Photo: Right here is my tank from when it started to date

[harry7890]

Here we go

and now

my water is a little cloudy, mind you i will get it down if i keep doing a pint out every day
and it may settle over night.

 

[tomkeogh]

Looking good big guy! did you rinse the sand first? have you got a thermometer yet?

 

[harry7890]

Looking good big guy! did you rinse the sand first? have you got a thermometer yet?

i rinsed the sand thoroughly in a bucket and the water i was poaring off looked clean so i did it once more just to check and it turns out i cant have done one of my buckets enough so it is a bit cloudy , so i will have to see if it gets clearer by morning , it should do , hopefully

and nope no thermometer yet , i will get one at the weekend or get my dad to drop me off at wilco this week , but i was feeding them by hand and now my hand feels like i have just had it in the freezer for half an hour so it is cold .and my plants should be here this week too , so i will be updating

 

[tomkeogh]

That is good that your hand was freezing, but I will say my tank water felt freezing when I fed today and my temp is 18degree, I know I keep repeating I just want you to know how important a piece of kit it is. Have you been testing the water levels before you change water?

Also don't worry about the sand it will settle, I know pet shops sell water clarifiers I don't know if they work though

 

[tomkeogh]

In the picture were he is sticking out the tube his gills look like they have grown, what do you think?

Also when you look at there gills do there stems have shiny bits or yellow spots on skin? I am asking because I think they are melanoid and as I understand it they are quiet rare in England

 

[daniellog]

Looks good! Although your filter looks a bit small, what filter is it?

 

[CherryBlossom]

looking good harry

 

[tomkeogh]

That filter is the same size as one I have (in dimensions I mean) my filter is capable of 60litres and Harrys tank is 80litres I believe, I understand it is a good idea to underpower filters for axolotl, both my tanks use filters that are slightly under powered so I think the filter is fine

 

[Azhael]

One small concern Harry, how deep is the layer of sand?
When the sand is deeper than an inch, water flow inside the layer becomes inexistent, and bacteria quickly use all the oxygen. In time, this causes anaerobic pockets to appear, and then anaerobic bacteria con grow on them, decomposing waste and creating dangerous gases. This can really affect the quality of the water and cause severe problems if not controlled.
Using a layer no deeper than an inch is one way to avoid this. Alternatively you can move around all the sand periodically, but i´m afraid it would cause clouding of the water.

Consider this, since a little change can spare you quite a bit of trouble.

 

[harry7890]

In the picture were he is sticking out the tube his gills look like they have grown, what do you think?

Also when you look at there gills do there stems have shiny bits or yellow spots on skin? I am asking because I think they are melanoid and as I understand it they are quiet rare in England

yea i thought that , i don't know if they are melanoid , what am I looking out for shiny bits and yellow spots , oohhh one of them has 2 yellow spots , is this melanoid?i will go upstairs and have a look and confirm

Looks good! Although your filter looks a bit small, what filter is it?

i was thinking of getting an external filter , or wouldn't you bother

 

[tomkeogh]

External filters are great.. a little expensive but if you can get one yeah.

if they have reflective or shiny gill branches they are wild type, but if they are not they are melanoid, I understand melanoids sometimes have some yellow spots I think the shiny gills are the giveaway

 

[harry7890]

External filters are great.. a little expensive but if you can get one yeah.

if they have reflective or shiny gill branches they are wild type, but if they are not they are melanoid, I understand melanoids sometimes have some yellow spots I think the shiny gills are the giveaway

its gills are not shiny but it does have yellow spots so is it a melanoid

 

[tomkeogh]

Thats great I know dan has been looking for a melanoid for ages. if they every have babies ill buy one off you!

I like the way your tank started as a sink!

Remember when you get your plants tomorrow not to crowed the tank too much try and bunch a few plants in a couple corners so they have another dark place to hide, you might not see it because they are more active at night but they do walk about a bit.

 

[harry7890]

can i ask , how do i go about breeding them , and what time of year do they like to breed :smile:

 

[tomkeogh]

I dont know anything on that subject, I Believe it is most common to breed in winter and spring, I also think there is no full proof way to initiate breeding.

You have enough on your plate anyway!

 

[harry7890]

I dont know anything on that subject, I Believe it is most common to breed in winter and spring, I also think there is no full proof way to initiate breeding.

You have enough on your plate anyway!

yea i kno , it is just for future referance

 

[tomkeogh]

The best way to go is just wait see if it happens you may have two males or two females

 

[harry7890]

The best way to go is just wait see if it happens you may have two males or two females

i have a male and a female , as one of them has a rather large set of "balls"

 

[tomkeogh]

i have a male and a female , as one of them has a rather large set of "balls"

You just made me laugh like a drunk schoolgirl!

There is also the possibilty she will reject him!

 

[jclee]

The tank's really coming along!

I don't know if the UK has an equivalent of craigslist, but I've seen loads of postings for second-hand filters there. There might even be forum members in the UK who are selling of their old hang-off-the-back (HOB) filters who could cut you a good price if money's a concern.

I have a couple of filters like the one you're using, and they're really not equipped to handle more than five gallons of water at a time. If you're pressed to keep using it until you get the funds set up, you could probably do more intensive water changes more frequently for a little while.