Photo: What do you think of my axolotl's set up?

[Laaine]

So I think he is happy in there, he likes hiding in the leaves. What do you think of it? What would you change?
I want to add some big stones stacked so that they make a cave for him. I was considering sand for the tank but it would just be too hard to keep clean (I use a gravel vacuum to get uneaten food from the bottom and it would suck the sand up) and I think the gravel is large enough that he isn't eating it. Hasn't yet anyways and I have had him for about a month.

His name is King Andy =]
sorry if the links do not work, I tried my best !!

 

[Shizeric]

They do work..but they have to be opened in a new tab.

The plants are fine...but the gravel is not a suitable substrate. The Axolotl can easily swallow it while eating causing impaction and eventual death/severe illness. You can either remove the gravel and keep a bare bottom tank, or switch to sand to keep the plants rooted.

Cute Axolotl though.

 

[femme]

I was considering sand for the tank but it would just be too hard to keep clean (I use a gravel vacuum to get uneaten food from the bottom and it would suck the sand up) and I think the gravel is large enough that he isn't eating it. Hasn't yet anyways and I have had him for about a month.

Sand really isnt that hard to keep clean. If you use a syphon with a large opening the sand mostly gets tossed around then settles back down. Some sand gets syphoned out but not a great deal and i just toss it back in.

What worries me is you say he hasnt eaten the gravel yet. Did you know axies are more active at night and unless you are watching him 24 hours a day you cannot be certain he wont eat it. Please, please do yourself and King Andy a favour and get rid of the gravel. My axolotl was kept on gravel before i got him and it was heartbreaking to watch him unable to swim to the surface because he was just too heavy then watching him vomit the gravel out because he was unable to pass it the other way.
If you care for King Andy's well being as much as you seem to then do the best for him and take potential health hazzards out of his way :happy:

I like his plants...My Juan likes to sit on leaves and relax as well

 

[iChris]

great looking setup, but, get rid of that gravel. your axolotl will eat it.

 

[Crysta]

Gravel with axolotls is one of my worst pet peeves.

from caudata culture: (full article)

Not being used to small gravel in their natural habitat, substrate should consist of either sand or pebbles/gravel that is too large to swallow. Axolotls feed by evacuating their mouths of water, then suddenly opening them very wide, thus causing anything in the immediate vicinity to enter, be it food or substrate, so it's important to bear this in mind.

Gravel is in no way ever easier to clean that sand, you may find it looks cleaner in the short term, but this is because the dirt and debris gets stuck underneath the gravel, and it WILL give you bad water quality problems, if not completely cleaned every week (and you'll need to do more than vacuum it for that)

But seriously, that gravel needs to go before your axolotl stops eating, and you start panicking. it could cause some major impaction problems. If he has swallowed some then it looks around about a good size to pass through him, but he may need the help of a fridge.

having him on bare bottom for now, until you can find a more suitable substrate, will probably be the best thing for him, you will probably also find some of those stone popping back up, because they were hiding out inside his belly.

the plants are lovely, and your axie is gorgeous, just know that here on this site, for as long as you keep that gravel, there will be lots of member egging you to change it x)

If you want a cave for him, [and he'll love one] then a plant pot (the heavy kind usually browny-red coloured] will do very nicely. also any big fish style decoration which has large holes. if you want to stack stones, might I suggest using aquarium glue to keep them all together how you want them, it's very safe.

 

[lorraine]

I had gravel in my tank untill about 5 minutes ago, the gravel was larger then what you have and I saw Mrs Stimpy spitting bits out of her mouth. So I have emptied all the gravel out and replaced with Tiles as they were what I could get my hands on the quickest. I have to be honest and say Mr Stimpy has been on Gravel since I got him and changing from gravel to tile has been on my list of jobs for a while. My tank looks much cleaner and fresher and hopefully the filter wont have such a hard job now as muck wont get sucked in and underneath.

 

[Laaine]

Alright I will switch to sand this weekend !!! I want to get everything I need before I start changing things around so that I only need to move King out once. It is such a big task but I am willing to do it if it saves his life in the long run !! I would never forgive myself if he died =[ especially since they are so hard to come by. How old would you say my axolotl is? The store classified him as an "adult" but they said he gets bigger.

 

[Shizeric]

He's definitely not full-grown, I would classify him as "sub-adult"...probably 6-9 mos. old...he will get bigger.

 

[Kaysie]

I agree with Eric. It's probably just a couple months old. They can get up to 12 inches long, although 8 inches is about average.

 

[femme]

don't forget to post pics of his new home