Tank setup help........ pleeaaaassssseeeeee

Wow nice info I was also unaware that ammonia can show up in untreated water very interesting to know!

Yeah just get sand and throw it in when your mums not lookin hehe!
To clean I just used a couple of buckets of water and just kept swapping the sand over pouring it into the other bucket and refilling the empty one with clean water then kept swapping buckets and refilling until the water stayed clear! You will inevitably run into problems with stones like that even if too big to swallow with 3 axies on the go and all the food and poo will get trapped between the stones it can get nasty pretty quick, cant imagine your gonna want to be taking out millions of stones every time you clean em out, Anyways you know what to do ;), and your asking all the right questions! im so pleased you are finding out everything you need to know and getting everyting perfect for when your little ones move in!

Nice one!!
 
I know but its cheaper online im on a tight budget and thats when my dads getting paid hes getting that for me as i borrowed him some money and hes buying the testkit in return. And im getting the other stuff then as my brother has some more money of mine and should be giving it back to me on saturday (hopfully)... I just told the women i will let you know when im coming to pick them up so she dosnt actually know yet so im trying to get it all done as quickly as possible... And are you sure they will be ok with the 20% daily water changes... :confused:
 
20% daily is a guidline, you will have to test your water every day and change based on the readings you have a 3footer so I am guissing about 200litre? you should have a week or so grace as the ammonia will be quiet diluted, I have a tank slightly larger than yours it took me 10days to get a reading and then my cycle was finished in 3weeks, although a cycle can take 2months! It is recommended to have a tank cycled before you add live stock. I have only cycled 2 tanks both with axolotl, It is quiet a chore testing water and changing water every night but it is what you need to do if you don't want to be a murderer!

The cycle will cause stress, how much is down to you, being from London and a member of these forums you will not have any bother finding some Axolotl. I get the impression you are scared if you pass up on these you will not get another chance that is not the fact if you fully cycle your tank there will be axies available to you.

In my opinion I would prefer now, and although I did buy axolotl from a shop would always recommend buying from a user on these forums or off Exotic Pets - Amphibian, Reptile and Invert UK exotic pet shop, as you know they have had proper care and a great start in life.

You can cycle with them in just as long as you know you will have to set aside a little time everyday to so everything, which does become easier when you have a routine
 
Im not sure how many litres it is but i will measure the tank again as i didnt do it very accuratly before maybe i did maybe i didnt but i will again as im not sure but i dont think its 200 lirtes... And its not that i dont think i will find them its just that i have asked this women to hold them for me and feel i will be messing her about even more and that which i dont like doing... When i get the water conditioner should i change all of the water to get rid of the ammonia caused by the chlorine and then what?... I know quite alot about the women im getting them off of and the up keep of her axolotls she sounds very reliable and a good owner and have met some of the axolotls she has sold in the past so i am confident in getting them off of her... As for testing and changing the water i have no problem doing this as i break up from college so will have alot of time on my hands plus im use to working and looking after animals in general so im a hard worker... Iv also waited along time for this so i would put in 100% into keeping them alive and healthy :happy:... And with your help aswell im hoping i can do this...
 
I was only suggesting as it seemed you were worried that you had to get these now that is all.

Well I think you are going to have to change most water before you put them in. purely to get the ammonia and nitrite down, with my first tank I did same as you just put tap water in and let it crack on, it was not until a week later when I joined these forums and learned about cycle and chlorine etc. I had a torrid time with my cycle.

In my opinion you should do a 100% change with de-chlorinated water, and then allow the bacteria to colonize.

I was not suggesting you could not handle the responsibiltiy, I am sorry I seem to offend a lot of people on here! just wanted you to know you will have a solid commitment for up to 2 months from now.

By all means get the Axolotl now it is not a problem...You know if you get REALLY stuck I am just down the road (I hope you are over 18 or the police may come knocking!), Do you have to travel far for them?
 
no no no dont worry you didnt offend me at all lol, im glad im learning about this all now before i actually get them and i will change 100% of the water :D. I was just saying about me being able to do the water changes as im up for it so with the advice and help if i keep up with the water changes and they will be ok then i think i will be ready for them once i get the test kit.. So dont worry you didnt offend me and im very greatful :D... im 17 so if i get really stuck i will ask my mum if i can get your help LOL... And im going to be traveling to eltham to get them so not far and it will be by car...
 
The cycle on my large tank was really easy I only had to change water every 2 days...I just tried to keep ammonia and nitrite at or bellow .25 that was just the guideline I gave myself.

