Question: Water Depth and New Filter?

[Petersgirl]

Hey all, hope you're doing okay!

So the situation is this. I had to replace my PF1 Filter because it kept jamming (I suspect the motor inside is on its way out) and thought I may as well invest in a PF3, which is designed for the gallon measurement of my tank (I also have a PF Mini and do regular maintenance - weekly washing of the filter sponges in tank water, daily poop cleans and weekly water changes and tests).

The issue is that the new PF3 (which looks like this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Interpet-Water-Filter-Litres-Hour/dp/B001BXC3U0) is actually quite tall. Now, my tank is 17 inches tall not including the hood, and my axolotls are 7 and 8 inches respectively. I've had to fill the water to 13 inches to stop the filter running dry and account for the evaporation that my fans do.

I was just wondering...


1) Is the water depth too much for my axolotls? Will they struggle to get to the top for air, and what will happen if they can't get air? Is this something I should be thinking about?
2) I couldn't put my old filter media inside the canisters as it didn't fit. Luckily my old PF Mini is loaded with bacteria, I've added Stress Zyme to be safe and my substrate is slate, so lots of surface area for bacteria, especially given that we have a total of 7 hides! (I have 3 slate houses, 2 of which have 2 little caves in them). Should this keep my cycle running okay?
3) The man in the shop said I could lay the filter sideways which would negate me needing to fill it so much. Is this safe? Has anyone else ever done this?
4) And...final question! Atm I am filling my tank after water changes with bottles of water, but it takes forever and means I can only actually age half the water in advance. I can't use our bucket because it's had chemicals and poorly fish in it so we can only pour water into it, not out of it into the tank. Are there any really large bottles or buckets available for this sort of thing?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Petersgirl]

Okay, so in a way I've answered my own question but I found 25 litre water containers on Amazon for £5 each to solve my water problem and have seen both my babies swim to the top for air and they don't seem to be having problems at all...also apparently it isn't a good idea to put certain filters on their side, and my axolotls seem to be fine with all the extra room, plus soon I will have 100 litres of water (my tank is 123 litres total) waiting to fill it up with the arrival of those 4 25 litre containers...

So, thread closed! Sorry guys Should have looked first!

 

[layna]

Haha i know youve answered your own questions but just to add to it, water depth should be at least twice the height of your axie, barring when they are babies and dont have legs yet
I have two buckets, one for taking water out and one for ageing my water i find this helps with ease of water changes.
And as for changing your filter media, i just put my new stuff in my filter then leave the old sponges next to the filter, in the tank, for a day of two, then remove it from the tank altogether.

 

[Petersgirl]

Thanks Layna! Great suggestions! I would give you more rep but apparently I can't because I gave you some recently for another thread..

Ooh, just one more question. I fitted some blue and teal LED lights to my tank so that I can see them at night without having to turn the main light on, which they hate. The blue lights don't seem to bother them at all - they can often be seen resting right in their glow. Do blue lights bother them the way fluorescent lights do? I don't want to use them if it'll bother them long term, but they seem okay...

 

[layna]

Oh ahah well thanks for trying with the rep
Axies dont generally like any light, but if it not constant all day then i suppose its okay, just make sure they have a hide to go into if they dont like the led lights and maybe some floating plants to break the lights up a bit
I guess its a bit like sitting in the glaring sun all day without sunglasses, you just wish for a bit of cloud or a tree to hide under hehe

 

[Petersgirl]

Thanks Layna, the lights go on for a few hours at night and I turn them off when we go to sleep. During the day they (and their plants) get natural daylight. They've also got a selection of 7 hides to go into when they've had enough of the light so hopefully they're okay

I could also do with some more floating plants...all my Mini Water Lettuce died! >.< Bad
water gardener!