Hiding places / ideas?

[larn]

When i first got my axolotls, i made a cave out of small tiles and stones using aquarium glue, a few weeks ago i noticed structural damage to back side, so i removed it and did some tests on it which failed, it basicaly fell apart easily, so it was dangerous.

The other day i went out and bought this plant pot, it was a long pot with holes in the sides big enough for them to go through. I stuck pink stones around it as decoration. But the axolotls have not really explored inside, they prefer to burrow in around the outsides, i think the pot is too large, so the axolotls don't feel very snug inside.

Please can you tell me, where could i get some sort of tube or pipe? maybe i can find something in the plumbing department in a DIY store?

any other ideas? I don't like the aquarium hides because they look too dangerous, as i noticed inside they have sharp edges if you know what i mean.

 

[lollypop]

I know a lot of people use PVC pipe, that you can get from DIY places. There was someone posted a little while ago that they covered there's with sand using silicone glue, so I would blend in.
A lot of things are going to depend on what you like the look of and what your axi likes.

I have a fake log tube, a fake tree root/stump. A fake rock hide thing a log propped one end on an old plastic breaking hatchery. And a clay plant pot, some of these create even more hides. Like down the filter end I have a floating cork platform, so that sits above the rock mountain thingy but is really quite dark,

They also like hanging out under the floating plants.

Some of the hide things were from the pet shop. But I have used plastic plant pots and cut a doorway on the side (sanded nicely) and stuck a rock on it to keep it down. As well as going in bubba would also sit on top. Or do the sas stealth move of just peering over it at me.

A bit of imagination is all you need

 

[Dakkagor]

I think axolotls can take some time to get used to new things in the tank. I have a skull mountain in the back of my tank, and my axolotls spend a fair amount of time hiding in it like 50s b-movie monsters :wacko:. pipe seems a good choice for a hide, anything they can get into and out of easily by swimming in a straight line seems to be popular.

 

[ZoeT94]

I cut a plastic plant pot in half, put some rocks on it, put them side by side and my two use it as their houses! And they also enjoy sitting on them...lol

 

[Chirple]

I have this : Amazon.com: Marina Naturals Malaysian Driftwood with Plants, Small: Pet Supplies , in medium and am very happy with it. Their 1/2 log is also nice : http://www.amazon.com/Marina-Natura...Plants/dp/B0032GAGBM/ref=pd_sim_petsupplies_4 .

I guess I'm lucky to have a very well stocked pet store. I just go around and touch things. But it's indeed hard to find something big enough for an adult axolotl that's also okay underwater. I've seen a few suitable half-logs, though.

Garden pots are lovely, too. I think that with some plants, you could make the entrance a bit smaller and it more snuggly and safe.

I made a second hide out of an arch of rocks, and have plants near the back to make it more secure-feeling. She also likes to hide in and behind plants. Or sit on the sponge filter and peek out through the plants. Now that I've gotten live plants, I'm obsessed with them. They're so functional and look great and I love to see my axolotl explore and hide in them.

You could even do that with fake plants - to help build a hide. You could also use driftwood as a starting point to grow around.


I haven't read terribly much about it, but I've heard you can build aquarium decor with Styrofoam : http://www.blue-canoe.com/netmax/diy_projects/sculptures/sculptures.php . You could do some pretty cool stuff with that, I think. People use it a lot for backgrounds, but you could certainly make a hide out of it if it'd work.

I also thought about breaking a pretty (but cheap) bowl or vase and sanding down the edges. I'd have to look into the materials, though.

 

[memojo1979]

Hmmm. Both my 4ft tanks are nearly the same.
I have a http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jungle-Tree-Large-Decoration-Aquarium/dp/B003ZG6OEC at each end (can't remember the price of the 1st 2nd-hand 1 off eBay, but it was popular I got some more which I managed to get new at 3 for £60 inc. P+P - that was the last of my big spending when I bought my 4ft tanks) Canaq spent almost 2 weeks hiding in the top of 1 of them when I 1st added 1 to each end! Now they spand time underneath, amongst the roots.
Each tank also has a cave (£10-£15 from my LFS, but I have only once ever found the same thing on the internet + by then I'd already bought the tree roots).
The girls' tank has Aquarium Decoration - Aquarium Decoration - Aquatic - Supa Aquatic Supplies Ltd attached to a base, as a feature + the boys' tank has a CLASSIC 2968 CORAL CUBE CAVE HIDE 5" AQUARIUM FISH TANK ORNAMENT | eBay (but bigger).
My juvenile tank has Rock Hide Den Cichlid Spawning Cave Turtle Terrapin Basking Cave 22cm (6924781211520) | eBay with something similar to this CLASSIC ROCK CAVE MUSHROOM 10" AQUARIUM ORNAMENT | eBay (but smaller + without the mushrooms) + 2 pieces of wood.
The sanctuary tank has 2 several pieces of hamster cage tubing, a couple of small bridges + a plant pot.

 

[lollypop]

Hehe. Mojo,s jungle tree root is the same one I have in my tank :happy: