House plants safe for Axolotl?

[tumptyteapot]

Hiya. I'm just setting up a planted tank for 2 Axolotl. The plants are floating on the top or in pots and weighted down. There is no substrate. I've got an upturned plant pot with a hole in the side as a hide and I'd like to grow something on top of that - another pot with some house plant that likes having it's feet in water.
Is there anything I should avoid? I don't want to poison them! I like umbrella plants and I've never been able to grow them, or pitcher plants, would they be ok?

I'm sure this has been talked about on here before but I couldn't find a thread. Sorry if it duplicates.

[tumptyteapot]

it's looking like this, the upturned pot I want to put a house plant on is on the left.

[ilomilo]

I can't answer your plant question, but I can tell you your setup is looking nice. My only suggestion would be to substantially raise the water level - smaller amounts of water are harder to regulate in terms of Ph and temperature. And with two axies in one tank, you're definitely going to want all of the 'wiggle room' that you can get, and you'll get it with more water.

[tumptyteapot]

Originally Posted by ilomilo

My only suggestion would be to substantially raise the water level - smaller amounts of water are harder to regulate in terms of Ph and temperature.

Thank you, will do! It's a bit of a weird dimensioned tank, very tall for it's width so it's no bother to add more water. I'm really enjoying fiddling around with it!

[ilomilo]

Awesome. If your axies are anything like mine, they'll definitely utilize any space you give them. We had their tank only half full for the first couple of weeks, but now it's just a couple of inches shy of being topped off, and they love it. More room for swimming laps, moon jumps, and just floating around. :)

As for the fun of setting up and modifying a tank...I can relate. we have our two juvies in a ten gallon with one plant right now, but we have a 40 gallon breeder we bought a couple of weeks ago that I just can't wait to get planted and set up. It's a lot of fun.

[tumptyteapot]

Originally Posted by ilomilo

Awesome. If your axies are anything like mine, they'll definitely utilize any space you give them. We had their tank only half full for the first couple of weeks, but now it's just a couple of inches shy of being topped off, and they love it. More room for swimming laps, moon jumps, and just floating around. :)

As for the fun of setting up and modifying a tank...I can relate. we have our two juvies in a ten gallon with one plant right now, but we have a 40 gallon breeder we bought a couple of weeks ago that I just can't wait to get planted and set up. It's a lot of fun.

Thank you! I have to google moon jumps now but I can imagine! I've just made a bit more floor space for them as I've read that they don't much like swimming around - yours must be really happy!
I'm enjoying setting the tank up in the same way I used to really like dolls houses when I was little, I'm loving trying to think about it from their point of view, what they might like etc.

[ilomilo]

Yeah, it's a lot like painting for me. Or the planning stages of painting I guess. Just trying to plan things out and make them not only pleasing to the eye [both human and axolotl] but functional, natural, and providing at least some level of environmental enrichment for the little beasts. I know a lot of people feel like "they're just axolotls, who cares" but any animal with this much personality deserves as much as I can possibly give.

I've also read that axolotls are rather sedentary animals, but mine have their active points throughout the day. I also chalk this up to them being fairly young, though. The 'moon jumps' are what my wife and I call it when they go from sitting still to suddenly hopping straight up into the 'air' and floating slowly back down a few inches away from where they started.

[tumptyteapot]

Originally Posted by ilomilo

The 'moon jumps' are what my wife and I call it when they go from sitting still to suddenly hopping straight up into the 'air' and floating slowly back down a few inches away from where they started.

That is pretty much how I imagined them to be Do you have a top to your tank? Should I be worried that they could leap out if the water is higher?

[ilomilo]

I've read a lot of talk about them making leaps straight out of the tank, but ours have never tried. But I guess that's just it, isn't it? They're in the tank until they're not. So better safe than sorry. We have a hood on ours.

Totally unrelated, but I had an Oscar when I was a kid that started jumping out of his aquarium when he was a baby in a 30 gallon, and when he was nice and big and living in an 80, he would still jump out...And knock the hood off of the tank in the process. Luckily most axolotls probably won't be big/heavy enough to knock the hood off of an aquarium.

[Chris]

keep in mind that axies don't like too much light so this may limit your choice of plants.

I grow peace lilies in the tricke filter that's bult into the hood of my tank. you can also grow pothos/devil's ivy vines too with their roots submerged. I haven't tried pothos myself though.

I tried growing a dwarf papyrus too but it didn't do too well in low light.

[tumptyteapot]

Originally Posted by iChris

keep in mind that axies don't like too much light so this may limit your choice of plants.

I grow peace lilies in the tricke filter that's bult into the hood of my tank. you can also grow pothos/devil's ivy vines too with their roots submerged. I haven't tried pothos myself though.

I tried growing a dwarf papyrus too but it didn't do too well in low light.

I'm hoping that the floating plants will take over and provide a lot of shade underneath - I've got 3 dark hiding places under the water too. I was thinking about peace lilies, they are lovely but I wasn't sure if they were safe, I'll see if I can get a pothos cutting, that would be great.
Thanks again! Your profile pic is beautiful!

[Chris]

thanks.

I've been growing the lilies for about a year now with no ill effects.