100 Gallon Paludarium + Alpine Newts

[NeptunesRevenge]

I recently started a Paludarium build using a 100 gallon tank, 60" x 18" x 20".
My wife and I have always loved the idea of a semi-aquatic tank set up and when we got the chance to build one we were very excited.
I have kept freshwater fish and saltwater fish before but this is my first time dealing with newts.

The tank is kept in a back room that never gets above 72 degrees and the water temps have never risen above that.
I'm using a filter that sits in the back corner and the water lands on a log in order to disperse the force of the water so the current is overpowering for the newts.
Large gravel is used throughout the tank and creates a slope to bring the newts up to the terrestrial area.
Live plants are being used to emulate their natural habitat.
I'm also using a 48" LED light with automatic timer set for 8 hours per day.

The newts are Alpine Newts I recently received through a fellow caudata.org member, Dustinaquilar.
I have 6 of them and they love exploring their new home.
I will be feeding them frozen bloodworms, live bloodworms, and frozen blackworms.

If you have any questions feel free to ask and if there are any suggestions they are very welcome!

 

[xxianxx]

Which subspecies do you have ? They may wish to spend a lot of time on land so a bigger land area with more cover such as sheet moss and bark/logs would help. Floating weed such as elodea , if its legal in your state , makes a blanket the newts can hide in and maintain water quality. Are you going to culture live food in there ? Blackworm, aquatic and terrestrial isopods, snails etc are usefull feeders and may produce self sustaining colanies and provide a wider range of food for the newts. Alpines like chopped earthworm, white worm aswell, i also give mine flightless fruitflies and their maggots and its amusing to watch them climb tall plants to catch them. You would need to instal a fly screen to feed flies as they bail. The tank should look pretty good when its established. If youve got a chiller set up are you providing a winter cooling to breed them ?
I edited to add a couple of extra pics, the first is my tylo tank showing the elodea filling up a water area, the second is my alpine viv, about 30% is terrestrial covered in grasses and ferns, the water is maxed with elodea, eight alpines are in there, water changes are once per year though i top up for evaporation once a month. I only feed live though, if i used frozen foods i would need more water changes.

 

[Sheahan]

Are your plants rooted in to gravel? Or do you have a planting mix?

 

[MnGuy]

That's a really great set up! I agree that some aquatic plants rooted in the gravel and some floating plants will be appreciated by your newts. My newts like to swim up the surface and use aquatic plants as support to "hang out" in the water column.

Post more pictures as your tank progresses.

 

[bhollow]

100 gals!! wow looks awesome. is the gravel not a impaction risk?

 

[xxianxx]

100 gals!! wow looks awesome. is the gravel not a impaction risk?

They are not axolotl, they dont eat it.

 

[The-Axolotl]

Wow great tank set up! What have you named the newts?

 

[bhollow]

They are not axolotl, they dont eat it.

thats awesomeee