Thread: information please

Hi everyone
I am new and am looking for set up info on fire bellied newts I have a 3 foot tank empty and would love to have some of these little creatures. Is there a particular bit on this web site or another that would help me. Which type of filter is best and would 1 with a spray bar be better. Any help appreciated.
Thanks

The only thing I can suggest is you pm candyfloss as she breeds these so can help you with their habitat hunny :)

We have 3 of these little guys they're awesome! So easy to keep, we don't even have a filter, (as it broke) we just do a 10% water change every week. They're in a small fish tank with stones piled up on one side to give them a little area to come out the water. The other side has some plants that they like to climb though. They eat blood worm which we get in frozen cubes. The water is ideal at room temperature, so not even any need for a heater. Hope you get some, they're definately worth it!

as nana jojo said if you want a few of these wee guys, pm candyfloss. we got our 3 from her and they are cracking wee pets, very comical to watch!

and the set up is what chris described. they need some land area that they can climb out of the water on to so we have piled up stones and a floating lilly pad. although as they get older they end up spending nearly all of their time in the water. plants are important too. if you search on here there is a post by candyfloss that details what is needed in their set up and has pictures :) definitely cant recommend them enough tho xx

Hi susanuaz and welcome

As mentioned (thanks guys) I breed Chinese Fire Bellied Newts and think they are fantastic pets. There are some photos of mine in the Amphibian Classified section which may give you some ideas on a set up for them.

When they are young they need an escape proof tank as they can climb the sides easily. Its easy enough to make any tank escape proof by plugging any holes with filter sponge.

In the tank a few inches of water and some land. The land could be an ornament that sticks out the water, bark, cork or a floating plant or turtle dock. When they get older they will spend more and more time in the water – then the depth can be increased and the land area eventually wont be needed at all.

I use filters in my tanks with spray bars – I recently changed to sera Precision fil 120 filters (they also do a 60 version) which come ready made with a spray bar, lots of different ways to use them and they are very reasonable. They are £12.99 or £15.99 on the fishandfins website. The good thing about these is that they can run on their sides if you don’t have deep water and can also be extended. The spray bars are good because they don’t like a strong current – you can even bounce the spray from the bar off the wall of the tank to cut it down further – plus they like sitting on the bar sometimes.

At normal room temperature you don’t need a heater or you could use one on the lowest setting to ensure the water doesn’t drop too far. Around 18 degrees seems fine for them.

I also have standard lights on my tanks and plenty of plants for them to climb on.

It is best to house them with the same type of newt - frogs and other fish or newts can attack them.

They are great to watch and seem to get on really well with each other unlike some other types which can tear chunks out of each other.

HTH – if you need any more info just ask.

And I may aswell put in a plug for my ones for sale in case you would like to buy any

its dead exciting when you are getting new animals eh! im not sure how many you could have in a 3 ft tank but i would say quite a few! candyfloss will keep you right! mind we want pics when you get your wee newtys :) xx

Hi,
Yes, I cycled the water for my newts. Its maybe not just as important as it is for fish as they can come out the water but I think its better for them to have cycled water.
For your 3 foot tank I think it could easily house 5 adults. I have a 3 foot tank with about 15 young in it at the moment but hopefully most will have moved onto new homes by the time they are full sized.
Give me a shout when you are ready for some new arrivals - its always good to see some go to good homes.

as far as i know all the plants you get in pet shops and that are safe. weve never had any problems certainly, and most places will be able to recommend ones that suit their habitat. as for artificial ones we have a foam lilly pad which floats on the top. gives them another wee place to sit :) xx

Hi,
I've not had any problems with any plants from the aquarium shops either and have used live floating plants too. Plastic plants would be fine for them too though to hang onto and maybe sit on and look very cute which is what they do best IMO

Hi,

Its looking great. Filter looks good in there.

Hows your water temperature ? Is there a lid on the tank (sorry hard to tell) and if so can you block any gaps (like round wires etc) with something (like filter foam) ?

S'long as they can get out the water on something they'll be happy - once your floating plants and things are in it'll look perfect.

The water depth is ideal for young ones - increasing it as they get older (when they start to stop using the islands).

Hi
Water temp is great.

There are various ideas on aging/cycling tanks. I think I left my first tank about a month and used some aging additives but it was so long ago I cant really remember. Since then I've always put in water from an existing tank and nicked some filter material out an existing one so that it ages quicker or ran the new pump in an existing tank. I know some people do use rotting fish or food - not something I've tried to be honest. You could monitor the tanks ammonia levels etc to see if you can get an ammonia spike then usually after that it settles down. Might take a couple of weeks. Or if it helps I could give you some of my tank water and some used filter foam which should have some decent bacteria etc on it. Happy to do this if it helps.

I still have plenty for sale. These guys hatched last spring\summer so are still young - some are bigger than others and there are one or 2 I think are staying more in the water than the smaller ones. There are a couple of non-morph'ed babies in the main adult tank but theyll not be ready for sale till spring. I dont think there would be any problem with introducing 5 all at once.

Hope this helps

Alex
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Hi Susan,

Yes, there's no reason you cant use some filter media from your mums tank and some water from it too if you wanted - as long as its a nice healthy tank there should be no problem at all I dont think. If you got water from me we would need to use empty mineral water bottles or something (ie not a bucket) or you would have a very wet journey lol.

Your tropical testing kit should be fine to check the ammonia.

Alex
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Hi Alex
Just wanted to say thanks my 5 wee guys are so cute. Trying my best not to stick my big face up to the tank to watch them want to let them settle in. Need to think of 5 names now! Any ideas anyone. Will keep you updated.
Thanks again
Susan xx

Hi Susan,
So glad you are happy with them and they got home safely.
Thanks for letting me know - Im sure you will get LOTS of fun out of the wee guys (I certainly do) and Im glad theyve gone to a good home :) ,
Alex
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