Land Area for Cynops pyrrhogaster

[scurry64]

Please see the picture below.
I am in the planning stages of setting up a 30 gallon tank for Japanese Fire-bellied Newts (30" x 12" x 18"). I know they need a land area and I thought this terra cotta pot would look nice.
I know it will get wet no mater what precautions I take. If I fill it with dirt (potting soil) and decorate it with plants, what effect will the soil erosion have on the wet part of my tank? Will it get muddy, or cloudy?
Will it be a maintenance/clean up nightmare?
Will I be better off using sand, moss and plastic plants?
I appreciate whatever thoughts or suggestions you have.

 

[JoshBA]

I think a land area like that would be awesome.It seems like a good way to have an aesthetically pleasing land area while maximizing water volume. I'm sure if the soil was covered in moss and plants, and the pot was raised to just above the water line there wouldn't be any issues. You could probably even use another pot underneath to lift it slightly out of the water.

 

[Asevernnnn]

I guess if its tall enough it could work, C. pyrrhogaster is nearly fully aquatic most of the time and would only need a small floating land mass, you're going to want as much water as possibly if you're going to be getting adults or aquatic juveniles.