# Planted Tanks > Vivariums >  1st Time Nano Vivarium + Newts setup

## s11loop

*New pets for 2012!!!
Fire Belly Newt* (ang ang... apart from my other Fire red shrimp, lots of Fire pets in my room now kekeke)

Pardon the poor image quality, taken with iphone and LX3


Say HI!


Also went shopping at Aqua Empire for a new setup > Vivarium!

Equipments ready! Didn't notice until I get home and realize that all the items I bought for this setup are all Gex products.


Beautiful looking Japanese Nano tank


Bunch of japo words but the pictures should is pretty straight forward


Coolest purchase, a fake fiber glass backdrop, this is the smallest they sell so gotta DIY saw it out.


Hard scape arrangement with bog wood abandon from another setup


Some rocks to give a more natural look and to break down the asymmetry of the layout. 


Settling in


Newt hanging on the branch


Newt hanging on the branch


Relax and destress corner, now have the best of both world, a planted and a vivarium!


Hiding, camera shy...


Views of the tank


Views of the tank


Views of the tank


Beautiful minimalistic design light from GEX

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## fotoudavid

nice. wonder you cycle the tank or does not need??

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## longcheeze

thanks for sharing.

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## cdckjn

you better cover the tank properly as these creatures have a habit of escaping.

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## Don90

you better cover the tank top soon.

I used to keep them, and these guys can climb up the tank by sticking to the glass. And they can even climb through a tiny hole of the tank cover I made for the canister inlet.

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## s11loop

Hi all, the tank come supplied with a very good 2 section tank top cover, it's being Cover up. I did use some of the water from my shrimp tank, so far so good  :Smile:  thinking about setting up a moss wall on the other side of the tank.

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## delhezi

For the good of the newts....I suggest very seriously, that you increase the water level. Firebelly newts are almost aquatic and you should also not handle them. If they are out of the water, it is either too dirty, or too hot. Again, 16-20 degrees celsius. You don't need to spend much money to keep these guys, just a very cold environment, some tubifex, bloodworms, sponge filter, heavy planting, settle.

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## s11loop

> For the good of the newts....I suggest very seriously, that you increase the water level. Firebelly newts are almost aquatic and you should also not handle them. If they are out of the water, it is either too dirty, or too hot. Again, 16-20 degrees celsius. You don't need to spend much money to keep these guys, just a very cold environment, some tubifex, bloodworms, sponge filter, heavy planting, settle.


 Thanks for your recommendation, hmm seriously again in SG climate 16-20 degree c, I know that's the text book specs of keeping them but even some of the shrimp tank running on a chiller can't get temperature to go down below 22 degree and you are talking about 16-20 here. Hahaha no disrespect intended but it's not the reality here in our local climate... I have friends who have keep them successfully for the past 3 years, her tank temperature is around 30 degree +/-. This pair of newts have different characteristic, there's the lighter color fellow who is very active and gets in and out of water ofter while the other one which is slightly darker and fatter is very lazy and always spotted around the same spot most of the time.

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## David Moses Heng

I would suggest that if you are serious about keeping your newt, you should get it a decent size tank. The nano is in no way suitable. Also, from my limited experience, if you can not provide the ideal temperature as stated by the folks here, you will find that the newts WILL be prone to fungus and skin infections.

Regards.

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## Don90

hmm... In 30 degree temperatures, the newts will live, but will not thrive.

Maybe getting a chiller to get the temps to 24 degrees would be good. Any lower than 24, you are likely to experience condensation on the tank.

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## s11loop

Thanks for all the suggestion with regards to the temperature of keeping the newts, however having a chiller is definitely out of the question to this as even my fire red shrimp which are breeding well in my 24 degree +/- tank do not have a need to. Before anyone would like to jump at the temp issue again, for the record my aircon room temp is ard 24 on the outside and ard 24+/- in the shrimp tank and 22 degree c for the Newts tank ( just measured with a thermometer, probably with the lower wattage 5w light of the newts tank, the temp is lower compare to my planted shrimp tank). Seems like the few bros who commented on the temperature issue thinks that I am keeping the newts at 30 degree? Sorry for the confusion haha! Maybe will upgrade to my 2ft tank in the future but for now, I am quite enjoying the beautiful nature of this tank beside my desk  :Smile:

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## stormhawk

I'm curious, why is there a tetra in the small water zone, and is there even a filter running on this tank?

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## s11loop

> I'm curious, why is there a tetra in the small water zone, and is there even a filter running on this tank?


