New Tank - looking for comments

R

rafael

Guest
Hey folks,

I finally did it. I've got an axie tank set up and I'm looking for comments from the experts before I get my axies. The pet store has three gold axie juveniles - I was thinking of getting two or is that too many for my tank?

My tank set up is as follows:

15 gallon tank (30 inches X 12 X 12)
68 (or 20) degrees normal water temperature
java moss
java fern
Supreme Ovation-400 filter - not at all sure what the gallons per hour filtration is - but I've got the water flow blocked off by a pile of pebbles and a piece of fake aquarium coral.
Substrate large (bigger than peas) sized coated aquarium grade river gravel.
And two hiding places - a two jug decorative tank piece and an artificial aquarium jaguar skull.
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So I guess my questions are the following:

How long should I leave it before putting in an axie? (How long does it need to cycle? I used Satori Dechlorinator on the water)

Would adding water from my patio pond help speed up the cycling (it is a long established pond and it has gambusia aka mosquito fish in it)?

Is a consistent temperature of 68-69 degrees ok?

Do I have too much filtration and if so should only turn the filter on occasionally or remove it altogether?

None of the plants or java moss move - there is no apparent current in the water - but the fan keeps the surface flowing. How much is too much current and how do I tell?

Thanks in advance for your comments!
 
firstly you should wait about 2-4 weeks befor putting in the axies. the longer you let the tank cycle the beter. im not that sure about the water from the pond but i would have to personly say no because of the insects, bacteria etc that you can pick up there and if you put it in the tank they could breed producing a dangerous environment. thats just my opinion though.

im not sure about the conversion but i keep my tank between 16-18 degres centigrate, so convert it and that should help.

too much filteration shouldn't really be a problem but if the water flow is too strong you will notice because your axies gills will bend forward.

hope i helped.
 
hey! looks like a great set up, The only thing that I would be concerned about is the gravel, How much bigger than peas is it?Once your axies get bigger they can fit a considerable amount in their mouths, mine can eat a whole fish in one (about 3cm by 1 cm) that is a treat for them but I would say while they are feeding yours could take in a pebble. I may be wrong though cause its hard to see your gravel. hope it all goes well!
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cool set up,just wondering if the teeth in the skull are rounded off?axies dont really look where they are going when scooting around,would be sad if they cut themselves.
 
If you're using pre-cycled water (from your pond), I would strain it to remove any sort of bugs or anything, and put it in, and let it run with the filter for a few days. This should be enough to get a good cycle going. If you have any rocks or ornaments from the pond that you could put in, that would be great.

In a 15 gal tank, I would only put one adult. You could put 2 in a 20 gallon tank.

Temps in the high 60's are perfect!

I don't know about the filter, but if none of the plants move, it sounds okay. The thing to note is if your axolotls gills sway in the water when they're just sitting still, your current is too high.
 
Thanks all! I'll wait two weeks before getting my axies - and yes, everything is pretty well rounded off. The gravel me be a little on the small end - most pebbles are around the size of filled out dimes (the currency) - which is bigger than the axies heads are right now.
 
Rafael - You need to wait until you know your tank is cycled before you buy axolotls. Unless you have some where else to keep them.

Please read this article http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml
on tank cycling. You can google many more articles if you need more information. It may take 30+ days to finish and be safe for your axolotls. (even with the seed start from the pond)

I would suggest you buy a test kit that will let you test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph. Then you will know when your tank has cycled.

I had the large gravel like you have and my axolotls still swallowed it. I traded it out for sand and 3m color quartz.

The temperature looks good.

Is the skull real or decoration?

I too think 1 axolotl would be better than 2 in that size tank. I wouldn't put 2 in a tank unless it was 20 gallon long or bigger.
 
So my tank seems to have developed a thin film of slimy clearish substance of unknown origin. The surface of the water is always constantly moving thanks to a fan and a tiny bit of water pressure from the pump. So it isn't stagnant. I'm wondering if anyone might know what this stuff is. I'm not even sure what the relevant details might be to describe it. I'm not even sure that it isn't just dust - except that the slimy texture seems to suggest otherwise. The stuff appears to almost have roots - thin strands of white hang down from it. It is too clear and minute to photograph.

Anyone have any ideas what it might be and how I should get rid of it?
 
If the surface isn't agitated (by an airstone or a filter) and the surface tension broken, if you have a fan on the water, this will blow significantly more dust across the top of the water than would normally settle onto the water. I suggest an airstone, or skimming on a daily basis.
 
Ok. So I have just tested my tank. It comes up as Temp 71 f (and this has been a relatively hot day), pH 7.0, ammonia .50, nitrate 0, nitrite 0. It has been 2 weeks now since I started cycling it.
In order to get it to make sure there was something for the biofilter to process in the first place I took the unorthodox step of peeing a little in the tank two days ago. And now my results are as stated above. The white stuff on the surface did turn out to be dust - I turned off the fan and closed the tank lid (which resulted in temperatures of 71 f (still ok) but stopped the dust problem.

Is the tank ready for my axolotl?
 
Seems perhaps from reading other people's threads and comments that despite the seeding and plants, my tank may actually just be beginning to cycle. Sigh, I'll just have to be patient and take some more readings. It's so tempting to get an axie tomorrow, but I'd much rather wait a week or two more than have a dead one on my hands.
patience...
 
peeing in the tank?? lol how does that work never heard about that be4?
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ewww... lol... sounds dirty, ive been told its better to use a small fish and then when its ready youre axolotl will eat it, BONUS!!! 2 in 1
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Rafael - Tank cycling can take a long time, one must be patient. I have seen tanks take as long as 50 days.
 
The ammonia level went up to 1.0 today so I think it is in fact just now starting to cycle. Oh well. Like I said, better to wait another week or weeks than to have a dead axie on my hands. I'm turning up the heat on the tank (I read somewhere that cyclinc happens faster in warmer tanks). Thanks everyone for your comments! They have been very helpful, especially in keeping me patient!
 
About the peeing, well that's what you put the fish in the tank to do, so I figured rather than subject small fish to that (and how much ammonia can those little things produce anyways?) I'd supply some ammonia...
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yeh you have a point their.

also in australia you can buy a special bottle of liquid to speeden up the cycling process a little. but you still have to cycle. in australia it costs aprox $5 (in the cheaper shops) and about $8( more expensive shops) my dad used it for his fish tank and it helped
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Thanks everybody for your comments. Unfortunately, my wife closed the window in the room I was hoping to keep the axolotls in and the temperature started to stay regularly in the 74 degree f range. I thought that was a bad idea to keep axolotls at that temperature so instead I got a school of zebra danios and green corydoras. But I did get axolotls. I put them in my pond which has been running for several months now - more on that elsewhere. Thanks again!
 
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