The plants will help with the cycle and I find my Axolotl much prefer them to plastic plants, but is not essential
 
Do you know if your tank is 36"x18x18 or 36x18x15...the rough capacity of yourtank filled to the brim will be about 175-200litre.

I have a 40x20x20 although I only have it filled to 150litres
 
Ok thanks, when i get the declorinator i will empty 100% of my tank and will feel it back up with treated water to get rid of the ammonia and that caused by the chlrine and then do i need to add a source of ammonia... But when i have my test kit i will test it and post what i got and see how it goes from there :happy:...
 
I'm not sure really it depends how long until you are going to get them, if it a few days dont bother because you will just put ammonia in the tank and have to get rid of it before they go in

It might be better to just let the equipment run make sure water flow and temperature are ok etc, than when they go in they will have a few days to relax and get used to there new home before ammonia starts to read
 
Ok when i get all of the equitment and that i will give you a ruff time of when i will be getting them... and i will get some more measurments... oh and will put the sand in when shes not looking Ed lol thanks But until then...
 
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Hi, so i just accuratly mesured my tank and it was 31"x 17x14 which is about 120 litres so im definatly not getting three... and should i empty the tank and put the sand in or should i just put the sand in once i have cleaned it and that....
 
Yeah good job you did not decide on three, it seems many people don't measure there tanks. I would even say you might want to upgrade in the future even for two....but the tank you have is not too small so is nothing that need attention just a thaught.

I think putting sand in when empty or mostly empty is easiest, although I would prefer for you to know the levels first, although the pet shop said your levels are high it kind of depends how high if changing water is needed. even though you did not treat the water it is not bad as there are no axolotl and the fact you have ammonia means some bacteria is growing but if you have too much the bacteria will not be able to grow quick enough.

Do you have a set date when you are getting them, if you have a few more days I would say drain the water put sand in and then put water back after you have treated it, but if your getting them today or tomorrow change the water so you KNOW the levels are okay.
 
ok cool there only small atm so i will look at upgrading in the future there are some big tanks on ebay for a good price, but we will see when it comes to it :D... Well i finish college on friday so that i have a lot of time for them... so i would want to get them on friday or on saturday at least as i want the test kit first....
 
Ok so getting all of the stuff is taking longer than i thought to get (Parents and siblings stole all of my money waiting for return :mad: lol) But anyways i got an email today and i have seen the axolotls and fallen in love with them... However i need to pick them up asap but i still havnt got my tank sorted out (due to not getting my money back yet and last week to finish my assignments for college)... Anyways i was thinking can i keep them in a large container with some declorinated water some oxygen and do 100% water changes daily to keep them happy... They are only 4-5cm so still very small... but its the bottom of a rat cage which is very large and clean but its metal but white paint like a care... lol i dont know how to describe it to give you a clear picture so dont know if it will be ok as im not sure if it will rust or not... or i have another plastic container (can't find right now) but its alot lot smaller not quite how big.... Would any of these be ok i dont know what to do.... :(:confused: Sorry i keep asking questions but no one in my house will help...
 
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When they are that small you can keep them in pretty much anything that is clean and holds water.
 
Ok thanks, its to house 2 of them will they be ok in a small container well its more like a tank i cant explain it lol i cant put any pictures up yet but hopfully soon, but they wont eat each other will they :confused: and what would you recommend the minimal size just so i know im safe...
 
I would prefer to keep them seperate in tubs but I dont think it is an issue....they will have buckets large enough in lewisham poundshop....
 
I have 2 orange buckets from b&q that i was going to use for water changes are these big enough.... so dod you think they will be ok if i doo 100% water change.... and if so how do i do this with out creating stress for the axolotls... Sorry again for all the questions lol... Thank youuuuuuuuuu
 
Well I will give you advice on that...although it is more do as I say not as I do because I am terrible at transporting them no matter what I try I always end up chasing them with the net.

You could just try to coax them into a jug or tub(I failed at this)
you could try to coax them into a net (I failed at this)
you can try softly handling them by raising your hand from underneath them (I failed at this)

what ever you do be calm and patient as soon as you scare one you will have a job 'catching her'.

My two were living in tubs for a few weeks...I had four identical tubs so I could maintain temperature when changing them. (water from the tap in my house is alot colder than the water was after a day).

however with your ones being so small I am not quiet sure, a lot of people on hear have dealt with fry hopefully one of them will read this.

You are going to have so much fun with the little guys, my youngest Leeroy was 2.5cm when I got him on April 14th he is now 5 inches they grow in front of your eyes
 
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