the1banana
Member
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2019
- Messages
- 39
- Reaction score
- 5
- Points
- 8
- Country
- Canada
Apologies in advance for how ludicrously verbose this request and question is going to be. The issue is that, despite doing significant research, conflicting information results in it being a bit difficult to pin down the exact things that are correct. For instance, when I first purchased Puck about three or four years ago, I was under the impression a shallow 20-gallon tank with two hides is good accommodation but turns out, that's the bare minimum for an adult axolotl. Similarly, I thought bloodworms were a good, nutritious food source, but turns out those are meant for a treat, and earthworms/nightcrawlers are perfect for a healthy diet. I want to eliminate all uncertainty in my care. To that end, if you see anything I've said here that's wrong, or needs correction, please let me know. I want to ensure that everything is absolutely flawless for my little guy, Puck. I love him. Here's a picture of him (provided also in case you see any medical issues, I once had a brief scare with red leg bacteria which turned out to be just him scraping himself against a part of the tank which healed quickly. Of note, his gills are a little small, and one of his feather crowns is a bit dinky and floppy, which I was told is attributed to genetics).
My current goal is to create the ultimate home for Puck, as well as to ensure maximal health and quality of life. Right now, my apartment's conditions do not permit a tank above 20 gallons, so I want to make sure I have everything down and prepared when I move in November.
There are a few issues with this. You'll notice that the current home has sand as a substrate. Not bad, but not great, either. I'm aware that gravel is the worst, a bare bottom can be slippery and stress out the axolotl, and sand is passable, but can still be ingested, so for the new tank, I'm going to use stones. The question I have with that is: A, should I be concerned about the stones damaging the glass bottom? Should I pad the bottom with sand to avoid cracking the glass? And B, I imagine cleaning waste is harder, is there a particular method to manage it better?
Secondly, I'm having issues finding a suitable new tank. I've seen some absolutely beautiful rimless square, shallow tanks meant for coral reef setups, and while I think they'd work fine, they don't seem to come with a lid (as I heard axolotls are prone to hopping out of the aquarium entirely sometimes). Are there any tanks that you could recommend, or is this something I'd have to construct on my own? If the latter, do you have any foolproof guides? I'm awful at craft/construction. Also, what size would be best? 40 gallons? 60 gallons? He will be living alone (axolotls aren't sociable and may be territorial, so I know to avoid having more than one in a tank). On a similar topic, I'd rather not waste the old tank I have, and I heard I could repurpose it as a sump, but I'm also completely lost on how to set something like that up. Lastly, my current tank makes use of a sponge filter, an Artica 1/10 HP aquatic chiller, and a Marina Slim Filter S10. While the chiller can support up to sixty or even eighty gallons of water according to the manufacturer, I'm concerned that the sponge filter and Marina filter would be sufficient for a larger tank. Will I need a new filter, and if so, which one? Lastly, I'm aware that going from one tank to another can result in shock from the difference in the water quality. Beyond using as much of the old aquarium water as possible in the new tank when I transfer him, is there anything else I should do to mitigate shock from the difference in water quality?
Now, the topic of hides. I've heard of using various things from artificially created ones (like the ones I use now) to large stones, to driftwood. I'm aware that you need to boil the driftwood to allow it to sink and to kill any parasites on it. I know PVC pipe is also favored among people. Is there anything else I should know in terms of prepping items before placing them in a tank? Are there constructed hides with paint/chemicals that I should watch for and avoid?
Next, plants. I really wanted to set up some plants in a similar manner to this video here, since apparently, axolotls love to root around plants and it helps with the nitrate cycle. But try as I might, every single plant I've tried to set up in there has slowly and horribly died over time. I suspect the minimal light I have in the environment plays a part in this. Are there plants you would recommend? Do I need to do something different to ensure they can stay alive, and I can properly blanket the bottom like that? And if I'm using river stones, how can I "plant" the plants, and clean the tank without uprooting them?
Lastly, water parameters. I'm familiar with all the baselines. I have a chiller keeping the tank between 60-64 F (15.5 C - 17.5 C). Nitrites are kept at 0, Ammonia < 0.25 ppm, Nitrates < 40 ppm and pH can be 6.5-8.0, ideally 7.4-7.6, which I try to achieve using Seachem's Acid Buffer/Alkaline Buffer/Equilibrium. Similarly, KH should be 3-8 degrees and GH 7-14 degrees, which is a little harder to manage. But there's something called Holtfreter's solution, and I'm a bit unclear if it's required and how to integrate it into this.
Lastly, in miscellany, as I know axolotls are sensitive to light due to lacking eyelids, I keep my axolotl in my windowless bedroom, so not much light gets in. On the topic of food, I feed him an earthworm every other day. There are times when he simply does not want to eat it. He has gone anywhere from eating every other day to eating once a week. I was rather alarmed with the latter, but he seems fine. I replace a small portion of water every time he poops, and perform a 10-15% water change every week, using Tetra's AquaSafe plus to mitigate chlorination (I also take water parameters during the big water change). The Marina S10 filter takes two filters, and I swap one out every month (not both, as to allow a natural bacteria presence). Please let me know if there are red flags for anything in what I'm doing.
