100 Plus gallon Tank question

[DrJade]

Does anyone have a 100 or 125 gallon or larger tank with 8 or more axolotls in it? If so what do you think? I currently have a 55, 40, and 20 gallon tank each with a Fluval 407 filter and a 1/10 horsepower chiller on the larger tanks and want to consolidate as I cannot fit multiple tanks at my new location.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Kurt Schulz]

Yeah! It works out awesome. Cycling at first can be hard if you're not adding pre-cycled water. Keep in mind you need a few more filters than regularly required 4-5 works out for me. You might need to add all the chillers, especially if you live in a warmer area. All in all, if you think you're ready, go ahead!

 

[WaterLily05]

Cycling at first can be hard if you're not adding pre-cycled water. Keep in mind you need a few more filters than regularly required 4-5 works out for me.

The beneficial bacteria is actually transferred through the filter media and substrate as opposed to living in the water. And it is not necessarily so much about the number of filters, more just the level of filtration. For example one filter rated to filter a 120 gallon tank will be just as good as 4 filters that are supposed to filter 30 gallons. I would think that 5 filters, while providing enough filtration, would cause too much flow. But axolotls have a high bio load (they poop a lot) so over filtering a bit is a good thing.

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It looks like the Fluval 407s are rated for 50 to 100 gallon tanks, so I would use two of them at least, one on each end of the tank.

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For the original question, most reputable breeders recommend 20 gallons for the first axolotl and 10 gallons for every additional axolotl. If you want 8 axolotls, you need at least 90 gallons. The most common size tanks to find in that size range are 120 (48x24x25), 125 (72x18x24), 150 (72x18x28), and 180 (72x24x25). Keep in mind these tanks are rather tall, so I wouldn't do any more than 8 axies. The larger floor space they have, the better! I am sure you already know, but axolotls are known to be rather cannibalistic when young, so you want all yours to be over 6 inches before introducing them to eachother. Have a backup tank ready in case things don't go well. If your axolotls are a mix of males and females you may eventually have to separate them so they don't overbreed.