55gal tank....... Keeping it clean?

[xXNetRavenXx]

Hello all! Okay so I just upgraded my 20gal tank to a 55gal tank to house my two axolotls..... They are loving it BTW. I am doing a few things different, normally I don't use any substrate but i decided to go with some play sand instead (rinsed for hours of course), I also put some river rocks in one end to just make the terrain a little more exciting for my two friends. I am in the market for a new filter as well, canister of course (considering the Penn Plax Cascade Canister Filter 500)

But with this upgrade and this substrate change I no longer have the leisure way of cleaning i once did when I opted for no substrate. So how does one maintain an optimal tank that is this massive? 20% water changes weekly? how do you get that much decolonized water together?

I feed my guys two cubes of frozen brine shrimp or blood worms daily... it tends to be enough that they eat everything. But now with sand as a substrate how to I feed them effectively? how do I clean up and when? Should I use the jar method? With two axies? I am pretty sure the sand is okay if they eat some of it cause it will go through them.

Lastly, How many axies can I hold in a 55gal tank? I mean i wasent concidering getting anymore but now i have lots of room and i kind always wanted a gold one........hmmmm

A

 

[Greatwtehunter]

I just use a turkey baster to spot clean the sand and I only do a 10% water change once a week.

As for feeding the frozen cubed food, you could use the jar method or use a shallow bowl. It'll keep the bloodworms confined to that area so all you really have to clean is the container. And yes, the sand will pass through them just fine.

 

[rnocera]

I don't keep my axies on sand, but I have several aquariums with sand in them and they're my cleanest tanks. Waste tends to collect in one spot, and you can easily siphon it out of that spot while only removing a couple gallons.

Most people say adult axies need 1 square foot of space each - that translates into 4 in a 55 gallon aquarium, since it's 4' long and 1' wide. Labs keep axies in much more cramped conditions, and lots of people keep axies in more cramped conditions- I've heard people say 6 and even 8 in a 55 gallon aquarium works fine. Personally, I'd probably stick with 4, but if you have enough hiding places and such (caves, rocks, driftwood), you might be OK with 5.

Your stocking load isn't insane in that tank, but that filter isn't rated for a 55 gallon aquarium. I honestly haven't heard a whole lot of good about Cascade canisters. I'm not a big fan of Penn Plax as a brand- every product they make seems cheap to me. I work in a pet store that carries lots of Penn Plax products (internal filters, heaters, decorations, etc. . .), and they're all garbage. Also, if that filter's rated for a 30 gallon aquarium, it's probably only enough to clean a 20 gallon. Most filters don't work as well as they claim. That's standard across the board. You can get an Eheim 2213 for $76+shipping from here - http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3603&prodid=6137&catid=113 or a similar price from www.kensfish.com That should be strong enough for your axolotls. Eheim is generally deemed the BMW of canister filters, and the "Classic" line has really become affordable. I love my 2217, and can't wait to get more of these.

And, a while back I switched to feeding my axies earth worms and pellets, and it's been MUCH cleaner than frozen food. It's easy for me to pull out larger worms & pellets than tiny pieces of bloodworms & such, and, they add way less crud to the water. All frozen foods end up with tiny little pieces the axies won't eat, and funny-colored water that thaws out of them, too. I simply don't put that stuff in my tanks, and then I don't have to worry about cleaning it.

 

[xXNetRavenXx]

Pellets you say?? the amount of food I give my axolotls seems to be exactly enough, they never have much leftovers to clean up. Axie poop was the clean up deal in my 20gal with no substrate, but I would just use the vacuum sucker when it got too visible.

Well thanks a lot for your advice on the filter, I just placed an order for an Eheim Classic Canister 2213-37. It looks rather promising. There have not been many affordable canister filters that I could find and if you say they are high quality that makes me feel better about shelling out the money for a good filter.

I do need to find some good flat rocks (Large) well maybe just one huge rock that i can set there and make a few good hiding places.

 

[rnocera]

Congrats on the new filter! I love mine, and swear by it. I want to replace all of my filters (5 aquariums large enough for canisters) with those things.


And if the frozen cubes are working for you, then by all means, stick with them. I feed frozen to lots of my fish, I just don't like them for my axies. But, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and that's what it really comes down to.

 

[Jennewt]

I would recommend diversifying their diet to include at least one food that is a good source of calcium. Neither bloodworms nor brine shrimp fill the bill. The best options I know of are (1) Canadian nightcrawlers, cut into segments, (2) Rangen salmon pellets. The former are available at bait shops and Walmarts in the US. The latter are available from AGSC axolotl colony and from Ed's Fly Meat (you should be able to find both of these suppliers by google).

Your tank looks super! Thanks for posting the photos.

 

[xXNetRavenXx]

Well just got my new canister filter today, its pretty sweet. Got it all set up (after getting a face full of axie water :wacko and now its running smoothly. Its so quite, I wonder a little bit about it disturbing my axies with the flow change.. but I got the return spreader pointing in an upwards direction, the intake might be a little more then they are used too. Good thing it came with two regulators though .
I am kinda thinking about feeding them some more things. More earthworms and maybe getting some carnivorous pellots.
I want to get more plants and some flat rocks for some shelving effects in the tank so I can think about adding a third axie (If anyone ever sells any on this forum)
Its hard to think of what all to put into a tank to aquascape it....

 

[blueberlin]

Its hard to think of what all to put into a tank to aquascape it....

Plants, plants, plants.

-Eva

 

[rnocera]

Were I you, I'd look into finding a sponge to put over the canister as a prefilter. I recently put sponge prefilters on my intakes and it makes a HUGE difference in how dirty the canister gets. They collect a lot of crud, and the sponge is so easy to pull off & rinse in the sink, compared to tearing the canister apart.

Also, if you're using those double taps to cut down water flow, only use the output side to restrict water flow. If you use the input side, it can burn up the pump faster.

I'm thrilled to hear you like the filter!