The tetra was replace with some feeder guppy from my feeder bag, there's a back rain bar filter cleverly hidden by the moss that I have tied to it  :Very Happy:

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## delhezi

I don't suggest it at all. Do look at pictures of newts kept at cold temperatures, it reduces their metabolism, but they remain plump. Your newt is not skinny, but is probably thin. There's no way to keep a newt well without spending the money, like a saltwater tank. Funny how AVA doesn't allow caudata, 5 minutes in the sun and they'll be fried, along with any coldwater bacteria, viruses, fungi that live on them.

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## dkk08

You can consider using a fan, I've kept a few of those newts for more then 4 years so once you got them acclimatize they should be quite hardy...

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## delhezi

As I've already mentioned, these guys can be real hardy, but to keep them alive at best, please please please try to keep them at least below 22 degrees celsius. A fan will only bring down the temperature by 1 or 2 degrees, and it will not be sufficient from a typical 28 degree celsius room. They will survive, but will live miserably, eat poorly, and not behave in a natural manner. I found that using ice bags is fairly easy, though it does take about 3-4 replacements a day to keep an average of 24 degrees celsius.

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## s11loop

> I don't suggest it at all. Do look at pictures of newts kept at cold temperatures, it reduces their metabolism, but they remain plump. Your newt is not skinny, but is probably thin. There's no way to keep a newt well without spending the money, like a saltwater tank. Funny how AVA doesn't allow caudata, 5 minutes in the sun and they'll be fried, along with any coldwater bacteria, viruses, fungi that live on them.


 It's only about 3 days since I got them from the fish farm till now... I don't expect them to be well fed at those retail environment and fyi they are only less then 2inch big, not adult size how big do you expect them to be btw? For my 24 degree tank, is there any need to get the temp down further? I don't think they need anymore cooler as appetite seems good, initially they don't seem to be eating anything I give them, after about 3 days today I had a count of the feeder guppy and saw 4 missing and they just finish off 1 cube of bw in 20mins. 

Bro delhezi you I bet you definitely had some very bad experience with your newts before with all the infection and stuff, thanks for sharing and I will continue to monitor this 2 fellow condition.

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## delhezi

You don't understand. None of the information you listed on the top of your post is actually relevant, of course they come in not as well. My point being, the newts kept hotter will never become as natural in behaviour as the newts kept cooler. 24 degrees is a good standard, it could be cooler though, thank you for the effort anyway.

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## David Moses Heng

Guys, cool down... let's not get emotional about the discussion. we are all here to learn and for those of us whom have offered our experiences, we must learn that not all advices will be well received. In the same note, those of us on the receiving end, I would suggest due appreciation be given for the effort by those who share. 

Regards.

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## delhezi

Ehs? I hope I wasn't too pushy. Diplomatic..

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## felix_fx2

No need get too emotional.
Wait and up in a quarrel is pointless.

If you had bad experience, share so others can benefit from the knowledge and not make the same mistakes. But not neglect we may not be able to replicate exact environment state.

IMHO: getting close is achievable, but not to the lower range of 16c without spending big bucks. Sharing is caring and I know you guys care  :Smile:

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## stormhawk

Diplomacy is lost if the other party is unable to accept differing viewpoints. Simply put:

FBN can be kept at a slightly higher temperature, yet may not fully thrive because of this.
FBN should be kept at lower temperatures, but it costs too much for an average hobbyist to achieve that requirement.
If the hobbyist cannot provide the necessary conditions for their long-term survival, he/she should not keep these.

In the end, the fate of the animal rests solely on the decisions of the person who bought them. Good luck to the FBNs.

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## delhezi

> Diplomacy is lost if the other party is unable to accept differing viewpoints. Simply put:
> 
> FBN can be kept at a slightly higher temperature, yet may not fully thrive because of this.
> FBN should be kept at lower temperatures, but it costs too much for an average hobbyist to achieve that requirement.
> If the hobbyist cannot provide the necessary conditions for their long-term survival, he/she should not keep these.
> 
> 
> In the end, the fate of the animal rests solely on the decisions of the person who bought them. Good luck to the FBNs.


Very succinct and to the point. Thank you.

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## s11loop

> No need get too emotional.
> Wait and up in a quarrel is pointless.
> 
> If you had bad experience, share so others can benefit from the knowledge and not make the same mistakes. But not neglect we may not be able to replicate exact environment state.
> 
> IMHO: getting close is achievable, but not to the lower range of 16c without spending big bucks. Sharing is caring and I know you guys care


Precisely... Point here was just to share pictures of the setup and maybe hoping to gather some appreciation to the scape or just constructive feedbacks thats all. 

