My tank 2.0

theJATM

theJATM

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this is how it is now. i know it needs more, thatll come. right now, i have about 8 or 9 live plant bulbs planted in the sand that hopefully will come up soon. once those are established, ill remove the fake plants. also i plan on putting in some java moss, probably on top of the slate.

and the floating log is for nothing more then something to float around and maybe block some light if i have the overhead on.

no axies in there yet, im letting it cycle. i have a couple of snails and clams that will never be seen in the sand, i know they help keep the water clean. the snails can easily be removed. the tank is in my basement, and the water temp is 68 degrees at the top of the tank.

any suggestions? criticism? if you see something wrong, tell me. id rather be told now then figure it out after an animal needlessly dies.

and if you want to compliment me on the buffalo sabres stuff, thats welcome too!
 
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i think the tank looks pretty sweet, though im on my first week with a caudate so i dont know if it suits it but good luck with the axolotls.
 
You might need to get rid of a little bit of sand (If it's too deep it can have all sorts of toxic things build up in it), but it looks pretty good.
I'd keep the light off because axies don't really like bright lights.

It's hard to tell whether the tank is an appropriate size, measurements of the tank would be much more helpful.
 
What are the dimensions? Axi's prefer length rather than height for their tanks... but looks nice
 
It looks fine to me, as long as you give the sand a stir every so often. looks like in a tank that size and shape, you will only be able to keep 1 axie because of the simple fact that the tank has more height than floor space, as floor space is more important than water depth as axies hang out on the bottom and don't move up and down as a helicopter would.
 
Looks great but to repeat tank size would be helpful as looks quite small to me but would be fine for a juvenile to start in :happy:

Only things I would remove is the log as axies swim to the top for air and could collide with the log, would be better to go for a lower wattage bulb that you just have on for a few hours in the evening. Also what snails are they as anything that is smaller than an axies head could pose a risk to them as they will eat them if they come across them and they could get stuck (see below thread, 3rd piccy down) and with adequate tank cleaning from yourself you wont need the snails :D

Best of luck with your new axie

Caudata Culture Articles - Species Mixing Disasters
 
its a 30 gallon tall aquarium. i do have a 40 gallon long aquarium in my garage that housed my leopard geckos, but the tank has a sticker on the bottom that says "do not fill with water." i dont exactly know why, it looks like it is sealed great. but i didnt want to chance it. it also has a screen top, so id have to cut some of the top to get a filter in. that tank would be ideal.

i plan on regularly doing sand scoops to turn up any ammonia and perhaps get a cluster of ghost shrimp every so often to help clean that as well. obviously, they will be temporary tank mates. the snails are smallish. black shell with yellowish stripes. i may remove them when i get the animal, right now they are just cleaning and such.

thanks again, guys. if you think that 40 gal could work, despite the warning, i could have that up and running in no time as well.
 
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Sorry 30 gallons does not mean much to me, what are the tank measurements in cm's or inches please?? Reason I ask is like your tanks its tall hence you get the gallons but it is length they need so if your other tank is longer that sounds ideal!

I would say if it has a sticker on it saying not to fill it must have it on there for a reason, maybe it has thin glass etc that wont hold the water??
 
zoezakella said:
Sorry 30 gallons does not mean much to me, what are the tank measurements in cm's or inches please?? Reason I ask is like your tanks its tall hence you get the gallons but it is length they need so if your other tank is longer that sounds ideal!

I would say if it has a sticker on it saying not to fill it must have it on there for a reason, maybe it has thin glass etc that wont hold the water??
Click to expand...

its, i think 24 inches long, 24 inches high, 16 inches deep. those are guesses.

as for the other tank, no the glass is actually really thick, and its very well constructed. the tank is sealed well... i just have no possible explanation as to why it says "do not fill with water." but if i ignored it, and came down to 40 gallons of water on my floor.. i would not be a happy camper.

edit: also, some of the bulbs i planted 2 days ago are showing signs of growth already!
 
