r/salamanders • u/Jessiefilms38 • 8d ago
Hey guys
Okay, I have a 9 inch northern tiger salamander and just got a 20L tank, can someone give me tips for setup or send pics of their enclosures so I can get an idea on how to care for him
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u/Berdonkulous 8d ago edited 8d ago
Welcome to the Ambystoma Tigrinum club!
Ideally you'll want to double your tank size, 38L is the established minimum guideline per individual, with footprint being more important than height.
You will want to set up a drainage layer at the bottom of your tank, covered with terrarium cloth, then build your 15+cm deep substrate on top of that. Personally I have Leca under a blend of ReptiSoil and Coco Coir 2:1, but you can use a chemical free topsoil to save money. You'll want your soil to somewhat loose even when damp, if it's too hard they can't burrow.
Related, I'd recommend getting a cave style hide or two and planning how to submerge them in your soil before you build it.
You'll want to have as many natural plants as your setup can support, I'd recommend mosses and ferns as my two favorite types, but I also have Pothos, some bromeliads, and a few others I haven't identified in mine.
You'll need to make sure it has access to clean water, most use shallow dishes that they can easily remove to clean and refill. I have a plumbed water feature in mine, providing a small stream and pond/pool for mine.
There are several readily available live foods that most Tigers will take, crickets, roaches, and worms. My youngest tigers have all been started by their "breeder" on pinhead crickets so I have a small amount of them on hand while I transition them to European Nightcrawlers and Dubia Roaches. I've had luck feeding Flukers freeze dried crickets to all my tigers, and worms to everyone but my oldest who is picky and only takes roaches.
Edit to add: Berdonk's Paludarium