Rough Skinned Newt Questions

[Chrissy]

I will try posting this again....this time in the right forum

My friend gave me a rough skinned newt (Taricha granulosa) and I am not entirely sure how to care for it.

He/she was presented to me in a 5g bucket.  He/she is currently residing in one of those large critter keepers with some rocks and a clump of java moss, unheated and unfiltered...that was pretty much the best I could do with what I had handy.  I initially had some flourite in there but I couldn't tell if it was eatting the newt pellets I bought so now its bare.  The only thing I know it eats is earthworms and ghost shrimp but the pellets I put in the tank seem to eventually dissapear.

My little buddy should be moving to one of the 10gs in a month and I have a filter ordered.  What kind of substrate should I be using?  Also, I am not sure if I need an area of land in addition to an aquatic area?  Online information has said some conflicting stuff.  Right now there is a pile of rocks in the corner with a nice large flat one above the water and it rarely comes out of the water.  He seems to like to crawl halfway up the rock pile and hang out about an inch under water, thats where I find him 90% of the time.

Also, I am assuming I don't need a heater, right?  It seems like room tempature water indoors here would be warmer than the rivers and lakes these guys come from.

And just how large of a tank do I really need?

[Chrissy]