Thanks for your time. I've highlighted the pertinent questions/inquiries, but if you have anything you want to add that I am ignorant of, please do so. I'd rather be grilled for it now, than pay for it later. As I said, I love the little guy.
My current goal is to create the ultimate home for Puck, as well as to ensure maximal health and quality of life. Right now, my apartment's conditions do not permit a tank above 20 gallons, so I want to make sure I have everything down and prepared when I move in November.
There are a few issues with this. You'll notice that the current home has sand as a substrate. Not bad, but not great, either. I'm aware that gravel is the worst, a bare bottom can be slippery and stress out the axolotl, and sand is passable, but can still be ingested, so for the new tank, I'm going to use stones. The question I have with that is: A, should I be concerned about the stones damaging the glass bottom? Should I pad the bottom with sand to avoid cracking the glass? And B, I imagine cleaning waste is harder, is there a particular method to manage it better?
Secondly, I'm having issues finding a suitable new tank. I've seen some absolutely beautiful rimless square, shallow tanks meant for coral reef setups, and while I think they'd work fine, they don't seem to come with a lid (as I heard axolotls are prone to hopping out of the aquarium entirely sometimes). Are there any tanks that you could recommend, or is this something I'd have to construct on my own? If the latter, do you have any foolproof guides? I'm awful at craft/construction. Also, what size would be best? 40 gallons? 60 gallons? He will be living alone (axolotls aren't sociable and may be territorial, so I know to avoid having more than one in a tank). On a similar topic, I'd rather not waste the old tank I have, and I heard I could repurpose it as a sump, but I'm also completely lost on how to set something like that up. Lastly, my current tank makes use of a sponge filter, an Artica 1/10 HP aquatic chiller, and a Marina Slim Filter S10. While the chiller can support up to sixty or even eighty gallons of water according to the manufacturer, I'm concerned that the sponge filter and Marina filter would be sufficient for a larger tank. Will I need a new filter, and if so, which one? Lastly, I'm aware that going from one tank to another can result in shock from the difference in the water quality. Beyond using as much of the old aquarium water as possible in the new tank when I transfer him, is there anything else I should do to mitigate shock from the difference in water quality?
Now, the topic of hides. I've heard of using various things from artificially created ones (like the ones I use now) to large stones, to driftwood. I'm aware that you need to boil the driftwood to allow it to sink and to kill any parasites on it. I know PVC pipe is also favored among people. Is there anything else I should know in terms of prepping items before placing them in a tank? Are there constructed hides with paint/chemicals that I should watch for and avoid?
Next, plants. I really wanted to set up some plants in a similar manner to this video here, since apparently, axolotls love to root around plants and it helps with the nitrate cycle. But try as I might, every single plant I've tried to set up in there has slowly and horribly died over time. I suspect the minimal light I have in the environment plays a part in this. Are there plants you would recommend? Do I need to do something different to ensure they can stay alive, and I can properly blanket the bottom like that? And if I'm using river stones, how can I "plant" the plants, and clean the tank without uprooting them?
Lastly, water parameters. I'm familiar with all the baselines. I have a chiller keeping the tank between 60-64 F (15.5 C - 17.5 C). Nitrites are kept at 0, Ammonia < 0.25 ppm, Nitrates < 40 ppm and pH can be 6.5-8.0, ideally 7.4-7.6, which I try to achieve using Seachem's Acid Buffer/Alkaline Buffer/Equilibrium. Similarly, KH should be 3-8 degrees and GH 7-14 degrees, which is a little harder to manage. But there's something called Holtfreter's solution, and I'm a bit unclear if it's required and how to integrate it into this.
Lastly, in miscellany, as I know axolotls are sensitive to light due to lacking eyelids, I keep my axolotl in my windowless bedroom, so not much light gets in. On the topic of food, I feed him an earthworm every other day. There are times when he simply does not want to eat it. He has gone anywhere from eating every other day to eating once a week. I was rather alarmed with the latter, but he seems fine. I replace a small portion of water every time he poops, and perform a 10-15% water change every week, using Tetra's AquaSafe plus to mitigate chlorination (I also take water parameters during the big water change). The Marina S10 filter takes two filters, and I swap one out every month (not both, as to allow a natural bacteria presence). Please let me know if there are red flags for anything in what I'm doing.
Thanks for your time. I've highlighted the pertinent questions/inquiries, but if you have anything you want to add that I am ignorant of, please do so. I'd rather be grilled for it now, than pay for it later. As I said, I love the little guy.
Attachments
Last edited:
