Preparing my axolotl tank

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Gim

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Hi, i'm new here just wanted to get some information about how best to set up my new tank. I'm keeping an eye on the for sale section here but if anyone has some juve leuristic axies (pref with no freckles) somewhere close to the Reading area please get in touch.

I want to make sure everything is right before I buy my new baby so sorry for all the following questions.

1) Am I right in getting the washed sand and ornaments etc into the tank and start them running with my fluval 2+ for a couple of weeks.. will this be enough dechlorination on its own or would you still recomend using a store bought chemical? I keep a tropical fish tank which I moved to my new house last weekend and therefore ended up doing a 40% (40ishL) water change on, would adding some of this water to my clean tank help get the chemistry balance right?
2) im actually a water chemistry analyst as a job so have good access to testing facilities. are the nutrient analyses i want to run, ammonia as nh3, nitrite as no2 and chloride? is it also a good idea to run a pH analysis?
I will post the results on here to check if they are ok.

3) For those who use a fluval 2+ do you use the carbon sponge as well as the white poly sponges or do you use the fine particle white sponges?

4) In terms of plants is there a good balance between real and fake, do real give much benefit other than water chemistry.

5) In my fish tank I use frozen blood worm blocks (1.5cm squared ish) which at the moment I just drop a whole block in and the big kissing gourami munches 95% of. What is a good meal portion for 1 axolotl, also I find that the worm blocks float for 5 or so mins in the fish tank, how does everyone else get round this to avoid mess?


Thanks so much for any help you can give I will post pictures etc when my sand arrives this week and i get the tank cycling :)

Gemma
 
Sounds to me like everything seems good.
I feed my axies in a seperate bowl, because I use frozen blood worms blocks but they make a mess and the axies like their food to move so in a bowl I can wiggle them better so that they get eaten. Then I just put them back in about 5 when their done. 2-3 times a week. I just find it easier that way I'm not trying to get all the little bloodworm pieces out of the big tank. But I use large rocks, it's probably easier with sand. As for stressing them out with handeling them long enough to move to bowl, the first week they were kinda freaked out but they figured out quickly that it just ment lunch time :)
 
nomoremind said:
Sounds to me like everything seems good.
I feed my axies in a seperate bowl, because I use frozen blood worms blocks but they make a mess and the axies like their food to move so in a bowl I can wiggle them better so that they get eaten. Then I just put them back in about 5 when their done. 2-3 times a week. I just find it easier that way I'm not trying to get all the little bloodworm pieces out of the big tank. But I use large rocks, it's probably easier with sand. As for stressing them out with handeling them long enough to move to bowl, the first week they were kinda freaked out but they figured out quickly that it just ment lunch time :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply :)

have you tried to let the worms thaw out in the bowl then put that in, do they stay in place or are they still just as messy? in terms of quantity how much is right for 1 axie every 2 days in terms of bloodworm blocks?
 
Hi Gim,

Gim said:
1) Am I right in getting the washed sand and ornaments etc into the tank and start them running with my fluval 2+ for a couple of weeks.. will this be enough dechlorination on its own or would you still recomend using a store bought chemical?
Click to expand...

If your water board uses only chlorine, this is fine. If your tap water contains chloromine however, then a water conditioner is the only way you can remove this chemical - leaving the water to stand will not work with chloromine.

Gim said:
2) im actually a water chemistry analyst as a job so have good access to testing facilities. are the nutrient analyses i want to run, ammonia as nh3, nitrite as no2 and chloride? is it also a good idea to run a pH analysis?
Click to expand...

Axolotls can tolerate a wide pH range of 6.5 to 8.0. It's wise to monitor the pH levels however, as these levels have an effect on other more essential water parameters such as Ammonia.

Gim said:
3) For those who use a fluval 2+ do you use the carbon sponge as well as the white poly sponges or do you use the fine particle white sponges?
Click to expand...

I used to use the fluval internal canisters. I only used the polyester refills and sponges. Carbon is handy to have in order to assist with chemical filtration, but it is not essential.

Gim said:
4) In terms of plants is there a good balance between real and fake, do real give much benefit other than water chemistry.
Click to expand...

Axolotls love to uproot things. I use silk plants for convenience (and because I have black thumbs ;)).

Both types have advantages and disadvantages.

One of the main disadvantages with live plants is their need for light. Axolotls do not like light (they have no eyelids, so cannot shut it out), so you will either need plants that can thrive in dim conditions, or if you have plants that need a lot of light, you will need to provide sufficient hides for the axolotl, so he or she can get away from the light, when needed.

On the topic of frozen bloodworms...

Frozen bloodworms are very messy, there are no two doubts about just how messy they can be.

Having a sand substrate certainly makes life easier when trying to clean these up.

