Noob Advice Requested on Tank Setup

[knyptozoologist]

Hey guys, I'm sure there's 4 billion posts like this (I've seen a few myself), so sorry to contribute, but I'm hoping to get myself some axolotls in the next few months (hopefully sooner, but we shall see!) and just want to make sure what I've done and how I'm planning my set-up is what I should be doing! Especially before I get too far into the process to find I have to start over!

I'm planning to do a 20G Long (30x12x12). I'm also going to buy a screen cover rather than keeping the current aquarium hood after reading about how evaporation can help lower the temperature of a tank and I live in an area where it can get quite warm (as well as on the second floor of an apartment building so moving the tank to a lower area isn't much of an option). I'm also getting rid of the lighting on the tank since the ambient light in the room should be enough to see the little guys without disturbing them.

I was originally going to go for some of the Caribsea sands since they come in nice colors, but I think enough posts about it have convinced me that play sand is MUCH cheaper and works great, so I'll be going with that as soon as I get a chance to find a retailer.

As far as decor, I think I'll be building some caves (or picking up some pre-made reptile ones). As much as I'd LOVE to do live plants, I think I'll stick with plastic for now with some marimo moss balls and maybe upgrade later if I think I can handle it.

The few questions I do have, however....

1) I've read a lot about sponge filters being GREAT for axolotls. I've read around a few places and have heard mixed things about how good they are at actually filtering so I'm not sure if I should stick with the current "waterfall", hang on back filter I have right now (which I plan to place rocks under to disperse the current) or if a sponge filter would be a good alternative.

2) I'd eventually like to get two of them, I'm not sure if it's best to get two at once or get one and wait and segregate them for a time so the bigger one won't nip at the smaller one. I believe the place I'm getting them from sells them about 4-5 inches long. I just want to make sure they aren't going to kill each other and if I do get them at the same time and still have to separate them I can do that as well, I just want to be prepared for that before taking them home.

3) I want to make sure a 20G long will be enough space for two. I work part time at a pet store and have seen the results of people stupidly overcrowding tanks and I want to make sure my guys (even not in a waste sense) aren't overcrowding each other.


I'm sure I'll think of more, sorry for the SUPER long post, I just want to make sure I get started out right before I consider bringing the little guys home!

 

[tigmades]

Hi Knipy! (sorry, name's too long )

1) Sponge filters are fantastic for axolotls. I have 2 rated for 50g tanks in essentially a 46 gal of water (it's 60"x15" footprint though). I've had it with the axolotls in for about 2.5 weeks, doing daily water changes as the tank didn't cycle even with seeding it. In those 2.5 weeks I have noticed that it doesn't do as good a job as HOB filters for collecting filth. Even doing daily WCs I still pick up a decent amount of crud every day, and there's only six ~6" axies in there. But my axolotls have quite fluffy gills, which would change if I switched over to HOB filter (it adds a higher amount of oxygen to the water so the axies wouldn't need as high a surface area to absorb enough). So if you go with HOB, you may be trading off fluffier gills for a cleaner tank (depends how often you clean it, or if you spot clean with a baster).

2) If you can get 2 that are roughly the same size right off the bat, go for it! I guess it depends on what size you get them - if they're over 2.5" then that shouldn't be a problem. I raised mine together in groups and I didn't have any injuries from growing up together, but I always made sure they had food (live black worms - they don't spoil the water nearly as fast as frozen bloodworms). When I placed my six sub adults in the big tank, there was up to 1" difference, but there hasn't been any picking on one another because they can get away from each other if they so choose (mine like to hang out together, though ). So I would suggest getting two that are within 1" size difference (if around the 5" mark).

3) 20g long would be the smallest I would suggest. It's still a decent footprint (30"x12") which is the same as my 29g tall which others said I could have 2, 3 likely being a stretch. But if you happen to get 2 axolotls that grow on the larger side of things (they will be anywhere from 7" to 17" as adults, average being 10-12"), your tank will look really small. If you can afford it, go bigger from the start, because not only will it save you the hassle from potentially transferring them later, the larger volume of water will buffer water parameters - so if something goes wrong it won't be as toxic or threatening as it would with a smaller amount of water. Again, 20g LONG would be the minimum size in my eyes for 2, but depends on how big your axolotls grow. That is, of course, my opinion, and I'm sure others will give theirs :3

Don't apologize for a long post! Asking questions is good - it means you're genuine about wanting to care for your little guys properly! Welcome to the forum

 

[knyptozoologist]

Thanks for the response! I think I'll end up going with the sponge filters then since they seem like they'd be an easier set-up for me and I don't really mind spot-cleaning the waste (I already do that with my betta tank and I think I want to set up a bowl or something to feed my axolotls to make clean-up of food at least easier).

I actually currently have a 29, but wanted to trade it for the 20-long since they have the same footprint and figured the depth didn't matter as much as the foot dimensions, but if the general opinion is that the taller tank would be better, even with a similar footprint then I might just keep it. My main issue with it was that I hadn't originally intended to fill it to the top with water anyway and the HOB filter didn't reach where I planned to fill it to, but if I swap to the sponge filter it eliminates that problem altogether so it wouldn't matter.

Just more to ponder in the weeks ahead as I get my tank set up and await the call that my axies are ready to be picked up >owo<

 

[knyptozoologist]

Ah, another question...

General size of an adult axie's head?

Everything I've read advises against using stones smaller than an adult's head and I realize size can vary, but any general size range so I can pick appropriate decor would help!

 

[tigmades]

I'm not too sure actual head dimensions as the largest I've ever had are 6.5" subadults, but I do know someone's axie has eaten a 2.5" rock before, so play it REAL safe and get rocks that are >4" in at least 1 dimension. If your wondering how big the openings should be, I asked that very same question here! http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...ion/90052-how-wide-do-adult-axolotls-get.html

Take a spin at making a DIY hide - it's fun and MUCH cheaper than buying! Instructions here: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...ion/90052-how-wide-do-adult-axolotls-get.html

Enjoy!

 

[knyptozoologist]

I planned on doing fairly big stones, I just know I saw a few x-rays with axies that had stones that looked too big for their heads so it made me a little extra paranoid (I'd originally planned to do sand with river rocks over top, but the x-rays made me change my mind to only doing sand, yikes ).

I actually really want to make my own hides (I'm super into crafting my own stuff so I was excited to see a few posts on the forums about home-made ones), so thanks for the link! Especially as far as the width sizing as I hadn't even considered that and don't need to get my future babies stuck in anything!