can be cork bark (from a fish shop) or stones sticking out of water. Some people also use turtle docks.

Regarding filter - with plenty of plants and frequent water changes, you won't need it. If you want one, sponge filters are best because they don't create a strong current and don't have a motor to produce heat. They are very cheap (over here ebay is best for such things) but you need an air pump to run them.

As you already know, a secure lid is very important. It needs to provide ventilation at the same time (mesh or some sort of holes).

Please read as much as you can on Caudata Culture and on this forum.

Thanks! I don't quite have the money for quite such a setup (especially to make it appealing the the human eye), and I read somewhere that newts, at least small ones, don't need much in the way of depth of water.

I do now have plenty of artificial plants for it to crawl onto or hide under.

My set ups weren't expensive - I wanted to show you that stuff like play sand and bricks work well (and they're cheap). I would definitely recommend live plants - they don't have to cost much either.
Regarding water level, if the newt is fully aquatic then give him as much water as you can. He will enjoy it and you won't have to worry about water quality so much.
If your newts comes from a pet shop as an adult then it's probably wild caught and you won't ever know how old he is anyway.
Any chance you could take another photo of the newt?

What kind of pic of the newt should I get? The underside? The topside? I do have one of the underside, but feel bad about it because I felt like I was torturing the animal.

I've read somewhere that newts - or at least one kind of newt - can live in very shallow water.

Bill

I guess I would worry about losing such a small newt in the maze like you have and that if I lose him, I would crush him moving the bricks.

It would be interesting to see his belly, it might make the species obvious.

Regarding water, give the newt as much as you can. It's better for the newt and the water quality will be easier to maintain. My newts generally don't hide and swim around happily most of the time.