>>I'm not POSSITIVE. There's a chance. But I would like one in there. It's a 40 gallon tank, so there's a good chance it will be fine, but JUST IN CASE it gets eatten, I would prefer that they BOTH don't die.>>

Personally I think salamanders are more interesting than crayfish. I would get rid of the crayfish in favor of a salamander.

Most salamanders are terrestrial, so they would drown if kept in water without a place to get out. Some salamanders are aquatic. Among these are the sirens, hellbender and amphiumas, none of them are very attractive even to salamander lovers.

The newts are more aquatic but some too will drown if it is not the breeding season. Some can live year round underwater though. Newts are the most toxic so they could be dangerous. The toxins of salamanders and newts are generally released only if they are attacked or if they are under stress. These toxins are generally distasteful. Predators like a coyote may bite on a salamander, usually the tail because that is what salamanders present to predators when they are approached. After biting the tail, the secretions from the salamander's tail will cause some predators to abandon the salamander. The salamander may lose a tail or part of it but it will probably survive, although I have seen a dead salamander in the wild with wounds at the base of the tail but nowhere else. I often see salamanders with regenerating tails in the wild, evidence of the effectiveness of such an anti-predatory strategy.

One salamander to try in your situation is the axolotl, the neotenic larvae of the Mexican salamander, Ambystoma mexicanum. It is readily available in pet stores, and are captive raised. If you lose one to a crayfish, at least it won't be detrimental to the declining amphibian populations around the world. It is toxic but not as much as the newts. Not sure whether it will be eaten or not, but this is a good one to try, if you must try.

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