Filter suggestions?

[HaydenJoPrice]

Hey folks,

Long time since I've been active here or had the time for the hobby and I'm looking at putting together a tank for alpine newts and am curious what the best filter would be? Looking at probably 18-20 gallons of water. Our house is very cool but I still want something that will raise the temperature as little as possible and doesn't have too strong of a current. Would it be best to skip it all together? I've done pond type set ups before for japanese newts but always found a filter to be a little easier.

 

[JM29]

Hi,
With no more informations, it will be very difficult to give you any relevant advice.
For example :
- What geographic origin have you got ? If you have the subspecies apuana, or cyreni, they will accept to be kept aquatic all year round. With alpestris subspecies, they'll probably need to have a terrestrial period. The setup then should have at least a big island and the water depth would be limited (water volume also).
- How many newts are you planning to keep in, say, (actual) 20 gallons ? If it's in the order of 3 to 5, with many live plants (Egeria, hornwort...) under good light, a filter seems not necessary.

 

[MnGuy]

I use sponge filters for my alpine newts. Hang-on-the-back filters and canister filters create strong suction that can be dangerous and strong currents that newts typically don't like.

 

[michael]

Historically their were several subspecies of alpine newts kept in the U.S. The reality of the hobby is most people in the U.S. keep apuanas because they are simple to keep aquatic. I'd talk to the person you got the newts from. If they were always kept aquatic I would set them up aquatic with a sponge filter. I like the kind of sponge filter that sticks to the side of the tank so stuff doesn't get trapped under it.