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Thread: Newt Vivarium

  1. #1
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    Question Newt Vivarium

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    Hiya everyone!

    I am new to this forum, but I like the look of it, so I have come here for some help. My 2 firebellied newts are living in a small tank just now, so I want to upgrade it this Christmas.

    The new tank (or vivarium) will still be small, only a few UK gallons, but it is an improvement.
    I have a few questions regarding the tank:

    1) Will stones and pebbles just from the beach be ok for the tank?

    2) Would they prefer just a couple of plants, or quite densely planted?

    3) (This is completely unrelated to the tank) How can you sex the Fire Bellied newts, because I was never sure of their sexes?

    Also, what sort of place do the newts come from, so I can try to imitate their natural habitat?


    Any other things I would need to know?

    Thanks in advance everyone.
    Last edited by Justikanz; 16th Nov 2006 at 00:35. Reason: Editing for easier reading

  2. #2
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    What kind of firebelly newts? There are many newts with orange or red markings on their bellies and many shops mis-label them. Photos will be great.

    Sexing will depend on their species, so again photos for a positive ID will be the first order of business here.

    Different newts come from different environments. But in general, clear cold water environments. Pebbles that CANNOT fit in their mouth are ideal. Some newts die from a compacted stomach after ingesting gravel or small pebbels that they cannot pass out.

    Some plants are great, but not dense planting. Get easy hardy plants like anubias and java ferns tied on drfitwood. Most LFS should have those. Also makes major cleaning of the tank easier, as you can just lift them out of the tank. Although I would suggest you never disturb the tank setup once they are settled in.

    No need to create a beach. Newts prefer to stay in water. But do put in a few pieces of driftwood that rise above the water. They will climb onto these if they want. Most times you might find them snuggled under the driftwood.

    Lastly... great info here: http://www.livingunderworld.org/

    You can probably ID your newts from the pictures there, but do check back with us here for a confirmation. Too many newts look alike and for some, only an experienced eye can tell the difference. If you do get pics for us, get pictures of their head, their bellies, their feet, a side profile of their tail, especially the tip, and an overhead shot. All these help to identify.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
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  3. #3
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    Thank you for the quick reply. I think the newts are Chinese Fire-Bellied newts, but when I bought them they were just labelled "fire bellied newts".
    They are used to large amounts of land, I'm just worried it'll be a bit of a shock if I suddenly put them in a tank full of water. Would it be ok if I used the sloping gravel idea to start, but gradually, when I do water changes, I'll flatten the slope and make it all water, with just wood etc sticking out of the water. But you said not to bisturb the water, so should I just start with the full amount of water? I'll try to get some pics today or tomorrow.
    Thanks again.

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    Newts are salamaders. The general difference is a newt is a salamander that spends most of it's time in water. A salamander spends most of it's time on land.

    CFB's love water... unless something about the water bothers them. If your current setup has water, you should see them spend most of their time in there. If not, and they are really CFBs, then they may not like the water. I don't know the condition of the water coming out your tap in UK, or what water you use, but you should be paying attention to things like the pH, KH, GH and chemicals (e.g. chlorine, chloramine) in your water source. Read the site I linked and see if you can get some info there. Also see if you can get hold of an experience newt keeper in UK for advice.

    OTOH, if the water area in your current tank is too small... they may not stay in it. How big is it? And please do include filtration in your new tank, if you are not already filtering the water. Newts need clean water.

    I've read that CFBs are known to spend a short period of their life on land, but mostly they prefer water. My own ones (now gone), almost never go on land.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
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    HMm just asking will it be safe to fill up the water till it is 3 quater since they don't live much on land???With a cover on top of course...
    Last edited by Justikanz; 28th Nov 2006 at 17:20. Reason: 'dun' is not a word

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    Yes, but you should still provide a small piece of 'land'. Sometimes sick newts need it. Also, if the water condition bothers them or there is a lack of oxygen, they have a place to go.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
    Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:
    A woman, without her man, is nothing.
    A woman: without her, man is nothing.

  7. #7
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    What do most people use as land for their newts?
    Last edited by vinz; 28th Nov 2006 at 23:04.

  8. #8
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    Driftwood usually, or rocks. I used driftwood and rocks to shore up some gravel to create a larger land area. Go look in AQ's Vivarium forum... there are more advance methods to build up a vivarium... though those there tend to have more land then water.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
    Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:
    A woman, without her man, is nothing.
    A woman: without her, man is nothing.

  9. #9
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    Why no one replying to my substrate for newts post....

    Can use marbles as substrate???

  10. #10
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    Opps. I thought I did yesteday. Anyway, I just replied over there.
    Vincent - AQ is for everyone, but not for 'u' and 'mi'.
    Why use punctuation? See what a difference it makes:
    A woman, without her man, is nothing.
    A woman: without her, man is nothing.

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