You may wish to consider using the jar method when feeding frozen bloodworm (ensure jar is large enough to accommodate your axolotl):
  • Fill a jar to the brim with water from the aquarium
  • Pop in the bloodworm cubes, let them thaw and settle to the bottom
  • Ensure jar is full to the brim with water and gently immerse the jar into the aquarium
  • As the jar is full of water there should be no water turbulence to disturb the bloodworm in the bottom of the jar
  • Lay the jar on its side on the tank floor
  • Now that the jar is laying on its side, the bloodworm should now be to the rear of the jar, waiting for an axolotl's discovery.
Position the jar in an 'easy to find and wander in' section of the tank and it shouldn't take long for the nosey axolotl to find the bloodworm in the jar. You can leave the jar there for about an hour or so. The jar method also helps in keeping the tank clean as the bloodworm is kept to a confined space, while the axolotl lunges and munches at it, and this makes for easy removal of leftovers.
 
Havelock said:
Hi Gim,



If your water board uses only chlorine, this is fine. If your tap water contains chloromine however, then a water conditioner is the only way you can remove this chemical - leaving the water to stand will not work with chloromine.



I used to use the fluval internal canisters. I only used the polyester refills and sponges. Carbon is handy to have in order to assist with chemical filtration, but it is not essential.


On the topic of frozen bloodworms...

Frozen bloodworms are very messy, there are no two doubts about just how messy they can be.

Having a sand substrate certainly makes life easier when trying to clean these up.

You may wish to consider using the jar method when feeding frozen bloodworm (ensure jar is large enough to accommodate your axolotl):
  • Fill a jar to the brim with water from the aquarium
  • Pop in the bloodworm cubes, let them thaw and settle to the bottom
  • Ensure jar is full to the brim with water and gently immerse the jar into the aquarium
  • As the jar is full of water there should be no water turbulence to disturb the bloodworm in the bottom of the jar
  • Lay the jar on its side on the tank floor
  • Now that the jar is laying on its side, the bloodworm should now be to the rear of the jar, waiting for an axolotl's discovery.
Position the jar in an 'easy to find and wander in' section of the tank and it shouldn't take long for the nosey axolotl to find the bloodworm in the jar. You can leave the jar there for about an hour or so. The jar method also helps in keeping the tank clean as the bloodworm is kept to a confined space, while the axolotl lunges and munches at it, and this makes for easy removal of leftovers.
Click to expand...

i actually work for the water board so i will investigate this! we dont test for chloromine so i can only assume we dont use it but i will find out.

with internal filters do you use a venturi system to get air bubbles coming out of your filter output or do you just have water pumping out towards the side of the tank?

this jar idea seems great.. i actually have a washed out jar that was heading for the recycling which i will save.


Thanks so much for the help! :)
 
Gim said:
with internal filters do you use a venturi system to get air bubbles coming out of your filter output or do you just have water pumping out towards the side of the tank?
Click to expand...

I'm not too sure what a 'Venturi System' entails, but I'll try to answer...;)

The filter's outtake current can be diffused by using a spray bar (which is just a perferated tube afixed to the filter's outtake nozzle), or placing an obstruction in front of the flow to break the current (large rock, ornament, plants, etc), or by directing the filter's outtake to the tank wall (some filters are adjustable).

I personally think the use of a 'spraybar' is the most effective method for diffusing currents. Spraybars also take up very little to no space in the tank.
 
ok, is this required then if i have my output on the lowest, which effectively shuts off 3/4 of the output nozzle? and would it help if i had the nozzle high in the tank facing the wall of the aquarium?

thanks
 
Gim said:
ok, is this required then if i have my output on the lowest, which effectively shuts off 3/4 of the output nozzle? and would it help if i had the nozzle high in the tank facing the wall of the aquarium?

thanks
Click to expand...

Setting the filter's outtake rate of flow to the lowest setting, and directing the current to the tank wall should be sufficient.
 
I took back the black sand and got some play sand for 1/4 the price and im very glad for it. Here are the pics of the tank so far please feel free to comment... now i just need to find an axie while the tank cycles. :dizzy:

when should i take my first chemistry readings..? The dechlorinator will go in as soon as the sand settles a little later today.
 

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Hi Gim,

Im glad you exchanged the black sand for play sand. Play sand is much more appropriate.

You can basically add the dechlorinator into the tap water directly when you add your water to the tank. There is no necessity to wait it out.

You can perform your water chemistry testing at any time from now. Its good to perform more frequent water testing at the initial stage so you can have a feel of how your tank parameters are going. You can have a notebook beside your tank for records purpose. Once your tank is more settled and established, you can then work around an ideal routine that suits you best to maintain your tank in a good condition.

Cheers.
 
That tank is so cool.

Thanks for making this thread, it is really going to be helpful while i set up mine :D

I've seen your little one, it looks very happy in your tank :)
 
Really daft question...where'd you get your play sand, because I'm fairly sure I don't need 15kgs of it :eek:S
 
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