Some early issues.

[jhonny]

Hi.

i'm new to axies.. and have been busy with my tank setup for quite a few days already.
though i think i made a big mistake already.
i thought the gravel would be bad, so i went ahead and bought 11 bags of black pebbles.. at €5 per bag, i'm not really happy to read that its bad for my axies.. cant i just cover it now with gravel?
in total i already spent about €300 tank included.
also, i have little to no experience with axies.. so before i put them in, please help by giving some numbers.
what are the water value's i'm looking for in my tank? and also will 15°C be good for them?
the tank also came with a very good filter.. but i fear its a little TO good.. as the water is thrusting back out! i know they dont like moving water.. how can i suppress this? could diverting it to a bubble screen or using a piece of tubing with allot of holes, and therefore releasing the water on a bigger surface help?
how do i anker my plants? i read my axies will like to digg them up..

i guess i could scout the web for answers, but my experience tells me, every site i find is different, and gives other information. so i thought it would be easier to ask experienced people here.. and get one straight answer.

thanks in advance

edit: any further info about starting my tank is more then welcome

 

[carsona246]

How large are those pebbles? Gravel won't be any good either because they will be able to swallow the pebbles. Sand or barebottom is the best substrate for your axies. You want 0 ammonia/nitrite and less than 40 ppm's of nitrate.
Using tubing with a lot of holes will help with the flow, that's what I do with my canister filter for my axie tank.

 

[Kaysie]

Have a read through the Axolotl Site. It should get you started, at least.

11 bags of gravel seems outrageously excessive. You only need the thinnest layer of substrate, and like Carson said, sand or nothing at all is best. Gravel and pebbles, unless they are literally larger than your axolotl's head (keeping in mind that their adult size can be 20+cm). Even if they're bigger than your axolotl's head, pebbles and large river-rock type substrate is a pain in the hind-end to keep clean. You need to shift it and siphon off mulm almost daily.

 

[jhonny]

pebbles the size of .. well.. about the same size as a smiley here
which is wrong, so i went to the aquarium shop today, and decided on something else!
expensive as well, but i want to make sure they are happy so..
i bought a black vinyl i will put under the glass. then inside the tank as ground cover i will put slabs of slate stone. keeping in mind to remove sharp edges. will be allot of work. but i took a day of from work tomorrow just for that occasion.
i also bought a piece of tubing that i can connect to a longer tube, which i will pierce.
and because i think building with the stones to make shelters is dangerous.. i bought 2 keramic tree log replicas for them to shelter.
as well as a styrofoam background. and some live plants, which latch themselves on the slates after about 2 weeks. which eliminates the problem of them digging up the plants.

so, even tough i already filled the tank, and decorated it, i will start over tomorrow.
updates will follow. keep the tips coming please!

edit: oh yes, and i bought a set to test my water.
and the nice man in the store told me he would test my water for amonia free of charge whenever i want.