Question: New owner: many MANY questions...

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ahiggin1

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Hello all!
first off, I have 2 bearded dragons, 5 leopard geckos, and a few crested geckos. Im no stranger to things reptilian....but I decided I wanted something aquatic :)

so I plan on getting one leucistic (possibly GFP). I dont have my tank set up yet, I dont plan on setting it up for another week and then getting the critter sometime after.
so here are my questions:
1) Is a 10 gallon too small? I also have a 20gallon long, I havent gotten the filter yet...waiting on this
2)does anyone have any suggestions for a filter? its hard to tell what is what at the stores, and I dont want to stress out the critters (as far as the current goes)
3) I want to provide lots of leaves/plants...all fake most likely. I would like to put substrate in there. I dont know what is best, and at what age. (ie, is sand only ok for adults?) I have a DIY fetish...so Ill make sure to post when I finish it :)
4)feeding.....whats the most nutritious and whats the feeding order? what should I be feeding as a staple?
5)If i get a GFP, what light will show them off WITHOUT the harm of having UVA or B?

I think thats about it. Feel free to add any comments, concerns, any random info that might not be obvious :)
Thanks!
 
#1 thing you should learn (and i say this because i was never told this, had to find out on my own...) LEARN ABOUT THE NITROGEN CYCLE and cycling your fish tank BEFORE you get the axolotl. Sorry if you knew that already but its SUPER important!

I try and keep my tank about 64-65 *F (17-18 C (i think)), but over 75 *F is a NO no. They get stressed and can die if left at this temp or above.
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10 gallon is iffy for an adult but not a bad grow-out tank.

I use a sponge filter in my 10 gallon, my golden albino is only 5 inches.

substrate...first of all NO GRAVEL!!! ever! they will eat it and have major issues including death. However, sand can be iffy for them when they are young, but fine when they are adults. No stones that can fit anywhere CLOSE to the size of their mouth, try for way bigger than their heads...they can perform prodigious feats of eating things you would never DREAM of fitting inside them!

There is nothing wrong with bare bottom tanks, although some pet stores will tell you that there is... My tank is bare bottom for now, until she/he is bigger, I will keep it that way.

Plants are great, fake or live, just make sure they are not spiny, as I have heard of a case of an axolotl eating one and it coming out part way from his stomach (he lived, but i bet he felt silly).

The main thing is to provide a few hides, as they like to feel secure. Mine spends a lot of time hiding behind the sponge filter, in the plant, or in the little cave i have in there.

Depending on the size (itty bitties need different foods) you will feed different things. However, once they get big enough to eat chopped up earthworms (not red wigglers), they can live their whole lives on just earthworms.
I personally like to feed a variety, because i can, and i feed tiny 1-2 instar Dubia Nymphs, chopped earthworms (although i'm lucky and she/he will eat wigglers), and pellets.

I was told that if you get a blue LED, they wont freak out like they do under a black light...just warning you now, I've seen black lights shone on GFP and they HATE IT. They freak out and bash into walls and try and desperately get away. I was told by a breeder that the blue LED will work to show off the GFP and doesnt have that reaction.
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one other random thing, thats fun for you and can make your axie feel less stressed and more secure, is wrapping a background around 3 of the 4 walls on the tank. Axies like darkness, and in addition to looking cool, it provides darkness.
 
hey thanks for the reply :)
the cycle...ive heard from a few different breeders that as long as you use DE chlorinated water, its ok. But cycling is just running your tank for a month or so and making sure the levels of everything are in good range right? (i have feeder fish for other things that could speed it up). If its so important why do some people not do it? just wondering...im probably going to, i will feel bad if i bring an axie into a bad environment.

I already have a thermometer that ill have in there when i get it :)

how long does it take for an axie to get "too big" for the 10 gallon? just curious :)

Ok so sand is ok when they are adults (which is how big? 6 inches?) and biiiiiiiiiiiig rocks before Thanks. i just dont want the plants to be out in the middle of the tank with nothing holding them down

soft plants, check.

i plan on making my own fake rocks :) i have them for all of my other critters, so i just have to find appropriate sealant.

If i have this right...itty bitty babies get pellets or Daphnia, and big guys/gals get earthworms. are there any treats? like a once a week thing?

blue LED lights :) thank you

I always keep my tanks 3/4 covered. It works the same in reptiles too :)

oh, do you have the link to make those sponge filters? i remember reading about it in the DIY...
 
no idea how to DIY sponge filters, i just bought mine :)

I'm not sure why some people choose to cycle while others dont. I would imagine that the tank eventually cycles itself without help, and the people who dont either dont realize that it has, or dont care, or just dont know about cycling. I was not told about cycling when i got my axie, i had to find out for myself. Poor axie is still a bit stressed but my tank is super close to being done. If I had found out before hand, I would not have cycled with it in there. I would NEVER do a cycle with animals again.

Also, fishLESS cycling can be CRAZY fast, some in around a week, whereas I'm approaching being finished almost 2 months after I started with axie inside.

Cycling is important because while the ammonia is being turned into nitRITE high levels can kill, and constant low levels can destroy skin and cause peeling. High NitRITE levels can also kill, i do believe. After the ammonia > NitRITE, the nitrite becomes NitRATE and is more tolerable in higher levels, although those level should also be kept as low as possible. Live plants are fed from nitRATE and some even eat up nitRITE. This makes your take pretty low maintenance.

For your friends/or people that you know that dont cycle...have they ever had sick fish or fish die for "no reason"? Happened to a bunch of people i know, who when i was asking about who had fish before, and if they cycled, many said no, what is cycling, and that they did fish for a while but then their fish kept dying.


