Looking for the perfect Newt

Hello everyone,

I haven't posted here in a while so I might ramble a bit. I just finished a new build and my son has been asking me for a while for Fire Belly newts. My original intention was to have this tank just for orchids but I wanted to have the option to have the newts if I want. For that reason I have designed the tank with a significant water area that is way more than I would need to keep just plants. The temperatures in the tank range from 68 to 80, there is a Fluval 205 canister filter for filtration, computer fans for air circulation and drip lines for irrigation. Lighting is a pair of T5HO 24" bulbs. Aquatic substrate is clay based ( forgot the name ) and the terrestrial substrate is homemade. There is a false bottom and the background is also homemade from Styrofoam covered in silicone and coco fiber mix. If anyone would like more info on that stuff I can make a separate thread or you can pm me.


The reason for this post is that I would like to find out from those with experience if there is any species that would benefit from this type of setup. I do not want anything that would need any extra care ( chilling, winter tank, uv light etc. ) The tank is setup for orchids and if there is no species that would "benefit" from this the I would rather stick to just plants. The water is 5 to 6 inches and the flow can be adjusted from still to fast moving. I am not completely finished and I will cleaning up a bit and adding a variety of aquatic plants.

Here are some pics ( sorry about the quality ). All comments and criticism are welcome but please limit advice on the animals to only those who actually house them.

Thank you

I have another similar more mature paludarium that I can house something in. This one is for my cooler growing orchids and the temperatures are between 62 and 74. The usable water area is also much smaller and shallower than the above bowfront so I'm thinking a more terrestrial species. Anyways enough showing off if anyone would be kind enough to recommend an animal they have experience with and they think would benefit from this type of setup, I would appreciate it. Again I would like something that I don't need to do anything to other than feeding and basic care.

Thank you all in advance.

In first paludarium you can keep Bombina Orientalis, or Lissotriton vulgaris
In second paludarium you can to keep Ambystoma opacum or Ambystoma laterale or T.shajning or Echinotriton andersoni....
Cheers, Tomek

The temps are a bit of a problem. 80ºF is high enough to be a risk for most species which greatly limits the options. There are a few species that tolerate those temps, but i´m not sure there´s enough water in those tanks to suitably house even the smallest species like Cynops pyrrhogaster or C.ensicauda, certainly not the larger ones.
I suposse the second tank could be used for something like Tylototriton shanjing, but you might have a problem with the humidity levels for the orchids, as they can develop skin problems with poor ventilation.

Thank you guys for the suggestions. For the second tank my 1st choice would be the Tylototriton shanjing. One thing I should note is that while there are plenty of places to hide the substrate will not be suitable for any animal that needs to burrow. Will that be an issue ?

TomaszJanulewic : Thanks for the suggestions I like the Ambystoma opacum.

Azhael : Thank you for you the info. What do you mean by " but you might have a problem with the humidity levels for the orchids, as they can develop skin problems with poor ventilation." ?? Is it the orchids or the animals that will develop problems ? Is it to too much or too little humidity ? My tanks keep very steady temperatures and humidity but they also have lots of ventilation. If you look closely at the second tank you will see the small fans I mentioned earlier hanging on the top front corners. The other tank has them too but harder to see. These help to circulate air and also drop my temperatures via evaporative cooling.


I really appreciate the responses. Keep it coming :blob: