Question: Need a little help :)

[Emerald23]

Okay everyone, I have a few questions! I wasn't sure if this was the right place to post but here I go anyway!
First off, I really want to get a melanoid and a harlequin- or if not a harlequin, a dirty lucy Does anyone know anyone who sells the harlequin or dirty lucys? What are they're usual prices?
As for the tank, here are my questions:
1. I have the option of making my own Canister filter or buying a modified hang on the back filter with mechanical, biological, and chemical media to filter. Which would be better?
2. For those of you with live plants, what lights are okay for both plants and axolotls? I plan on having an entire tank full of hides because I know their little eyes are sensitive, what with no eyelids and all. So really my question is, does anyone have a live planted tank or would it just be better to go artificial?
3. Ive heard of salt being used in a freshwater tank, and have heard some people say there HAS to be salt in it. What are the benefits of salt and is it necessary for axolotls?
4. My friend is taking me to a Reptile Expo where she bought her axolotl from. Is it better to buy from that, in person, or is it better to buy from a breeder online? And for the colors I want?
5. Do you HAVE to cycle? It seems like such a back and forth issue. I'm going to cycle anyway and test regularly, but do you have to cycle to keep an axolotl healthy?
Thanks everyone!

 

[keiko]

1. Any kind of filter will do. You just have to make sure the current isn't too strong and that there is enough media for bacteria to grow on (axies are big and produce a lot of wastes so the more the better). Chemical filtration isn't really needed.

2. I have a lot of live plants in my 240 L tank and I "only" have two small LED lights. The plants are doing great with that. The trick is to choose plants suitable for low light conditions. I have for example different types of javafern and anubias, java moss, some Cryptocoryne and lots of other stuff. I point the light at those plants that I know need more light and leave for example the java fern completely without direct light. Live plants are really helpful in an aquarium so I'd definitely suggest getting those.

3. Don't add salt in the water. It just means that you want the water to be a bit on the hard side aka have some salts (like calcium and magnesium) dissolved in it. Most of the time there's no need to add anything in the water for that, but if the water is very soft then it might be good. Very soft water can cause anemia in axolotls. There are GH and KH tests you can do to test it. GH=general hardness, KH= Carbonate hardness.

4. If you can get the colors you want from the expo then go for it. But most breeders are reliable so there's nothing wrong with buying one off the internet either.

5. YES you have to cycle. That is the most important thing to do right after getting a tank for the axie. You need to read about it and really understand it to keep your axie healthy. Basically the axie produces wastes -> ammonia (very toxic). Bacteria "eats" the ammonia -> nitrite (very toxic). Another colony of bacteria "eats" the nitrite and produces nitrAte. Nitrate is the end product of the cycle and is the least toxic. Then you do weekly water changes to keep the nitrate under 40 ppm (is also bad in higher concentrations). So really cycling means growing bacteria in the tank/filter to take care of the axies wastes. A cycled and well maintained tank should always test ammonia 0, nitrite 0 and nitrate <40ppm.

 

[Emerald23]

Thank you very much I have read a lot about cycling and figured it was probably the best thing to do but I've heard so many people say not to do it I was very confused. That was probably the part that I am having the biggest trouble with. I understand basically how to do it; add ammonia, let it go through the cycle of ammonia to nitrate, and keep doing that till the ammonia is almost immediately converted into nitrate (right?!) but the whole 40 ppm thing confuses me. Do the testers tell you what ppm it is or do I have to do math??
Since the hob filter is so much cheaper i'll probably go with that. I don't really care for the chemical filtration so I might have to improvise a little with that.
I'm really excited to have live plants then! That'll be awesome. I'm going to try to get the plants out of their way so they don't tear them up. We shall see how that works, . I also have aquarium grass. I've seen that axies love it so I wanted to try it. I'll have less sand to clean (i'm going to have it in the pots for the plants but have grass everywhere else) just because I don't like sand all that much and bare bottoms seems so...well bare!
As for the colors, I probably wont see them at the expo, although I'm hoping to. Do you know any great breeders that might produce those colors?
Oh, and one more thing, I want 2 axies for my 50 gal. I know they have a cannibal stage and that they should be the same size. But is it safe to have them the same size young? What size would be safe so I can have two? Otherwise I'll make a divider but I was hoping not to
Thanks so much!!!

 

[keiko]

The liquid test kit will have a color chart to compare your test results to. The unit is ppm (parts per million) or mg/L. They're practically the same. No math needed.

The cycle is strong enough when it can convert 4ppm ammonia into 0 ammonia and nitrite (only nitrates have a reading) in 24 hours.

I don't know any breeders from the US, but you could try posting an add here on the forum. There's a classifieds section at the bottom when you go to forum index.

Two juveniles in a 50 gallon should be fine. Just make sure they're about the same size and get enough to eat. You can't really overfeed a juvenile, they'll use all the energy they get when growing.

 

[keiko]

One more thing about the filter. You'll need to get one that has a flow rate of 4 times the tank volume per hour. That could mean the current gets pretty strong, but you can use for example a spray bar, aim it at a wall or use something else to break the water flow.

 

[Emerald23]

Thank you so much, again! I will look into all that! Looks like I have a lot to do to get this tank ready!