Not really sure why they would need a treat, they love worms and such, but there are other options that some people use that are not nutritionally sound that you could use i suppose, like tiny bits of beef heart, etc.
 
I'd just like to add on to what Saphire has said, and reiterate that using live fish to cycle a tank does not cycle the tank any faster. Cycling is also not just running a tank, it is cultivating beneficial bacteria, and for that beneficial bacteria to survive you need a constant ammonia source. This could be live fish, however I think using pure ammonia(not cleaning ammonia) is the fastest and most effective way to cycle a tank. Make sure you google how to fishless cycle with pure ammonia if you go that route. I would also highly suggest cycling prior to obtaining the axolotl, however if you want to do daily waterchanges while your tank cycles that is also acceptable. You would need to test your water far more often if you are cycling with the axolotl however. You should obtain an ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate test kit(liquid drip kind, not the dip strips) to monitor your water parameters.
 
Personally, I don't cycle my tanks. I have to move them to often to actually do it, and I don't have problems. You don't need a cycle if you just keep your darn tank clean with regular water changes. I would say don't stress about the nitrogen cycle if you can't figure it out, and just absolutely do water changes. It's really not that important, and I've ran fish tanks long before I got my amphibians.

I've used a ten gallon for an adult axolotl. But I quickly switched to a twenty. The thing is, my axolotl grew from the 7 inches I got her at to a whopping twelve inches. A ten gallon tank just isn't enough room for that much axolotl. If you have a runt, though, like one of mine is, then a ten gallon is perfectly fine for say, 7 to a max of 9 inches of axolotl. You'll likely want more axolotls anyway, so you might as well just get a larger tank and not take a gamble on size, or waste your money.

I moved my juvies from bare bottom to the sand tank at about 5 1/2, 6 inches. Right on the money there. For plants, live plants are very easy to maintain. I personally wrap java moss around large river rocks and place it in the tank. Anubias on driftwood or rock is great, and just about any plant can be held down by large rocks. I find that anchoring them keeps them from getting pulled up by my crazy axolotls.

Treats aren't really a necessary thing. But I don't even like giving my dogs treats unless I'm training them on something. (though considering all of my animal's tendency to become overweight, good measure on my part). My axies all just get earthworms, and they love them. My big fat 12 inch girl will eat about 9 inches of earthworm in a night. Fatty. I do, however, put in white cloud minnows for them to eat at their leisure, as they aren't nippy like other fish. They go pretty quickly. Just always quarantine, or breed them like I do. That, or when my platys bred too much in my tropical tank, I just fed them off to them with tongs. I think fish are good enough treats, since they aren't messy. And if they aren't eating them, just fish them out with a net and tong feed them. They won't turn down a flopping fish.

As for sponge filters, you can youtube that pretty easily. Basically you just stick some airline tubing into a sponge, throw the sponge into the tank, and turn it on. Not rocket science at all. Personally, I just use normal waterfall filters and plug the output with sponges or don't use a filter at all, depending on tank size.
 
I would just use the 20 long right away - easier than changing tanks later. I like sponge filters - very little current and their waste is such that it's easy to remove with a turkey baster (mechanical filtration won't really help with that - so no matter what you'll need a turkey baster).

20 long also gives you more water to dilute the waste - which is beginner-friendly. :)

I felt the 10 gallon tank was too small around 6-7". But it's really a pain to transfer everything, so I wouldn't bother starting out smaller - there is no advantage, it's only more difficult to take care of.

Bare-bottom tank is fine, but if you want sand, go for very fine grain with no additives (no "live" reef sand or calci-sand).

I really don't like plastic plants. Try for silk/fabric if you have to. Live are the same price and better-looking and not a safety hazard. It's rare, but they can and do sometimes ingest fake plant parts - which won't digest like a real plant would and can tear up their insides or have trouble coming out.

Axolotls will eat anything smaller than their heads. It's true. They're not terribly smart about what it is they eat, either.

Feeding them isn't an exact science. I know I asked about it a lot when I was new, but the thing is, you really just have to feed them and see what happens. I am doing an earthworm every other day right now and a carnivore pellet on off days. The axolotl is 7-8" and isn't getting any fatter so I'm sticking with that as he might be still growing.

I have a full-spectrum light in my tank for the plants (going to change to plant grow), but it makes the axolotl flouresce a little - not a lot, but you can see green eyes and a healthy yellow "glow". I used a regular blacklight when I wanted to show the glowing, and it wasn't an issue - no freaking out. But I didn't use it often. I've heard it's best to limit their exposure, anyway. You're not going to get a real bright glow from the LEDs on their own so it's not going to show off "looking, green-glowing critter" - more of just that "healthy glow". I think it's best just to have a bulb or strip to switch on for a minute or two to show off, that's all.

I would really try to understand cycling in-depth. The knowledge will help you greatly if something goes wrong. Some people don't do it because they don't realise how an aquarium environment works. Or they are keeping axolotls in tubs while they grow, doing 100% water changes every single day. Many pet fish in bowls die very young because people don't understand what they're doing.

I would suggest fishless cycling if possible. Especially since this is your first tank. Your axolotl can die from ammonia poisoning if you're not careful.
 
Wow, I sure am glad I asked about cycling! Thanks for all the help :D I'm going to cycle it when I get it set up, no sense in risking it, I won't be able to do a daily water change.
One last question:is it ok to put a (or 2) baby axies around 2-3inches in the 20g long? Or is that "too much" space. The breeder said to keep them in a tuperware container for a little bit. But didn't say how long.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to stick with gold or leucistic and get the GFP mutation, I don't have to show it off right away :)
Thanks again for all your help!!!!
 
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