Question: Axolotls and suckerfish?

[DigitalSkin]

Hi again!!

I was just wondering if you can keep suckerfish in an axie tank to help keep the tank clean, if not is there anything thast can go in to do a similar job?

Also how big should i let my axies get before moving them from there plastic containers and into my tank? They are about 1.5cm's at the minute. Its a 45 litre (for now!) with sand and bog wood in it with a spray bar filter to keep water disruption down!

Thanks
=DS=

 

[Bellabelloo]

Suckerfish are not good tank mates, they can cause some nasty injuries to axolotl. Axolotl also, are more than likely to eat any fish that are put in their tank.

Have a look at this link :-
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Mixing_disasters.shtml#id26

 

[Kaysie]

No. There are numerous threads on this, and most people who have tried have met with disaster. Either the axolotl tries to eat the fish and gets impaled on their sharp spines, or the fish latches on to the axolotl and causes skin damage.

The best way to keep the tank clean is to do it manually. Scrub algae with a scrubber, and remove debris with a siphon.

You could move them whenever you want. It's just easier to keep small ones in plastic containers because it's easier to monitor their eating. I usually move mine to a bigger tank when they're around 5cm.

 

[DigitalSkin]

Thanks for the quick replys!

Shame about the suckerfish! oh well Just have to do it the hard way!

How long would you expect for an axolotl to get to 5 cm? I know is depends on so may paramiters, but are we talking weeks, months??

Thanks

 

[Kaysie]

Quickly. Probably within 6-8 weeks or so.

 

[Minniechild]

When they're a bit older, maybe some red cherry shrimp? Even though some (or a lot) will become axie chowder, whilst they're in there they're an effective crew to have around, not to mention fun to watch, especially when they're like *Clean clean clean clean-AXIE!! SWIM AWAAAAAAAYYY!!!!*

 

[memojo1979]

When they're a bit older, maybe some red cherry shrimp? Even though some (or a lot) will become axie chowder, whilst they're in there they're an effective crew to have around, not to mention fun to watch, especially when they're like *Clean clean clean clean-AXIE!! SWIM AWAAAAAAAYYY!!!!*

I've just started moving my cherry shrimp from their breeding / quarantine / safety tank to my 3ft axie tank - doing it gradually to mainatain numbers in case they all get munched or sucked up by my Fluval filter. Also recently added a breeding net / trap to my axie tank (after disaterous results with my 1st batch of eggs, any future planned breedings will have eggs left in the mai tank, in the breeding net / trap, as they seemed to develop better in the main tank, but for the moment, I'll see how cherry shrimp do in it)

 

[Minniechild]

*Grin* Ohhh, the troubles I've had with my AquaOne internal recently! I keep it in a bag so the shrimp don't get shredded when they decide it needs a clean, but it keeps floating, spitting, floating, more floating and even more floating! Really annoying in the middle of the night to turn over and go "hang on, that doesn't sound QUITE right..." Light on, tis floating and so unplug it, turn over, back to sleep, fix it up in the morning and repeat three days later... I'm wondering if there's someone who will trade it for a spare canister filter...

As to your shrimpies, as David (Who I got my lot off said), they LOVE java moss, so maybe super-spam your tank with it so they've got plenty of hiding places...I've still got a bunch flourishing in my 4ft-er along with my guppies (Twenty eight babies three days ago!!!!), and they seem to like having the java around (So does Peta... I caught her lounging on a piece when she made one of her rare trips out of The Log...)