Hongkongensis stream project

[Yahilles]

I'm planning to create some more tanks in my room (new space has come ) and i want to create something new for my hongkongensis female and male who i want to give her in future. My idea is to create a stream-type shallow water tank for these newts (as i saw biotope pictures on this forum, also streams in polish mountains and Mark's tank for Calotriton asper, i got inspired) and i want to ask you, what do you think about this.
Water level would be nearly 10 cm, as hongkongensis don't look like they love swimming for air, also my female most of her time spends waiting near water surface, so newts won't need to do so. Substrate will be made mainly from flat rocks and in some places - gravel. In back half of tank surface there will be some cave made of rocks and filter-pump in, pumping the water to the small cascade (above the cave) where would be small hydroponic filter and some ferns and mosses. I can also install additional aeration to the tank.
It will be 60x30 tank for two hongkongs (yeah, only). Is it a good project?

 

[Ingo]

AW: Hongkongensis stream project

Hi,

but create the stream stady.
The body shape don`t looks like that this species is adapted to streaming habitats.

Greetings Ingo V.

 

[Yahilles]

Re: AW: Hongkongensis stream project

But they are stream species - you can see it by the pictures of their habitat on this forum. By the way i'm planning to make a very little current in tank (made mainly by water falling/flowing from rocks), just to make water surface moving and water itself- oxygenated properly. Is the rest of project ok?

 

[Azhael]

From what i see they seem to inhabit pools in streams. This means two things: less current and deeper water.
Maintaining a tank with shallow water requires a lot of maintenance as it can´t deal with waste build up. Also, many people have kept successfully and even bred the species in deep water tanks, so it´s definitely not a problem.

 

[Yahilles]

So i will make water level to 15 cm (tank is only 35 cm high and i need a place for plants and cascade). That's why i'm asking you.
I don't worry about waste, sterile tanks aren't my motto (of course i do the cleaning and water changes). Cascade will work as biological filter and decoration. And i never saw any stream without wastes and debris

 

[Azhael]

Of course not but that´s not the issue. The problem is that a small volume of water can´t handle the build up of ammonia and nitrites the same way as a large volume can. The cascade is hardly going to work as a filtration system itself...
Since the species can be considered almost 100% aquatic i think favouring terrestrial areas with plants and stuff instead of more water volume is probably not the wisest choice(it´s merely aesthetical...very not functional). Up to you though...

 

[Yahilles]

Azhael, plants with their roots will take ammonia from water- biological filtration.
Cascade will be place for plants to grow (it's only question about how it's built, but i have some ideas) and, as you mentioned, aesthetical point. I agree with you about water volume. I never saw hongkong newts swimming-not-for-air, so why are you so sceptic? Enough water to easily keep it clean and cascade under which they will have cave to hide. What's bad? Why so many people say that aesthetical tank must be unfunctional and bad for animals?

 

[Azhael]

I most definitely never said that :S
You asked for opinions and i gave you mine...the project sounds nice, but i think having a small water volume is not the best option(can be done but requires a lot more work and maintenance), specially since this species is rather big, which equals quite a lot of waste.
Plants are efficient to a point in cleaning organic compounds from the water. They help, but again, if the volume is small and the bioload big, the plants won´t be much of a difference.
I´m a huge fan of naturalistic tanks, and i think aesthetics don´t have to compromise practicality. However the tank you intend to use is not very big(big enough if it was mostly or completely aquatic) and "losing" volume for aesthetics, in detriment of practicality can be an issue.
As i said though, it´s up to you..i was just trying to point out a possible problem.

 

[Yahilles]

I'm not losing volume cause under the cascade will be cave. I planned low water depth because of i see that my hongkong female don't like to swim for air.
Hydroponic filters are used i.e in African chichlid tanks where you have no plants and they work well denitrating the aquarium- i want to use the same method in hongkongensis tank. Even if it won't work i can still fill the tank with plants from my other aquariums cause they're full of them

 

[Ben Krysa]

In a 60x30 tank, 10 cm of water should be ok for two newts. I house two adult males in a 20 gallon tall, with about 13cm of water. Regular water changes being the rule as always.