New firebelly newt owner here!

[chris mapp]

I just picked up a Chinese fire belly newt this weekend, and I've been looking around for information on their care and upkeep, other than what the pet shop owner told me. Currently I have the newt in a 5.5 gallon tank, with about an inch of gravel in the bottom, and about 3 inches of water on top of that. I currently have a couple of small plants in the tank, as well as a small bridge to provide a landing for the newt. It seems the newt prefers to stay in the water though, as I don't think I've ever seen it get on the bridge yet.

The newt appears to be healthy, and ate the Reptomin pellets that I dropped in last night. It's also rather active, and appears to be trying to burrow into the gravel.

I'm just looking for some advice on keeping them. How much water is too much? What's the best kind of filter set up to use for a tank this size? Is it better to use a sand substrate, or just stick with the gravel? Can I stick with the Reptomin, or should I start providing live and freeze dried food?

Sorry for all the questions, but any info is appreciated. Thanks!

[benighted]

Firebelly newts are great. It seems that some of them prefer the water and some prefer land. I had one that would rarely ever go in the water, he just liked to chill out in a small cave near the edge.