My bright idea??

[kimo]

Ok so my new tank has arrived. I now need to start thinking about decorations.

I wanted to keep the floor of this one free of gravel for easy cleaning & maybe my axi wont eat it if its not there. The thing is I think the tank will look a little empty without gravel. I thought about putting my plants in tubs but then decided on a terrace.

OH WOW terrace are ££££££ so I came up with a bright idea. I can make my own out of glass! All I need to do is get 4 bits of glass cut to whatever size I want & glue them together to make a frame. Then fill it with gravel & my plants BINGO! The great thing is I will still be able to see the gravel through the glass & if algae grows on it even better , it will hide the glass.

Now is this a good idea like im hoping or has anyone got any better ideas??

 

[mackinthebox]

Im not sure what is available to you where you are but another idea might be to use light diffusers for fluorescent lights
Theyre easily available here in the US at local hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot

Here is a picture of what I am talking about:

This is what you would see on a fluorescent light fixture when you look up at it
you can cut it into squares and glue to to your tank just like the glass, it also has square openings at the bottom so your plant roots would get more water and nutrients (in my opinion anyway) and its easier and safer to work with than sharp panes of glass

this is also referred to as "egg crate"

 

[Minniechild]

What kind of gravel are you talking about? Generally, gravel really is NOT appropriate to have an axolotl housed on. Any substrate needs to be sand sized (And not sharp such as Tahitian Moon Sand tends to be), or half the size of the axolotl at maturity (larger than 10cm), and not in between. If you do have gravel in your tank, it MUST be bagged so that your axolotl doesn't ingest it and become impacted. Nylon mesh works well in this respect, and can been seeded with grasses to create hills. Combine this with sand on the base, and you can end up with a quite lovely setup which can support live plants quite easily. Additionally, you can add in pieces of slate to create flat terraces similar to what you're talking about.
Can't wait to see what you come up with!

 

[kimo]

I use very fine gravel. Its not sand. The dont really eat alot of it as I hand feed them but I always knew there would be a risk, so far they have been fine with the stuff.

I was thinking of just making a 3sided rectangle so it fits to the back of the tank. Ive just had a sliding glass lid made for very little cash & they have will smooth the edges for me so no sharp bits. I was thinking of using plastic but I understand they can leak nasty things into the water.
:ufo:
This will either look terrible or look amazing

 

[snuggly time]

I use very fine gravel. Its not sand. The dont really eat alot of it as I hand feed them but I always knew there would be a risk, so far they have been fine with the stuff

I would take that gravel out immediately. You said they might have eaten some of it? They might seem fine now, but how can you know they AREN'T suffering? So many axolotls die from gravel impaction in their guts.. Do you want yours to be one of these too?

 

[kimo]

Thats 1 thing I hate about this site. You ask for helpful advice & get "told off" The whole point of this, if you read it is to remove the gravel & keep it away from the axi. The stuff I use is only slightly less fine than sand & it was recommended to me by someone who has owned axi for years, they use it without any problems.

I dont want to hurt my axi hence why I ask questions.

 

[snuggly time]

I didn't mean to be rude about it, I just don't want your axolotl to suffer. It might seem like a telling off, but I've had similar experiences on here. As a new axolotl owner I welcome any advice, even though sometimes it may seem harsh and everyone is nit-picking.
It's good that you're trying to find a solution, but for now, if I were you I'd remove the gravel until it's sorted.

 

[Minniechild]

I think I know the stuff you're talking about- I had it in a tank (Similar situation-recommendation from someone during a minor disaster situation) for a few hours, and that was all it took for Izzie to gulp a bit. By some miracle he passed it after a few (Very) uncomfortable days, but it really isn't something to risk.

Please please please don't take this advice the wrong way- it's just we as a community have dealt with impactions through here SO many times, and all too often, the situation ends with a marker in the backyard and an empty tank, and nobody should EVER have to go through that when it can be avoided (And hence why the reaction tends to be so emphatic whenever gravel free floating in a tank is mentioned) ... The two I've lost- George to a heart attack, and Squeaky to a genetic condition I first noticed at 3 weeks old yet he somehow survived to nine months - both broke my heart, and I still have a hard time not typing Georgie's name when I talk about his brothers...If I can help you out by warning you against a substrate which is a known impaction threat (through the years worth of longitudinal data accumulating on here), I owe it to you as an axie lover to do so.

As to plastics, it really depends on the type- Acrylic is used for tanks in the hobby without side effects, then there are BPA-free plastics which are becoming more widespread in human use (I have a massive stack of BPA free food boxes I'm using to rear babies at the moment, and so far, so good- and they could quite easily be cut into caves). Whatever you go with, make sure you're using an aquarium safe silicone to put it together- Selleys makes a quite reasonably priced one which is marketed as being aquarium safe.