5 Axies, 1 tank.

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Shizeric

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Eric
What do you folks think? I currently have (3) 5" juveniles, and (2) 9" juveniles, and I would like to keep them all in 1 tank when they are eventually the same size. I currently have the 3 younger ones in a 37 gallon, and the 2 larger in a 30 gallon.

Does anyone keep this number of Axolotls together, and if so, what size tank has worked out for you.

Or...does anyone just have any suggestions as to what may work?

Thanks.
 
Thanks, Shizeric for asking this as I have a few myself (9) and have been contemplating how to divide them up as only 2 are adults at this point.

I have been told you can keep as many as 5 in a 55 gal. and if you follow the rule of 10 gal. per axolotl, this should be doable. However, if you go by the other school of thought where 18" per axolotl is allowable, then that means only 3. However, that would mean only 3-4 in a 75 while the 10 gal rule says 7.

I, personally, am going to attempt 4 in my 55 where my two adults reside now. I'll be adding more plants and another hide or two and see how it goes. I am considering a 120 or a custom build as well. I will need to ship a couple of kids over to the grandparents in order for the latter to work though. lol

I'm curious to see what kinds of responses you get to this.
 
Yeah, and since the rule is usually based on the tanks footprint, I wonder if a 45 gallon long would be just as suitable as a 55 gallon.

The dimensions of a 45 and 55 are:

48 x 12½ x 17 Tall (45)
48 x 12½ x 21 Tall (55)

A 4" high difference would save a lot of weight and contribute significantly to ease of maintenance.
 
I would put a maximum of 4 in a 55 gallon.
I think 5 is too many.
If it were me i'd try to get a 5 foot tank...not sure what that is in gallons......but litres...lol (or split them up)

Mel
 
I agree with Tom, I think it'd also depends on the width. Mine is 39 x 16 inch. i think some are like 12 width. The few inches in width makes quite a difference. And yours is a bit bigger than mine Tom. (I still wanna swap!!)
I have 3 adults comfortably in there.

I can see your point Tom, the problems with having 5 in 5 foot is the amounts of hides you could fit in it, and then the space for the axolotls themselves.

Mel
 
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Shizeric said:
48 x 12½ x 21 Tall (55)

A 4" high difference would save a lot of weight and contribute significantly to ease of maintenance.
Click to expand...

So true! I have to use a step for my 55 (I'm only 5'3")!!

The footprint rule is why I mentioned the 75, a lot more weight, a lot more volume, but it's footprint dimensions are not much larger than a 55 (48"x18" vs. 48"x12").

I like the idea of the 45 long but aren't they difficult to find? I might still opt for the custom route if I can get up the nerve to build it myself! :eek:
 
Shannon,
I've tried to build two tanks. One all glass and one with just a front window. I had done the INSIDE of so many I figured it couldn't be that hard. And It wasn't hard to make functional tanks at all. Both were of moderate construction difficulty. Both held water quite well. Both looked like something you would scrape off of the bottom of your shoe. And both were banished to the garage by the wife.
I seem to be one of those people who can tell when something is great... I just can't make anything great! :eek:
If you have any more luck than I did post some pictures!
 
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Mac Myers said:
Shannon,
Both held water quite well. Both looked like something you would scrape off of the bottom of your shoe. And both were banished to the garage by the wife.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mac. That's exactly what I am afraid of! I can connect a to b following directions, but as for creating something on my own from scratch, well...that's a different story! :(

Believe me, if I am successful, I will post many, many pics!
 
Soo..today after I made this post (at work) I brought my students to the library and there was the most incredible fish tank I have ever seen. The tank of my dreams. The measurements were (based on my rough guesstimates and the tools I had available) 72"x18"x18" and made by marineland. The tank only housed about 6 small goldfish, and I spent the entire class period imagining my Axolotls' new home.
 
dragonlady said:
So true! I have to use a step for my 55 (I'm only 5'3")!!

I like the idea of the 45 long but aren't they difficult to find? I might still opt for the custom route if I can get up the nerve to build it myself! :eek:
Click to expand...


glasscages.com build custom built tanks. They also handle many of the breeder style tanks that are not as high as normal tanks. They will be at the Repticon show near Baltimore, Md. on May 15& 16. I've ordered tanks from them before and picked up at shows.

I'd still go with 1 axolotl per 10 gallons and if it is a breeder style tank squeeze in an extra animal or two. With large tanks with many axolotls a good biological filter is real important. My 60 gallon acrylic has a minireef filter. On occasion I've had 7 or 8 adult axolotls in there for temporary housing. It is bare bottom which makes cleaning easier.
 
Yeah, I've contacted glasscages.com, but they don't ship glass, only acrylic. It's no rush, and I'll wait until I find something I know will be perfect, I just wanted to get some opinions. I really want to find out what size tank I saw today, as it seems absolutely perfect.
 
From glasscages.com


100 Long
72" x 18" x 17" Tall$323

100 gallon long....I think I've found what I need.
 
Check show schedules. I know glasscages.com comes up to the White Plains N.Y. show. That shouldn't be to bad of a haul from Connecticut. They will bring custom ordered glass tanks to shows.

If you are serious a 100 gallon long tank it will be a hassle to move and set up. I like an iron stand with two big tanks on it. One of my stands has a 40 gallon breeder on top and a 70 gallon tank on the bottom. The breeder came from glasscages and I picked up the 70 gallon used.
 
I don't see why it would be too difficult to setup, I'd probably order a hood and base from glasscages.com as well. I know it's a great deal of water, but aside from sheer size I don't see anything too difficult about it.
 
If you do set this up, Shizeric, you have to post pics! That sounds like a dream come true to me! That would house all my current brood and free up 3 tanks for...well...more...teeheehee!!
 
Eric~ those little yellow axies are going to LOVE a 100-gallon tank!!! I'm so happy some of the babies ended up with you. They are going to be spoiled rotten. : )
 
wow. some of these set-ups are extremely generous.

i do wonder though, at what point it stops making a difference to the axolotls?

obviously in the wild they would have nearly limitless space, but how much of that space would they actually utilize, and how much does it effect their happiness, especially when they don't have to search for their food? for a lot of species this 'ideal' size has basically been calculated. it would be interesting to see the matter studied, especially since this species now pretty much lives entirely in captivity.

with my pets i try really hard to consider environmental sustainability as well as their needs. i figure i use massive amounts more water than the average person with all my aquatic pets, and they don't contribute to a food web, or oxygen production, or anything but their own existence and my enjoyment of them. so providing them with the amount of space they need without too much excess is my way of ensuring i'm not causing some other organism to lose its habitat by raising mine.

wow, i hope this message isn't a total downer. not meant to be. just some food for thought.
 
I understand, but rest assured, I have taken "environmental sustainability" into consideration as well. To counteract the extra water I use caring for my animals, I only take 1 shower a week. Further more, I do not brush my teeth nor do I drink water. In fact, I have even dumped a great deal of toxins into the local resevoir, to prevent people from using the water and therefor wasting it. I know I'm just 1 person, so it doesn't make too much of a difference....but I like to feel like I'm actually doing something for mother Earth.


But seriously...when you mention whether or not an Axolotl would benefit from a tank that large, the main reason I would want to invest in such a large take for that many axies would be to prevent aggression and allow for many many areas to be used as hides. My tank currently (3 ft long) has 2 very large pieces of driftwood that provide cover, and if I were to get a tank twice this size, I would use the same type of setup, just with more driftwood.

In the long run, I believe 1 large tank would be much more environmentally friendly than several smaller. I currently have a 30 gallon, 37 gallon, 10 gallon, and 20 gallon all being lit and filtered. 2 of the tanks are housing plants, while 2 are housing Axolotls. If I could condense all these tanks down to 1, I would be cutting down on my electricity with the same amount of water being consumed.

This seems like a really long post but I feel I should explain my point of view.
 
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Shizeric said:
I understand, but rest assured, I have taken "environmental sustainability" into consideration as well. To counteract the extra water I use caring for my animals, I only take 1 shower a week. Further more, I do not brush my teeth nor do I drink water. In fact, I have even dumped a great deal of toxins into the local resevoir, to prevent people from using the water and therefor wasting it. I know I'm just 1 person, so it doesn't make too much of a difference....but I like to feel like I'm actually doing something for mother Earth.


.
Click to expand...

:rofl::rofl:

Pretty!! lol

Mel
 
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