Upgrading my set up.

[mimozine]

Hi guys. I got 3 axies before last Christmas and have been keeping them quite happily in a 3 foot bow fronted tank, but the time has come to give them more room. So I have bought a 57" tank on ebay. Anything I need to be aware of for a setup this big? could I get another axie in with them? I can't get a bigger tank so need to be sure before I do that this tank will be large enough.
I was thinking of basing in sand as I have in the other tank and using natural rocks for shelter. I have had problems keeping plants alive in other tanks however, any ideas why?
Also this new tank came with an eheim wet dry external filter. Is it any good for the job? It has three large trays inside for filter media but these are sadly empty. What should I fill them with?
Any and all input welcome guys as this is a big project, as you can imagine and I want to get it right.

Thanks for reading.:smile:

 

[Kerry1968]

Lucky axolotls is what I say!

I'm not sure about how many you could keep in a tank that size, but I would've thought 4 would fit comfortably.

I'm not good with plants either, the ones others say are easy to keep I still manage to kill off! Perhaps someone with a bit more success with plants will be able to advise.

I've not heard of a wet dry filter, I have an external canister filter though and inside mine are three baskets, one has a sponge in, one has like a cotton wool like pad and the third I have put small gravel in (it is supposed to be those ceramic tube things, but I figured I'd use the gravel as I had some already and it seems to do the trick.)

Good luck with setting it all up. Don't forget the photos!

 

[blueberlin]

Filter: I haven't heard of a "wet dry" filter either. If you go to Eheim's website, though, and click to products, you can find out what all goes inside of the filter. My Eheim external also has three baskets. In addition to the coarse blue mat and the white cottony pad, it holds little ceramic "tubes" (they look sort of like beads or short macaroni noodles) and little ceramic balls.

Plants: The problem is most likey the selection of plant types. I don't know what sort of plants you have but I would reckon 99% sure that the temps are too low in your tank. Most plants are tropical and need much warmer water than what you get in the axolotls' coldwater tank.

The next culprit will be light requirements. Many plants require much more light than you want in an axolotl tank. I have found a comprimise between plant and axolotl needs by having a light suspended over the tank (not mounted directly into a lid) that shines 4 hours a day in the midle of the day, whith plenty of long hides for the axolotls.

Next, some plants simply require fertilizers (mainly iron) that you can't add to an axolotl tank. These plants just sort of dissolve away.

You can search this forum for "plants" and get lots of tips on plants that will survive and even thrive in the cold, darkish axolotl aquarium. Anubias, Java fern and moss, and many other mosses do well and are quite pretty. There are more, just give the forum a quick search.

Tank size: The new tank should be big enough for 4 axolotls, but maybe you could also just put the three you have into it and see how that goes, then judge for yourself if another would fit in.

-Eva

 

[mimozine]

Thanks for the input guys and gals. I have been looking up wet dry filters as they seem to be a rarity. Apparently they filter the water then drain to allow air to get to the medium, which they reckon speeds up the removal of ammonia etc by up to 60%. Managed to order the proper eheim medium for it but I couldn't believe what they charge for this stuff.
Do you guys think it would be a good idea to re apply the silicon to the tank? It looks quite old. Is it easy to remove or can you apply on top of old?
I will definitely be looking up plants as many have dissolved as you say, even though the guys in the shop swear they can live in cold water. You guys ever had a problem with masses of snails being brought in with plants? As every time I get some new ones a hoard of tiny snails appear in a week or so. Also am I right in thinking snails should not be kept with axies?
Thanks for everything guys....

 

[blueberlin]

Except for the foam pads, you can use the filter medium forever and ever. Ok, I've only had an aquarium for about 2 years so I can't really speak about "forever", but still. You just need to rinse the stuff out sometimes, maybe three, four times a year. So it isn't that expensive in the long run. (This is my attempt to cheer you up.)

I can't give an answer about the silicone because I've never done it before, but if you search the (entire) forum for "silicone" you will find loads of tips.

The plants might not be getting enough light, but I would rather suspect that the main issue is that they do not get fertilizer - although a fertilizer may be safe for fish, you can't add it to an axolotl tank as amphibians breathe through their skin. Some plants need more nutrients than they can get from axolotl poop.

As to snails: When you buy a new plant, you should first take off any kind of ring (they are often made of deadly lead, yuck) or pot as well as any matting around the roots. Rinse the plants well, then put them into a bucket and fill the bucket with water. Dump and refill the water every day. Let the plants "soak" like this for at least 3 days. This is mainly to get rid of any fertilizer residue. Along this process, you may be able to see and remove any snails. Snail eggs can be hard to spot if they aren't on the aquarium glass, but you may find them on the undersides of leaves, too.

To answer your question, though - no, it isn't bad to have snails with axolotls. I actually wind up begging for or even purchasing snails for my tanks because the snails eat the algae, but the axolotls eat the snails.

-Eva