Building a "Dream" Community Tank?

[usafaux2004]

Hey folks,

I'm thinking I want to end up with a good number of axies in a tank (5-7?). I currently have two adults, and will probably keep 1-3 of their kids. I want to get some "others" as well to add to the family. So all in all 5 to 7 sounds about right.

Now to the dream build side:

When can Juvies enter community tanks? Size? Age? Etc.

What size should I be shooting for? if going 10 gallon / axie, then I'll need a 55+ gallon tank.

But then...I want something wide/long and not as deep proportionally speaking? Is that custom tank range? Does anyone have any resources?

Then the cabinet/furniture for it. A 55gal is probably in the 700lb range. Don't think that will work with stuff I have now.

I was really envisioning something along the lines of 2ft wide x 3-4ft long x ?? high.

I know, lots of questions, but it would be interesting to build something like this. I've never done a "homebuild", but may be interested as well. Got the facility to test it out, at the least, before trusting 50+ gallons of water in my house to hold up by magic. Lol.

 

[layna]

Well the general rule if 1 foot per axie then an extra foot for filters and decorations ect so if you want 5 axies youd need a 6 foot tank, that could either be 2ft x 3ft x 1 foot.
Or just a plain 6ft X 1ft X 1ft.
It doesnt need to be too high as floor space is important but it does need to be a little higher than they are long, so a 10" axie would need at least 12" water height, and an (internal) filter for that size tank would be quite long too

Axies should only be housed together if there is roughly 1" difference between them max, you could have a 5" axie in with with a 6" axie or a 4" axie but you couldnt have a 4" + 5" AND 6" axie together as the 4" stands a chance of becoming lunch for the 6".

You'd probs be best with two smaller tanks for weight reasons ect but good luck with your tank!

 

[Mortimer]

I really like my 33gal Long tank. It's not big enough for what you're wanting, but the dimensions might be similar to what you have in mind. The 33gal L has the same footprint as a 55gal but is only 13.4" high. I had three 10-11" axies in there until two of them mated.....now I'm down to two in that tank.

Since it's over 4 feet long and has a canister filter, I'm thinking that it could probably house another one.

 

[michael]

A "breeder tank is not near as tall as a regular size aquarium. With a good biological filter you can easily do 1 axolotl per 10 gallons and squeeze in an extra one or two if you watch water parameters. I got a lot of my "breeder" tanks from glasscages.com I was fortunate enough to live in an area where they were delivering tanks to shows. I didn't have to pay shipping charges.

For a large tank you need a real aquarium stand. For several large tanks you need to be sure your floor will support them. My biggest stand has a 40 gallon breeder on top and an 80 gallon tank on the bottom. With water weighing about 8 lbs per gallon the weight adds up real quick.

 

[usafaux2004]

A "breeder tank is not near as tall as a regular size aquarium. With a good biological filter you can easily do 1 axolotl per 10 gallons and squeeze in an extra one or two if you watch water parameters. I got a lot of my "breeder" tanks from glasscages.com I was fortunate enough to live in an area where they were delivering tanks to shows. I didn't have to pay shipping charges.

For a large tank you need a real aquarium stand. For several large tanks you need to be sure your floor will support them. My biggest stand has a 40 gallon breeder on top and an 80 gallon tank on the bottom. With water weighing about 8 lbs per gallon the weight adds up real quick.

Looks like something like this:

70 Wide
48 x 24 x 13 Tall
$282 base price

Price before shipping: $557 (with stand).
$90 delivery to chicago...could be worse, no?

 

[auntiejude]

Well the general rule if 1 foot per axie then an extra foot for filters and decorations ect so if you want 5 axies youd need a 6 foot tank, that could either be 2ft x 3ft x 1 foot.

I woud disagree with your calculation there. I have always taken '1 foot per axie' to mean length of tank - so 6 axies would require a 6 foot tank, not 6 cubic feet. That 3x2x1 tank is less than 40 gal, only big enough for 3 axies.

As to the original questions:
If I was designing a 'dream tank' I would get a 6x2x2ft for 6 axies, but I'd have to lose my sofa to fit it in. The tank you describe would only be big enough for 3, maybe 4 axies. Any tank over about 60L should have a proper stand/cabinet, and you may need to reinforce the floor for anything much bigger.

Any axies that live together should be about the same size. You can't add 3" axies to a tank with 10"+ adults.

 

[usafaux2004]

Cubog feet don't change a 3x2...that's 6sq ft. A 4x2 is 8sq ft.