Tiger Salamander Tank

[Repguy27]

I just set up a 20 gallon long tank for some tiger salamanders I will be hopefully getting soon. I set it up with terrarium moss in a sort of river with Reptibark surrounding it and and leading up to a moss covered cave with moss and coconut fiber inside. It is on top of coconut fiber mixed with reptibark and with gravel on the bottom to help with drainage. I picked the plants so it would look a bit more temperate and I used fake plants for ease of care and cleaning as well as not having to worry about them dying. I thought the fake venus fly trap was really cool too and since they are from the Carolinas I thought they would work well.

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[TristanClark]

Add more hides and less plants. they like to burrow. and I don't really see the point in the repti bark and if it's sphagnum moss you should be careful because of the low ph it can cause stress but besides that your doing fine. I keep mine with just eco earth substrate and some moss. I keep it plain and simple haha but it works good. I have burrows connecting under the hides and even under the water dish and I believe this is a must for any mole salamander. good luck with your tank.

 

[sde]

Looks great! I love the cave/ hide thing, just like a groundhog burrow in the wild.:happy: looks all fine to me, but I am no expert for sure.:wacko: -Seth

 

[Elliriyanna]

I had two tigers and a topsoil coco fibre bedding is recommended ... with their sensitive skin I would not use the bark, You need hides and 4 inches of damp soil. The plants look nice but the sals won't care I would keep them just to make it look nice though.

 

[HodgeaPodge]

Love it!

 

[Repguy27]

Thanks for the advice, I will add some more soil then and see if I can find something of a burrow for them to go around in. I will remove the bark then if it will hurt them.

 

[grius]

Instead of removing the bark I should add maybe one more piece. Bark makes great hides and climbing areas, and there is no chanse your tiger would be able to cut it self on bark. You really do not have to remove this piece.

I would also remove the gravel from both water bowl and substrate, and as mentioned here before add more soil or a blend coconut soil/playsand if you cant find a safe soil.

 

[Repguy27]

I reorganized the tank to allow for more hiding spots and more digging areas. I wanna add live moss on top of the coconut fiber. Do you have any suggestions? I added a hollow log that acts like a burrow to see through in the front of the tank and another one by the water dish as another hide. The cave is now under the coconut fiber and the entrance to it is at the front of the driftwood where it splits.

 

[Repguy27]

I reorganized the tank to better accommodate them as was suggested. I added in two hollow logs, with the one acting as a burrow at the front of the tank, with being able to see into it since it is up against the glass. The other one is laying on top of the coconut fiber substrate in the back. The cave that was in there is now buried under the substrate with the entrance to it being where the driftwood breaks off into two small prongs at the end. I am looking to put a love moss in there to cover the coconut fiber substrate though, do you have any good suggestions for it?

 

[Tasha H]

I use live moss. It adds some beauty to the tank and smells less than the rehydrated forest moss you buy at the pet store. if you want them to look pretty for pictures it also helps clean them off when they climb through it (otherwise you have dirt covered sals all the time, also cute) You can find it at larger pet stores specializing in reptiles and amphibians. it is sold in shees. Some of us dabble in collecting stuff from the wild if we have a nature reserve or park nearby but there can be a risk of introducing unwanted parasites and things into your tank.

 

[Repguy27]

I am definitely gonna get some live moss soon. A local reptile/amphibian shop will be getting some more in soon. In the mean time, today I just received my tiger salamanders. I am trying to think of names for them. One should be a male and one should be a female.

 

[Repguy27]

I decided on naming the salamanders. The female will be Dawn and the male will be Dusk.

 

[Kaysie]

You'll want to make your water bowl easily accessible to YOU for cleaning. Dirt covered salamander climbs in, leaves a muddy mess behind, and then crawls out to get covered in dirt. Some of my tiger tanks, I have to clean the water dish daily.

 

[John]

Glad you're enjoying them! I actually don't use a water bowl for these guys but there's no harm in it!

 

[Elliriyanna]

Your tank looks great Don't worry about bark hurting them its natural for them to be hiding under bark bits in the wild. Mine LOVED their water dish and it was constantly dirty lol so just a heads up.

 

[Repguy27]

Yea lol their water fish gets dirty a lot too. I change it often though. I just got some frog moss today for their tank and I have an Exo Terra Monsoon misting system on its way too to help maintain it. Here is what it looks like now:

 

[Repguy27]

 

[Kaysie]

Looks awesome!

 

[Repguy27]

I just put a mister in the tank too to help keep the moss alive, I'm sure the salamanders don't mind it either. I have it so it comes on for 15 minute intervals 4 times a day.

 

[Jan]

I just put a mister in the tank too to help keep the moss alive, I'm sure the salamanders don't mind it either. I have it so it comes on for 15 minute intervals 4 times a day.

Just make sure your tank is well ventilated and that the substrate does not become wet. Stagnant, wet environments will lead to problems. The tank looks quite nice.