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wanted to give a quick update.

the tank is doing well. i have two juvenile axies in there.. got them last thursday. a golden albino named craig t nelson (because lets face it, coach was an awesome show) and reynolds 2. named after the recently departed reynolds (who was named after frank reynolds of its always sunny in philadelphia). been feeding them worms, 2 every 3 days, and they seem to like that. they are growing rapidly. and they seem to like to swim alot.

the tank is a 30 gallon, filtered by a 10-30 gal whisper filter, as well as several clams that hide in the sand. i havnt even seen them in a while, usually i see some.. maybe i should check on them.

the bulbs i planted, some are growing more quickly then others, but mainly they are showing beginning signs of growth, and not much more. i put a small ball of java moss in the tank yesterday that is already seeming to anchor itself to the rock i placed it on, but i could be wrong.

thats it for now, just wanted to give a quick update!
 
i have a question now. the axies.. juveniles, love to swim around, up and down the sides of the tank. now ive seen some people say that this is a sign of poor water quality. if so, what kinda testing kit should i get to check it? or is this just juvenile axies with energy?

also. it typically happens when the light is on (i keep it on a few hours to get light to the moss and plant bulbs) and the water temp was 70F. its usually the albino, but the wildtype will swim up and down some as well.
 
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You need an ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kit. Ammonia and nitrite need to be 0, and nitrate needs to be >40. I would also recommend taking the clams out of the tank. Freshwater clams are really hard to keep alive, and they tend to die in the sand before you realize it, and create huge problems for your water quality when they rot. You can at least expect an ammonia spike in the best case scenario, or anaerobic bacteria in the worst. Not to mention I think I remember reading somewhere that they can harm an axolotls legs if they get stuck in the clam. They're really just not the best thing to have in a tank.
Juvenile axolotls are more active than adults, but constantly moving can be a sign of water problems. I highly suggest you go get the test kits
 
thank you. ive taken out several of the clams (all still alive) and the axies seem much more calm. i think they just really dont like the overhead light on, which i keep on a few hours a day to get the plants some light so they grow more. but im just going to keep the light off more. hopefully my java moss takes and grows quickly, as do the plant bulbs.

im also hoping to get some lilies in there to block some light as well.
 
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30 gallons is the minimum that one (adult) axolotl should be kept in. Axolotls do not like light at all (it is not natural to them) and juveniles tend to move around a lot more than adults do, so don't worry about that if you water quality is fine and the temperature is below 18C

The tank size might be appropriate now, as they are young, but you will need to upgrade in the future (the near future) - Look for length instead of height. Don't mix species unless you don't mind some being eaten - assuming they will not harm each other, the link has already been posted but it's in my signature too, it has a lot of horror stories on there, but it will help you rule out species you should not have with axolotls. Personally I say don't but that's your decision - the stories on there will help you make it an informed one. beware particularly of bones and aggression.#


__


If you must have light in there, use aquarium (immersible) lighting - it's a lot softer than the over heads and you can use it in your aquascaping, again light and axolotls do not mix - in their natural habitat there would be only the minutest amount of light (if any at all) they are not evolved for it. Green lights will really accentuate your plants - and I think it's the best one for aquascaping if you want a largely planted aquarium, use red and blue lights to highlight ornaments/key features - this kind of lighting is cheep too running at about £20s a set here, not sure about the us though. Here is a link on axolotl safe aquascaping: Clicky
 
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i do plan on getting a larger tank soon. maybe 40 gallon long. right now they are both doing well, not swimming much now that i keep the light off alot.

i also took out the clams (they are easier to find then i thought) so everything should be in order soon.

the whole reason i wanted clams is they are kind of a neat way to keep the water clean. you see alot of things in tanks... clams arnt one of them.
 
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bit of duckweed or indian fern would soon shade the light out ;)
 
i have two tiny leaves of duckweed floating in my tank. i havnt the slightest how they got there, but im hoping they grow,

i also removed the fake plants, and got live ones today. i figured that would improve water quality, and fast.
 
live plants are always good for water quality - I like the clams thing, it's different and still practical (minus the greedy axolotls) fake plants are still good though - the more barriers the better, unless there's no room :3

I find no problems with keeping juvies in a 30gal - I used to keep mine in one when they were babies, now I use it as one of my quarantine tanks - you may want to keep it around after for that reason.


Tank invasion! I love when I get extra tank things that I didn't buy - the friendly critters are the funnest.
 
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