Does my tank look ok ?

[rexx]

Hi,

Im setting up a new 3ft tank for 3x axies. I have attached a picture, does the set up look alright ? i am going to get a few live plants and trying to find one of those plastic tunnel things so the axies can hide in there. As i know they like dark hide outs. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks! Also.... the best PH level for an axie was 7 - 7.5 ?

 

[MereB]

As long as you're sure the rocks are bigger than your axies head then it looks great and with a nice hide it will be even better It's hard to tell how fine the black substrate is though, nice ad fine I hope because we all know how bad gravel is for them.
Well done!

Axies are happy with anywhere from 6.8 to about 8 so 7-7.5 would be perfectly fine. 7 is neutral and a good pH to aim for but a little higher won't hurt. Mine are at about 7.6 it just refuses to go any lower.

 

[rexx]

As long as you're sure the rocks are bigger than your axies head then it looks great and with a nice hide it will be even better It's hard to tell how fine the black substrate is though, nice ad fine I hope because we all know how bad gravel is for them.
Well done!

Axies are happy with anywhere from 6.8 to about 8 so 7-7.5 would be perfectly fine. 7 is neutral and a good pH to aim for but a little higher won't hurt. Mine are at about 7.6 it just refuses to go any lower.

thanks! yes its black sand its very tiny, i know not to go anywhere near gravel!i wouldnt wanna risk it. i remember some idiot at a fish shop telling me if was ok to have gravel when i went in there looking for sand.

And also, yep - the pebbles are bigger than my axie's head im wanting the tank to hurry up and cycle so i can put my axie into it and buy another 2!

 

[Joanne]

Looks great, will be good when you get a couple hides happening. What type of filter are you using?

 

[Colinna]

Looks good! A couple of hides will be perfect.

 

[lea]

the tank looks good but..... did you know when us humans go to bed they have wild parties and trash the tank(well mine do anyway). Be ready to do some renovations.

 

[rexx]

the tank looks good but..... did you know when us humans go to bed they have wild parties and trash the tank(well mine do anyway). Be ready to do some renovations.

Haha . .oh i look forward to it!! i have 3x goldfish in there cycling it at the moment and they are dirty and messy little buggers , they've been in there for 24 hours and made it so messy! now u can see what is under the black sand!! can't wait to get them out and have my axies in there.

Since the picture, i have also added 2x little hideouts for them. the live plants will come once i put the axies in there as i dont want the goldfish to eat them!

 

[rexx]

Looks great, will be good when you get a couple hides happening. What type of filter are you using?

at the moment this one is using the type thats under the sand,(its the one that came with the tank when i bought it) but i have just ordered an external canister filter 1400L that should be arriving next week!

 

[alexx]

UGF (undergravel) filters won't work great with sand, which is probably why the goldfish have made it so dirty. You'll have to cycle the new filter a bit before you put your axies in I think.

 

[rexx]

UGF (undergravel) filters won't work great with sand, which is probably why the goldfish have made it so dirty. You'll have to cycle the new filter a bit before you put your axies in I think.

yeah im definately going to cycle the tank for a bit longer when i get the new filter and make sure the water readings are good enough before i put my axolotl in there. last thing is i want him dying because i havent got the water right

 

[iChris]

good job adding the goldfish, they will kickstart your cycle and they are very hardy.

keep the undergravel filter, and try connecting the outlet from the canister filter to the undergravel filter's uplift pipe(s) this will create a "reverse" undergravel filter, doing this will add even more medium for the good bacteria to grow on and process waste, and it will also disperse the flow of the canister filter better without creating much water movement, and by positioning the filter inlet near the water's surface you help to circulate the water at the bottom of the tank to the top, helping to keep the temperature more constant and adding air to the water.

but keep in mind that if your sand is too thick or fine, it may reduce the flow of the filter.

 

[rexx]

good job adding the goldfish, they will kickstart your cycle and they are very hardy.

keep the undergravel filter, and try connecting the outlet from the canister filter to the undergravel filter's uplift pipe(s) this will create a "reverse" undergravel filter, doing this will add even more medium for the good bacteria to grow on and process waste, and it will also disperse the flow of the canister filter better without creating much water movement, and by positioning the filter inlet near the water's surface you help to circulate the water at the bottom of the tank to the top, helping to keep the temperature more constant and adding air to the water.

but keep in mind that if your sand is too thick or fine, it may reduce the flow of the filter.

Thanks for the good adice. The sand is not thick at all. Because it was hard to get it to cover the whole bottom ... i wasnt going to waste another $40 getting a big bag when i needed only a little bit,so ive just tried to spread it out more.

And when i get the filter, i will be sure to give that a go!