Cycling 5 Gallon Aquarium

Currently in the process of cycling my first Aquarium in over 7 Years (Granted that may not seem like a long time for some of the people here watching their Caudates from their rocking chairs :grin: ). I'm getting it set up in anticipation of (hopefully) obtaining some I. A. Apuana eggs in the next few months. Next week I'll be receiving some Java and Fire-Moss as well as a water testing kit and a Daphnia starter Culture.

Will hopefully have updates soon

Hey Nic, here are a couple of articles from Caudata Culture you may find helpful, you could also google "fishless cycling aquarium" for more info.

Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling

Caudata Culture Articles - Water Quality

There are problems that may surface when using such a small aquarium though. Temperatures and water quality can fluctuate very quickly when compared to larger systems, which is bad news for cold, clean water loving creatures like newts. Many species can tolerate extremes for short periods, but ammonia spikes or temps yo-yo-ing along with the room the tank is in are sure to stress out your newts.
Larger tanks are much more thermally stable and less prone to fluctuating water quality, so the minimum recommended tank size is ten gallons.
Newts aren't like fish, if they don't like their surroundings they will vote with their feet. Generally they refuse to eat much and spend all their time trying to escape and go in search of a better environment elsewhere.

I plan on moving them to a 20 gallon tank once "they" morph

Thanks regarding the articles, I actually came across them a few days ago while reading through some older threads in the Eurasian Newt section. I didnt think temperature should be an issue since the tank is in air conditioned room that we keep at around 72 during the day and 62 at night. I don't have a thermostat installed yet. I do actually have a spare 10 gallon aquarium sitting around as well, which by the sound of things may be a better option to start. I merely opted for the 5 Gallon to keep an easier overview on the animals until they morphed.
Perhaps Ill just use the 5 gal to have a Daphnia culture on standby.

I'm in the process of getting the 20 gallon aquarium set up and planted.