Soon-to-be new axie owner. Advice plz!

[SneakyBeast420]

Okay so I'm getting an axie in a couple of weeks and I had some questions. I've been really trying to do my research before I aquire my beast and have started setting up and priming my tank. One issue I'm having though is that the filter the pet store recommended to me (Penguin Bio Wheel 100 - it's a 10-gal tank) is creating far more water movement than I would think one would like. I'm trying to think of ways to buffer it, but the way the output flows makes it hard to do much with it. Should I return this one before it gets actually used or is there a way to make it work?

 

[Star]

You could always get a spray bar if there is no way to turn it down or angle it against the side of the tank and see if that helps

 

[Kaysie]

I built a dispersion 'table' out of legos for my penguin. You could try putting it on the side of the tank instead of in the middle, but this can create a 'dead zone' on the other end.

With a 10 gallon tank, you're going to have a hard time doing much, and it's a bit on the small side for one adult axolotl. You might want to think about upgrading to a 20 gallon-long. It's a little easier to manage water quality, and it gives you a lot more room to create hides and habitat for your little friend.

 

[SneakyBeast420]

I thought about that, but since it comes out like a waterfall, I'm not certain how a spray bar would fix onto the filter. I thought about duct-taping a CD case cover under the output to make it buffer onto the glass, but unfortunately there's not much room on the appliance to tape it to.

Another question I had was as far as substrate, when I get mine it'll be a juvie. I know a lot of people say don't use a substrate until they're older, but if I want to use plants and things to buffer the output of the filter, would it be okay to use sand or is it just too messy when they're wittle?

Here's a picture of the filter.

 

[SneakyBeast420]

I planned on upgrading in the future, I was quite lucky and was given an extra 10-gal (as I used the one I had as a snake feeding tank, so I was able to replace that one) and am working with what I got for now. I REALLY like the Lego idea, I always look for excuses to play with Legos.

I'll have to play around with some stuff and see what works.

 

[laalflaach]

Maybe create some sort of platform that the waterfall could pour onto, possibly some sort of stone structure? maybe like a stone wall type thing? I have a structure made from slate, almost a kind of bridge thing, not for dispersing the flow, but it would work if built high enough, and if you got some moss or ferns to grow on the stones it would look even more natural.

 

[Kaysie]

Filling the tank up to the bottom of the filter will help too.

 

[SneakyBeast420]

I filled the tank up more and it helped, now my next step is an amazing Lego axie utopia. Thanks for all of the advice, guys!

 

[ax]

Think there was a thread a while back about this, you can get a big coke bottle, cut id vertically and secure it over th output so it buffers the waterfall, hope i explained that ok