Tank Setup

Hi All,
I have just got myself my first juvenile axolotl so I am a beginner to the axolotl world and this forum.
I was wondering if someone could please let me know if this set up is okay for my baby.
It is very plain and simple and boring at the moment but I have just started. I have also read that sand is better for older axis so I am holding off on the sand until he/she gets older.
Any help would be great!
Thanks in advance

Is the skull is real or a plastic tank decoration? If it is real- I would get it out- it may leach chemicals into the water. Otherwise, you may want another hide. You will find that axolotls are okay with simple- humans like different degrees of decoration. The more crevices and decorations you have- the more places the poop will hide/collect.

Hi, thank you for your response.
The skull is just a plastic tank decoration. Should this be okay?

I hate to be that person (mainly because I desperately want a skull decoration for my tank too) but I don't think it's a particularly good decor item, axies like to squeeze into thihngs and yours could get stuck in it or hurt itself trying to get in/out of it. I would look into stuff more like fake/real plants or like a reptile hide?

Ahh, that is a good point!
Plants are a little hard at the moment as i dont have any substrate to weight them down in, I had troubles getting that one above to stay down! :/ Was planning on get more plants when i can put sand in there when he gets bigger.

Aquatic Hornwort (ceratophyllum), duckweed, frogbit and such are great starters. Floating plants that dont require substrate and soak up annoying nitrogen products and provide cover. Cheap to get and dont require much light or care.

Sorry, I'm a plant pusher.

Well, easy to get here. Maybe not in your neck of the woods. Pretty sure aquatic hornwort is native world wide except Antarctica.

I have a few of those real cheapy plants that have weights in the bottom lol...I also have like those fake mats that you bury in the sand but these guys still uproot them occasionally >.< I do love that skull but I'd love to see your setup when your little guy gets bigger

Thank you for all your help guys
Will post pictures of the setup when he gets bigger

Figured I'd toss in my two cents here. A lot of plants don't need substrate, some plants will be a lot healthier out of it actually. Anubias, for one, is a beautiful and very hearty plant that will thrive in low light tanks. They prefer to be completely out of substrate and merely tied onto a rock or piece of driftwood using thread or fishing line. Java fern is another. Java moss. Hornwort. There are a lot of plants that don't need substrate, basically anything with a "rhizome" rather than typical roots. Rhizomes get nutrients from the water where as roots get nutrients from the substrate, if you put plants with rhizomes into substrate they will basically suffocate. I love to get big river rocks (too big for an axolotl to eat) and arrange them in a circle with anubias tied to them, rhizomes facing into the circle. This way you just see a lot of beautiful plant and not a lot of funky rhizomes sticking out everywhere.

Another thing, and this is purely aesthetic, is that a lot of people prefer to have the back and bottom of their fish tanks painted. It sort of contains the look into the the tank and adds nice coloring. For instance, I'm setting up a new 20 gallon long and I'm painting the back and bottom white, I'll be getting a copper juvie for it and I think he'll look awesome against the white tank. Obviously your tank is already set up, so that makes things slightly more complicated. A few coats of acrylic paint rolled on to the outside of the back panel wouldn't be too hard while the tank is operational, the bottom is a little more tricky. If you wanted to you could slide some colored fabric under the tank in the middle of a big water change. Obviously all of this is completely up to you, so I'm just throwing the info out there.

If it's not tied down, your Lotls will uproot it. I deal with that almost every day lol. In my girl tank, I use small 1 1/2" tall plastic planters. The small terra-cotta planters are great for this too. If you keep your PH above 7-7.5, lead plant weights are safe too. If the tank doesn't have water yet, a quick spray with black primer on the back and bottom, outside. In 24 hours, your good to fill it

If your interested, I have one sample pack of floating plants left. BUT, if it's a new tank, you might not have enough nutrient to feed the plants yet.

Btw, I'm a plant pusher too lol. Something like hornwort would be great for your baby. They use the leaves to hold onto and kind of suspend themselves in the water. Mine LOVE the maze of plant for holding onto. Creeping Jenny is great for this too, and doesn't needed to be planted in the substrate.


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When asked: Why?
Because I couldn't stop at just one dammit!!!