Glued down substrate

[bugdozer]

I had read ideas on here for sticking sand/gravel to the bottom of the axolotl's tank with aquarium silicone, so that bits won't get ingested. Is this easy to do? How thick a layer of silicone is required? Does it make cleaning the tank a pain? Input from anyone who has done this would be welcome.

 

[Boomsloth]

I haven't done this personally but I have worked with aquarium silicone and adding large ornaments and rocks. I can say that trying to glue down the gravel may or may not work if the axolotl starts to dig it will either hurt itself or manage to dislodge some pebbles. As for the sand, all that you will manage to do is create a floor of sandpaper. the axolotl will definitely hurt itself on that. If you are looking for a nice substrate on the floor maybe some type of colorful mat that is used for reptiles/amphibians.

 

[auntiejude]

Yes! My hubby and I made a removable acrylic base with siliconed-down sand embedded in it.

Get a piece of acrylic plate and cut it to size - it wants to be a good fit or gunge will get underneath. Rough up the surface with some sandpaper and wash it down, clean your sand and dry well (I used my oven on 120C).

You will have to either work outside or in a very well ventilated area, becasue the silicone uses vinegar as a solvent and it stinks. Work in small areas, spread some silicone with an old credit card to about 2mm thick, and press sand in. Don't try and make the silicone too thick ot it will never set, but you can create ripples or patterns if you're careful. Work across the whole area in small blocks and leave to set for 48 hours. Brush any loose sand off, wash under running water. Then fit it in your tank.
With the sand embedded it's not that rough - no worse than sand on it's own, but we used playsand anyway as the grains are smoother.

We also embedded a plant at the back to give us something to grab to remove it. We take it out once a month to clean underneath, but it's easy to siphon over the surface with a normal water change.

You can see the effect in the pics attached.

 

[Boomsloth]

Yes! My hubby and I made a removable acrylic base with siliconed-down sand embedded in it.

Get a piece of acrylic plate and cut it to size - it wants to be a good fit or gunge will get underneath. Rough up the surface with some sandpaper and wash it down, clean your sand and dry well (I used my oven on 120C).

You will have to either work outside or in a very well ventilated area, becasue the silicone uses vinegar as a solvent and it stinks. Work in small areas, spread some silicone with an old credit card to about 2mm thick, and press sand in. Don't try and make the silicone too thick ot it will never set, but you can create ripples or patterns if you're careful. Work across the whole area in small blocks and leave to set for 48 hours. Brush any loose sand off, wash under running water. Then fit it in your tank.
With the sand embedded it's not that rough - no worse than sand on it's own, but we used playsand anyway as the grains are smoother.

We also embedded a plant at the back to give us something to grab to remove it. We take it out once a month to clean underneath, but it's easy to siphon over the surface with a normal water change.

You can see the effect in the pics attached.

I take back my previous statement. THAT looks awesome!