Chinese FireBelly Biotope tank?

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IloveMyNewts

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So, I think it is time to upgrade my colony of CFBN to a 20 gallon, and I wanted to make it a biotope.

Does anyone know what type of plants grow in their native environment that I might find in the aquarium trade? What ecosystems do the wild caught specimens derive from? What is the water quality, PH, Temperature ranges, or Seasonal flooding?

Also, in addition to aquatic plants, what kind of plants would one find on the land haul outs?

Thanks.
 
Cypts (genus Cryptocryne) come for southeast Asia. They are tropical and can live completely aquaticly, completely terrestrially, or anything in between. They come in a large variety of colors, shapes, and sizes which is convenient. In the wild they live in most small bodies of water including streams, small rivers, and pools.
 
Both Java moss and Java fern are from SE Asia and both do well in the same conditions that most newts require (cool temperatures and fairly subdued lighting). They may not be from the same exact habitat as C. orientalis but at least they are from the same general region of the world.
Chip
 
Hi ILoveMyNewts,

I can not speak directly for the exact parameters of the habitats of wild specimens, nor of the exact plants that you would find there, but I do know of a large number of aquatic plants that might be applicable to your idea.

A broad range of the hobby's available aquatic flora comes from Asia, so you should not have much difficulty in finding ones that suite your tastes. Here is a list of some of the species:

Aponogeton crispus *
Bacopa monnieri *
Barclaya longifolia
Cardamine lyrata *
Ceratophyllum demersum *
Ceratopteris thalictroides
Cladophora aegagrophila *
Crinum thaianum
Cryptocoryne beckettii ''petchii''
Cryptocoryne crispatula var. balansae
Cryptocoryne parva
Cryptocoryne undulata
Cryptocoryne walkeri (lutea)
Cryptocoryne wendtii (any number of varieties)
Cryptocoryne x willisii
Cyperus helferi
Egeria densa *
Eleocharis parvula *
Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides (maritima)
Hygrophila corymbosa
Hygrophila difformis
Hygrophila polysperma
Limnophila aquatica
Limnophila aromatica
Limnophila sessiliflora
Microsorum pteropus (of many varieties)
Monosolenium tenerum *
Pistia stratiotes
Pogostemon helferi
Pogostemon stellata (Eusteralis)
Riccia fluitans *
Rotala rotundifolia
Rotala sp. ''green''
Rotala sp. ''Nanjenshan'' (Mayaca)
Rotala wallichii
Salvinia natans *
Taxiphyllum barbieri (along with many species of the genus Vesicularia) *
Utricularia graminifolia
Vallisneria americana
Vallisneria spiralis *

I know that's not nearly all of those commonly available, but it's a quick list of definite Asian species that can usually be found quite easily.

Those with "*" beside them grow optimally in temperatures as low as 15 degrees Celcius.
Those in blue grow well in low light setups.

Again, sorry I don't know of the exact plant species found C. orientalis' habitats, but perhaps you can further research any of the above species and find out.

Good luck, and please keep us updated!

BP
 
I would look at Tim Johnson's habitat photos to get an idea of Cynops habitats.

I'd suppose in the wild the banks of orientalis pools would be covered with rushes/tall grass. But I can't think of a plant to do this in captivity.
 
Thanks for all of your replies!
I'm almost done with the setup now, but I need to switch out the substrait for a silt like substrait...

The plants i am using are
-Java moss and java ferns,
- mondo grass,
-a spath plant
-and a little tree looking plant that had no name. (ID please?)

The lighting is roughtly around 40 watts... hopefully this will be enough to keep everything alive. :)
 

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