Start Of My Tank!

[argray90]

Just purchased this tank and stand off of Craigslist from a guy who was trying to get out of the fish game and got it for a steal! It is a 55 gallon, 48 1/4 L X 12 3/4 W X 21 H. Everyone says get as big of a floor base as possible so I figured I might as well do it right and get one tank instead of having to upgrade in a few months. I am going to clean the tank (obviously no soap) and cycle the tank before I purchase the axolotls.

Question 1: Will any of these canister filters work? Is one better then the other?

Classic Canister Filter with Media - 2211

H.O.T. Magnum Canister Filter

Classic Canister Filter with Media - 2213

Or do you have any better suggestions?

Question 2: What is the maximum height I should fill the water in the tank?

Question 3: How often do you feed your axolotls? I have heard a lot of 3 times a week, every day, or a lot of random other things.

Question 4: What type of pellets can you feed axolotls? I would only use them once in a blue moon not as a main meal.

Any help would be great thanks!

[Kaysie]

All of these questions have been covered numerous times. A quick 'search' of the forum (located on the uppermost toolbar) will bring you a host of answers.

1.) It's a matter of preference, and what you can afford. I like Rena because they're cheap.

2.) The more water the better. If you don't have a lid, leave a few inches in case you have an excitable jumper.

3.) It depends on how old they are and how warm it is. Larvae need to be fed daily; adults need to eat much less.

4.) Sinking salmon or trout pellets are generally accepted as the best.

[argray90]

Originally Posted by Kaysie

All of these questions have been covered numerous times. A quick 'search' of the forum (located on the uppermost toolbar) will bring you a host of answers.

1.) It's a matter of preference, and what you can afford. I like Rena because they're cheap.

2.) The more water the better. If you don't have a lid, leave a few inches in case you have an excitable jumper.

3.) It depends on how old they are and how warm it is. Larvae need to be fed daily; adults need to eat much less.

4.) Sinking salmon or trout pellets are generally accepted as the best.

Ok, thanks! Would you recommend the Rena XP S (45 gallons) or XP M (75 gallons)? Also so it does not matter if they have 17 inches high of water? Someone told me they should only have 11 inches high of water.

[Kaysie]

I used the 45 on my 55gal setup.

I'm pretty sure their native lakes are deeper than 11 inches! They'll be just fine in any depth.

[argray90]

Ideas for hiding places? Also any good colored sands out there?

[Caitie]

Haven't used coloured for axolotls, but from going through the forums a few weeks ago, I'll put in that Tahitian moon sand can be dangerous, as MereB explains here: A warning about Tahitian moon sand

[TheAxolotlWhisperer]

If you have a walmart close to you they have a lot of different things you could use. It's how I get cheap hides for my aquariums. Also personally i wouldn't use color sands just because the fact if you were to use play sand or white sand with would enhance the colors of the axolotl

[argray90]

Ok thanks for the idea gonna go to Walmart tomorrow!

Are plants necessary? I see a lot of tanks with them I just prefer no plants.

[axiekeeper]

I recommend staying away from rena filstars, I got one and ditched it, hard to keep primed, prone to leaking and way overpriced.

Eheim is supposed to be the best, but I got a grech/sunsun canister and its awesome! 9w steriliser built in and 370gph, which is way too much flow so I put a valve on the outflow, but the major advantage to a bigger canister is if u do upgrade tank size your good to go, and in the mean time you have all that extra space in it for media and can custom dial in the right amount of flow.

[argray90]

Originally Posted by axiekeeper

I recommend staying away from rena filstars, I got one and ditched it, hard to keep primed, prone to leaking and way overpriced.

Eheim is supposed to be the best, but I got a grech/sunsun canister and its awesome! 9w steriliser built in and 370gph, which is way too much flow so I put a valve on the outflow, but the major advantage to a bigger canister is if u do upgrade tank size your good to go, and in the mean time you have all that extra space in it for media and can custom dial in the right amount of flow.

I got my rena xp3 for $60 and have had it running for a week now and love it so far. Water is crystal clear and on my 55 gallon it should hold bio waste well. I am working on my hides currently, going to tile the aquarium floor to make it easier clean up then purchasing my axolotls soon.

[axiekeeper]

I paid 25 bucks for my xp2 but anyhoo..

how do u plan on attaching the tiles? slate looks really cool, Ive seen it attached with silicone.

[argray90]

Originally Posted by axiekeeper

I paid 25 bucks for my xp2 but anyhoo..

how do u plan on attaching the tiles? slate looks really cool, Ive seen it attached with silicone.

Exactly that silicone. Cheap and I think it looks nice and supposedly is easy to clean.