Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all,

I have recently built and cycled a small (20 gallon high tank) paludarium. The tank is about 2/3 water (about 6-8 inches deep) and 1/3 land. The land portion has a pool in its middle with a waterfall that flows from it and empties into the main pool. For a better idea of what I am talking about, check out the attached image.

My main question is this: What type of newt would do well in this tank? I have been told (on this forum) that a rough skin newt would do well. Any thoughts?

^iMp^

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The tank, in detail:

20 Gallon (high) tank

Land/water divisions are bent/cut acrylic sheets

Currently houses 5 white cloud minnows, which may or may not remain in the tank when the newt is introduced.

Image key:
A. Well-planted, deep corner (mostly hornwort)
B. Small piece of driftwood, otherwise a fairly open water area
C. Shallow above closed-off "pump box" -- water is mechanically and biologically filtered before going over the falls
D. Piece of corkbark mostly burried and covered in moss--could serve as a terrestrial hiding place.
E. Waterfall pool, about 2 inches deep.
F. Waterfall -- water flows over a small piece of slate. The flow is fairly gentle/shallow.
G. Thickly planted area, with creeping fig (ficus repens) and tons of bushy mosses.
H. Ravine -- the water is deep here (7" or so) and the sides of the tank and land portion form a ravine. For the most part, it is lightly planted (mostly short grassy plants and java moss).

Nice setup. I still stick with rough skinned newts...or possibley a triturus species would do well but I don't know which. Check out he species lists on caudate central.
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Hope my opinions help,
Rob

I have been leaning towards a rough-skinned newt ever since your last bit of advice. I have some questions for you though, if you'd be willing to entertain them...

1. How aquatic are rough-skinned newts? Do they spend roughly 2/3 of the day in the water? Does it depend on the temperature or season?

2. What are the temperature requirements for a rough-skinned newt?

3. How easy are they to care for--that is, are they more prone to disease than other species and do they feed well in captivity?

4. Are they mostly captive-bred or captured?

I've been seeking these answers online, but with little luck. I know most of this information should be on care sheets, but I simply haven't been satisfied with what I've found. Any help or advice that would make me feel more confident about my ability to properly care for a rough-skinned newt is welcome.

Thanks again,

^iMp^

>>1. How aquatic are rough-skinned newts? Do they spend roughly 2/3 of the day in the water? Does it depend on the temperature or season?

Rough skinned newts are really aquatic. I have kept them without any land sections before and they thrived and bred for me. They would use the land though.

>>2. What are the temperature requirements for a rough-skinned newt?

Try to keep the temperature under 68F. These newts are VERY hardy and are more forgiving then other species.

>>3. How easy are they to care for--that is, are they more prone to disease than other species and do they feed well in captivity?

Very hardy...unlikly to have any problems with them if their basic needs are met.

>>4. Are they mostly captive-bred or captured?

Odds are you'll only find wild caughts in pet stores. You'll have to go to a place like caudata.org to find T. granulosa that may be captive bred. Even then they're not commonly bred by many keepers (not because they're difficult, but because they're fairly common).

>>I've been seeking these answers online, but with little luck. I know most of this information should be on care sheets, but I simply haven't been satisfied with what I've found. Any help or advice that would make me feel more confident about my ability to properly care for a rough-skinned newt is welcome.
>>
>>Thanks again,
>>
>>^iMp^

No Problem! Check out the caresheet at www.caudata.org/caudatecentral/. it's great and gives you a good idea of everything.
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Hope my opinions help,
Rob