N00bie with some questions...

A

alexa

Guest
Heyyy, I was just wondering about how to start an axie tank. My tank (according to what ive read) is about big enough for 2 axies... It's about 80 cm long by estimation. Might be less though...

I was wondering, how long do I need to cycle a tank?

With the testing kit, what is the right ph level etc that I need to have?

I've decided to use sand. I have a pool shop locally, and according to what I've read it's best to get sand from there... Do I need to wash it and stuff before I put it in the tank, or what?

The tank I have doesn't have a light attatched and I can't really afford one at the moment... Is it essential? If the tank is next to a window that gets a decent dose of sunlight, is it ok for plants to grow? Or should I put it in a shadier spot because I live in Brisbane, Australia, which is incredibly hot.

I was also wondering about the temperature I live in... on hot summer days it'll get up to about 35C... I don't know how hot that would make the water in the tank, but I don't know how to get around that issue.

Sorry about ALLLLL the questions, but I was also wondering what sorts of plants are best? Just any ones that I get from the pet shop?

(ONLY 2 QUESTIONS TO GO!)

I read on here that someone was using White Clouds in the tank. How would I go about breeding these? I have got a spare tank I could do it in, and how many would they eat etc... Like how many would I need to buy at first? Would I need to feed them other things if they had them in the tank?

And lastly, are snails ok in the tank?
 
if ur tank is 80 cm it's big enough for 2 axies.
it usually takes around a mth to properly cycle a tank but it varies.
ur better of getting a master test kit which contains testing for pH "should be around 7-8 ish"
Nitrite = 0, Nitrate no more than 40ppm max and ammonia = 0
axies dont need a light at all, but if u want to grow plants u will need some kind of lighting and being u get temps of 35c lighting will also add some heat to ur water if only a little.
heres a good site about plants http://www.plantgeek.net/plantguide_cat.php?category=1 u will definately need someway to keep ur water temp cool either a chiller "around $600" or some kind of homemade setup "theres a few posted on this site in the tank setups section"
u need to keep ur tank temp below 24C "max"
good low light plants are Anubias,Java fern,Java moss, vals, crypts for a start. dont really know if the white clouds are the go as ur axies are probably better to be on there own + u have an extra tank so i would put them in that. snails are fine
happy.gif
it's the tiny ones that can be a pain cause they eat ur plants.
a good start is to read here http://www.axolotl.org/requirements.htm
and here
http://www.axolotl.org/housing.htm
hope it helps...
 
Thankyou heaps for that information!

I just remembered that in summer we will have an air conditioner on all day and it's not as hot at night. So does that mean a chiller won't be necessary? The temperature at night won't reach any more than 20C, and if hotter, I can leave the air con running.

In the other seasons, temperatures are fine.

This being the case, if the tank is next to a window and will get heaps of light during the day, I assume low lighting plants will be alright.

If I'm getting both axies from the same place at the same time quarantine will be unnecessary... am I right?
 
if its in the sun it will heat up and you could potentially get some algae problems.

quarentine wont be necessary then but treat them like they are, that means no equipment touches other tanks without being boiled or put in a mild bleach solution
 
OOooookidokie.

And also about the white clouds, I read that she could keep them in the tank for algae AND food for the axies...

and bred them in a separate tank and just added new ones when some were eaten, or something like that.
 
Alexa - I read that as well.
As long as the fish aren't going to nibble the axies gills, you'll be fine. That is if you breed them though, otherwise you've got risks of parasites/diseases etc.
 
Cool, thanks for that.

Is there any particular way of making sure they don't nibble the gills, or is it just a matter of keeping an eye on them and removing them if they do?
 
Theres no way (thats im aware of) on training fish to not nibble axies gills. If your going to take the risk and put them in with your axies, just keep an eye out for them and remove them is any nibbling starts to happen
happy.gif


Good luck
 
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