New 40 for a T. kweichow

[sfmmfreak]

Well I finally got my 40 setup for my Tylototriton kweichowensis.

The substrate is a mixture of Scott's Top Soil, Fir Bark and Coir. There are also 2 pieces of Driftwood in the tank.

I'm either going to be putting my Whisper 20i or 10i in the next few days for filtration.

Unfortunately I do not have a top for this tank yet. I'll be getting or building one in the next coming days though.

Please leave feedback! Thanks!

 

[Azhael]

The newt would certainly benefit greatly from having a few pieces of bark to hide under, or even pvc tubes or ceramic pots. Some leaf-litter would also provide good cover. Combined with some moss it will also prevent the newt from getting so dirty with substrate stuck to it all the time.

 

[sfmmfreak]

Okay thanks for the input. By moss do you mean mosses like Java Moss? I've seen lots of threads about growing moss. I really wanna find some Java moss, I think that'll give the tank a real nice look. I could have my pet store order some in for me. I'll also probably go out and get one of the those half hollow logs they sell. Im sure he'll enjoy that.

 

[JWERNER]

Well I finally got my 40 setup for my Tylototriton kweichowensis.

The substrate is a mixture of Scott's Top Soil, Fir Bark and Coir. There are also 2 pieces of Driftwood in the tank.

I'm either going to be putting my Whisper 20i or 10i in the next few days for filtration.

Unfortunately I do not have a top for this tank yet. I'll be getting or building one in the next coming days though.

Please leave feedback! Thanks!

I'm glad you got the tank set up. I would top it off with a inch or so of sphagnum moss so the newt stays clean as well as retain some moisture. I like to use the " Better-Gro Orchid Moss " found at Home Depot. Some of the other sphagnum moss is pretty dirty and has lots of sticks and stems in it.

You can find some nice pieces of bark outdoors with some moss cover on it to lay on the substrate and prop it up with other bark or something on one end so the newt can get under it and hide.

You can collect some leaf litter and freeze it to kill any unwanted bugs like chiggers. It adds a natural looking ground cover plus it doubles as some hiding spots to dart under at the last minute if the newt gets spooked. You might want to read up on what leaves are not noxious when they decay as well as getting to know what the trees look like that they come from. I find that it looks nice if you mix any orange and brown leaves that have fallen with live green leaves. I just bake the green leaves to dry them out in the oven at 150 degrees for a few minutes and they stay green when they dry.

Since you didn't go for a in tank back ground painting the back of the tank a dark flat color like flat black by rolling on latex house paint with a roller will also help reduce some stress.

 

[Otterwoman]

Java moss is an aquatic plant. I believe Azhael means forest moss, on the dirt area.
I recently acquired some of these myself, and I made them a tank like this:
(see below).
http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-...s-vivaria-etc/52345-new-tylo-urodelarium.html
After about 1-2 weeks, they began to spend as much time in the water part as the land part.
When you have time, I recommend making a tank with a larger water section.

 

[sfmmfreak]

Well I plan on adding more water, I just wanted to keep the water level low at first.

I didn't see the forest moss in the pictures you provided. What exactly should I be looking at?

Also, where do I get forest Moss?

 

[Azhael]

Java moss won´t do in this type of tank. You can buy moss sheets online, or if the law allows it in your area, collect them from a nearby forest. I would avoid sphagnum since it can create acidic conditions that if serious enough can even kill your newt. It won´t necessarily happen, but it´s a risk with certain types, so you´d be better off with "sheet moss".

 

[sfmmfreak]

I'll look online for sheet mosses, I live in SoCal so I doubt i'll find any growing around here!