Fire Bellied Newts!

I know its straying a little from fish, but do any of you have any experience keeping Fire Bellied Newts? I'm planning on keeping some Cynops orientalis, or Chinese/Dwarf Fire Bellied Newts. I'm going to use a 20Gallon tank, and I want a substrate made from sand mixed with something muddy that won't lower the pH of my tank too much (avoiding peat moss here), would coco fibre be an okay aquatic substrate?

I know this is a stretch, and I'm aware that Fire Bellies excrete toxins, but are there ANY fish that are okay with them? I've heard white cloud minnows are good because they're too fast to be eaten and thrive at lower temperatures similar to the newts. There must be fish in the water where Chinese Fire Bellied Newts inhabit.

Anyway, any advice on how you provided the land area would be great. Plants you used and how well they got on with said plants would be great too.

 

How exciting! My experience goes back over 30 years ago keeping newts. The only thing I can remember is that you really need a good tight lid. They are escape artists. I did not keep fish or live plants with mine. I would love to follow along and see what others say and how this comes together for ya.

 

How exciting! My experience goes back over 30 years ago keeping newts. The only thing I can remember is that you really need a good tight lid. They are escape artists. I did not keep fish or live plants with mine. I would love to follow along and see what others say and how this comes together for ya.

I'd use an aquarium with a very tight lid definitely. I'm thinking cabomba species would maybe work. They're a hardy, fast growing plant, and if the newt uproots it, it's hardy enough to survive floating about until I manage to replant it.

I'm gonna try a few species of moss to see how they fair at lower temperatures but I'm sure they'll be fine.

What substrate did you use for your newts?

 

I'd use an aquarium with a very tight lid definitely. I'm thinking cabomba species would maybe work. They're a hardy, fast growing plant, and if the newt uproots it, it's hardy enough to survive floating about until I manage to replant it.

I'm gonna try a few species of moss to see how they fair at lower temperatures but I'm sure they'll be fine.

What substrate did you use for your newts?

I honestly do not remember the substrate, but I do not remember using anything except small gravel. I did not use sand back then. I used the little ledges that sticks to the side. I was a teenager then so nothing fancy. If I were to get newts today (which I have thought about a time or two as well as a crab habitat), I would definitely build a hill and have natural land area with sand and rocks. I bet there are youtube videos out there with step by step instructions. No youtube or google back in the day, lol.

A 20 gallon long is perfect. The only thing better would be a 30L that is three feet allowing plenty of room for both water and land areas.

 

For substrate I think I'm going to mix sand with cocofibre as long as the coco fibre will actually sink. I think that would give a really natural kind of muddy floor.

20G long is what I was thinking about, but if I was to do a naturally sloping land area id go for a 3ft 30G instead. That would give me space to have a nice gentle slope and a decent amount of land area.

I might even go the extra mile and set up some kind of water feature to create a stream running down the land area back into the water. That would be pretty cool.

It's gonna be a while but I can't wait to get these newts, as well as the dart frogs I'm **** bent on getting

 

I am excited to sub and follow along as you are able to get things set up! Hopefully it won't break my resolve to stay in the single digits with fish tanks. My freshwater friends making the crossover to salt water are already making it really hard, lol. I am a sucker for the oddball/different setups.

 

There are so many animals I'm planning on getting. Newts, Dart Frogs, Degus, Day Geckos, Corn Snake, Zebra Finches etc. I also want to try my luck at a small saltwater aquarium with a seahorse or a group of some pygmy seahorses.

I won't start getting my news for a few months yet, unfortunately. I don't have space in my room for any more animals, so I have t wait for my sister to move out so I can have a larger room.

 

Sounds like you are a lifer for sure. That is what my room looked like as a teenager. I will be 50 this year and have a "fish room" as well as tanks in my den and front room. I did take a hiatus for a number of years while kids were young, but this is definitely a hobby that sticks with some of us for many years of enjoyment.

 

I'm hoping to start my own business. I want to open an exotics store and breed most of, if not all, my stock (bar the species that are already common enough like bearded dragons and leopard geckos). eventually I want to start am exotics rescue service as there aren't many where I live