Setting up first firebelly viv and i have some questions

[alex]

I am going to be setting up a 29 gallon tank for two chinese fire belly newts. I am going to make the tank one third land and two thirds water.(Is this ok?)the land will have either java moss or riccia covering the ground. There also will be some kind of leaf litter or cork bark for them to hide under on land. The water area will be covered in large gravel and have several aquatic plants which i haven't determined. (post any plants you think i should use)

Now i have a couple of questions
1. Do these newts need a basking area or any kind of UVB light?

2. Does Humidity level matter and if so what is the range?

3. What are some ways to keep the water temperatures cooler? The temperature in their current enclosure is 70F and from what i read i belive it should be 58-68.

4. how many fire bellies can 29 gallon hold with out over crowding, if the water is 6-8 inches deep and two thirds of the surface area of the tank is water?

5. Last what are some suggestions of thing i should incorporate into this viv that your fire bellies like about their enclosures?

 

[richard]

I would side with the use of Java moss over riccia fluitans because this stuff can grow out of control. I found some at my local pet store and grew to regret my decision of ever inserting it into the viv. You don't want too much humidity, but just what you get in the average room. Some people use Ice packs or Iceprobe chillers to lower the temperatures, but some chillers create heat by operation that actually raises the temperature which defeats the purpose. My tank is pretty much at a constant 70 temp. For Cynops Orientalis I find that lots of plants tend to help them adjust to a new setting and feel more at home. I recomend Java Moss, Java Fern, Elodea, Cardamine Lyrata, and water lettuce. A good topwater choice is Duckweed, but cardamine Lyrata eliminates the need for it(its much nicer I find). At the bottom of this link there is a formula to calculate the amount of "Inches of Animal" you can keep in the tank. - http://www.caudata.org/cc/faq/FAQwat.shtml
A good feature to include would be a nice feeding dish or place that your newt could become conditioned to using. By the way, have you seen this link? http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Cynops/C_orientalis.shtml

Best of luck with your new set up!
Rich

(Message edited by richierich on February 28, 2007)