First 'Lotl Tank, Thoughts?

Hi,

I am setting up my first ever axolotl tank. I've attached a picture. Should I add more hiding places?

Looks good so far!

Yes you could do with some more hides:

-Terracotta pots make for good hides, just lay them on their sides.
or
-Purchase hides from your local aquatic pet store.

Make sure there are no sharp edges which could cause accidents.

If your plants are real, add more! You have a lot of space to create a great Axolotl environment. Also it would be good to get some floating plants which will help minimize the light exposure for your Axolotls, creating good cover.

I've heard good things about Frogbit, Azolla, Elodea.

This article should help: Axolotl Sanctuary

'Some recommend plants:

Anubias Nana - great plant, virtually indestructible, hardy and low maintenance.
Anubias Isabelle - very tough, taller than the Nana.
Anubias Barteri - just like the Nana, but a bit bigger and with rounder leaves.
Java Fern - one of the toughest aquatic plants you can get - grows anywhere!
Java Moss - grows anywhere as well, can be made into a sort-of "carpet"
Lilaeopsis - this is like grass, you can make a beautiful lawn in your tank with it.
Eleocharis (Hairgrass) - same as with Lilaeopsis tends to be a bit taller though.
Pongol - this is actually Mondo Grass, so it's not a true aquatic but survives (doesn't grow, just survives) for ages submerged, not really recommended.
Congensis - quite striking for a centrepiece plant.
Riccia - Riccia generally needs a lot of light to grow properly, thus only suitable for brighter tanks.
Narrow Chain Sword - another grassy-type thing. Looks pretty, grows happily.'

Also your substrate is quite a thick layer, this can build up harmful anaerobic bacteria in the form of gas pockets under the sand where detritus builds up. If you are going to keep the thick substrate then make sure to keep the surface of your substrate clean.

Thanks for the advice! The plants are real, but tiny. Some are anubias, one is a java fern with narrow leaves. I will see if I can't rustle up some floating plants at the local pet store. I was looking at terra cotta pots at home depot

Another question: I'm using a fluval U2 with a spray bar. There is a small amount of flow (surface of the water moves a bit, and the plant most directly in front of the filter moves slightly). Is this too much current?

I have the same filter but use the top nozzle so I just point the nozzle at the tank wall. I'm sure the current won't be a problem, but monitor your Axolotl to see if it seems to be a bother.

The substrate is thick, mostly because I was reading you needed deeper substrate for the plants to grow well. Are you able to siphon sand the same way as gravel? I know I'll likely have some sand get into the siphon, but is a standard gravel siphon able to get detritus off of the bottom?

I should say; it's a 20g long. I am not sure how large my axolotl will be yet; the gentleman who brings them to the reptile show has some real little ones and some bigger ones. Hoping for a leucistic, but we'll see. He has some nice melanoid babies as well.

Classy! As AxolotlWrangler said, you could add a few more things if you want, but I like the style so far.

So little Xochi (short for Xochimilco, as in the lake) seems to be enjoying life so far. He/she is taking thawed-out bloodworms reliably, and cut up pieces of nightcrawler. He prefers to be fed by tongs with me jiggling the food above his head.

Hey just so you know, java fern and anubis cannot be planted like that, they'll rot and die if they haven't already. Their rhizome needs to be above the substrate, there's plenty of images on google of what the rhizome is but it's the thick hard part of the plant and it needs to be above the sand, this is one of the reasons people usually tie it to ornaments or let it float, good luck.