I don't go around telling my neighbor to stop feeding cheaper lower grade food to their cats just because I spend few hundreds a month maintaining them and telling them those brand of food that they are feeding is proven to shorten the lifespan of their pets and they should be doing it like some award winning pros spending big bucks for their pets/hobby.

As a lecturer to my photography students, I do not hammer them or nail them for buying into a cheap 1k camera just because me and my bunch of kakis is operating with easily 10-20k of gears, I share my experience of where I had started to where I am standing today, looking to inspire and motivate passionate starters. I believe educating is more effective when you set and lead with good examples, while at the same time listening and providing a logical solution to the situation...

Everyone started their interest along somewhere, it could be inspired by some great works of others, for me I have seen some amazing large tank setup with all this creatures in a very natural well setup environment, with good 4 season climate oversea of cause. What I wanted to achieve for now was to have something decent on my desk and I do still have 3x 2ft tank lying outside at my garden, which I might set it up in the future.

To each his own, some of the things you did might be only justifiable by yourself but totally silly to others, at the end of the day respect others decision as an adults and people will grant you the same level of respect if you are already one. As I am not so active in this forum, having met and bought some stuff from fellow brothers and sisters here has always been a pleasant one, sharing experiences and making new friends. Cheers and have a great weekend ahead everyone  :Wink:

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## David Moses Heng

Great that you guys are a mature lot  :Well done: . Let us move on them to share knowledge and experience without prejudice then.

To many more years of our beloved hobby. Cheers and have a fruitful 2012!! :Jump for joy:

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## sateman

bro s11loop,
where do you get and how much do you pay for the fibre glass backdrop?
I'm was looking at a styrofoam one...yes they only sell big pieces...and if I'm not mistaken a 2ft by 2ft one cost around $28 at a farm in Pasir Ris

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## s11loop

> bro s11loop,
> where do you get and how much do you pay for the fibre glass backdrop?
> I'm was looking at a styrofoam one...yes they only sell big pieces...and if I'm not mistaken a 2ft by 2ft one cost around $28 at a farm in Pasir Ris


Hi bro sateman,I believe I got it at the place where you saw it, it's aqua empire at the Pasir ris farmway. I cut out the piece with a supplied hand saw. Still have a big piece of extra left, do pm me if you are keen  :Smile:

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## sateman

PM already

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## AhVy

Hi! Interesting tank...I'm thinking of starting a newt tank as well...Can I ask how's the progress of your tank now?

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## knight

Greeting bro,
Your posting really inspired me to try out one.

Great job.

Cheers / Knight

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## Gambusia

Sorry to kick start dead thread.. Can share where u got the newt? And how much? Used to keep one for 3 years about 10 years ago.. Fond memories.. My tank was completely aquatic and both of them loved it a lot..

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## knight

> Sorry to kick start dead thread.. Can share where u got the newt? And how much? Used to keep one for 3 years about 10 years ago.. Fond memories.. My tank was completely aquatic and both of them loved it a lot..


Bro, 
Any photo to share?

Cheers - Knight

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## Shaihulud

Firebelly salamander can live quite well in Singapores tropical temperature, but they probably won't breed. Summer temperature in China where they originate approaches ours during summer or even higher.

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## AhVy

> Sorry to kick start dead thread.. Can share where u got the newt? And how much? Used to keep one for 3 years about 10 years ago.. Fond memories.. My tank was completely aquatic and both of them loved it a lot..


Hi there... Can you watsapp or pm me? 

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

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## kennethc

Love your tank. Really nice design and all. Best wishes to your newt

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## delhezi

> Firebelly salamander can live quite well in Singapores tropical temperature, but they probably won't breed. Summer temperature in China where they originate approaches ours during summer or even higher.


I'll have to disagree fervently this time. Unless direct experience in the field has been achieved, I think very little can be confirmed about their suitable temperatures. As such, I refer you to an organisation with such. 

Hypselotriton(Cynops)Orientalis is one of the worst newts to work with in a tropical country, and it is only common to obtain them because of their general availability.

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## johnchor

Hi bros just sharing. Cfbn can be keep at 24-26c in sg. But they need to be healthy when u buy them. Those that are skinny and has white fungus will not survive long. So when u buy pick healthy ones. But again try to keep temp below 26c is the best. To breed them google for the breeding months and simply put them into your fridge not freezer for a few weeks. Then take out and adjust them back to 26c tank temp. The larva are small and hard to care.

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