Glass beads in axie tanks?

[Sweetie]

In a number of the pics on this site, including avatars, I notice axie tanks that seem to have those flat glass beads on the bottom. I removed these beads from my axie's tank, fearing not only that as he grew bigger he might ingest them, ending up with a fatal impaction, but that debris and faeces would collect under and around them, making the tank harder to keep clean. I have replaced them with a largely empty tank bottom, with a few large flat river rocks in the axie's sleeping corner and one large porous rock he likes to hide/sleep/swim behind. Any thoughts on the potential dangers of these undeniably aesthetically pleasing glass beads?

 

[Skudo09]

I would advise against the glass beads. You are right to be concerned about possible swallowing and impaction. It is the same principle as gravel or stones. Axolotls can swallow stones as large as their head so unless pebbles are much larger than their head, it is best not to have them in the tank. Sand is a safer alternative (from five to six inches and longer) or bare bottom. The other problem is as you said that stones tend to trap debris and poo. It would be much the same with glass stones.

 

[Smoxolotl]

I also advise against the glass beads for all the reasons mentioned. My first axolotl tank had beautiful lavender beads in it, larger size, and my axies would kick them around searching for the blackworms that they could see wriggling underneath them. Sometimes, they would toss them about rather fiercely, and the beads themselves would end up chipped. Jagged edges and axolotls do not mix well.