Hi!

Hi, all. My name is Rod from the U.S. and I am brand new to this forum. I have a 55 gallon tank and a 29 gallon tank that have been sitting empty for a few years and have decided to start them back up. I was going to do a paladarium but after much research and browsing at the local aquarium shops I fell in love with the Axolotis I saw at one of the shops. I am still in the early planning stages since I want to do this right so I thought I'd run a few ideas by you and get some opinions. I have tried to read all the posts first but there is a lot of information here so please forgive me if I ask something that has already been addressed. I plan to use the 55 gallon tank filled to the top as the main tank housing 4 Axolotis and the 29 gallon tank as an isolation tank and maybe to raise some feeder items like guppies or shrimp. I live in an air conditioned apartment and like it cool, so I don't think I need a heater. I am planning to use a Whisper hanging filter for a 30-60 gallon tank, but I can control the water flow and will adjust according to how the Axolotis react to it. If need be I can build a rock structure to help diffuse the water flow.I am planning to use a java moss background described in one of the post on this site. I want to use a sand substrate and a screen lid for which I will cut out a tight opening for the filter. On top of the screen I will use a dual low wattage fluorescent lamp. I may put a layer of tinted blue plastic under the lamp to further diffuse the light. Of course I will use a lot of caves, artificial plants and rocks as hiding spaces.
I have a few questions. Is sandbox sand from Walmart suitable for this setup? There is also a Home Depot nearby. What do I look for in the sand ingredients? I am aware I have to rinse the sand, which I will do through a pillowcase until it runs clear. This next question may not be a problem but how well do Axie's reproduce? I'd hate to end up with too many to handle. Is this generally a problem? If I left the eggs in the tank, will the adult Axie's let nature take it's course and dispose of them before they become recognizable as little Axie's? Next does raising guppies and brine shrimp in the other tank for feeder make any sense? If so how many should I put in at feeding time for 4 Axie's and how often? If so what else would be good to raise as feeder items. What do you feed your Axolotis? Can I get the suitable food from most pet stores? Any responses to my questions or suggestions would be greatly appreciated since I really want to do this right and create a happy environment for my Axie's. Lastly is it true that a well cared for Axie will live over 15 years? That would be great! This is a great forum and I am very happy to be part of it. Hopefully as I gain experience and knowledge I can pass that on to future Axie enthusiasts.

Hi RDS, welcome to the forum. I'm glad to hear you've taken an interest in axolotls, and you're doing your homework on arranging a setup.

A lot of people don't read this Introductions area of the forum, so you'll probably have better luck posting your questions in the Axolotl setups section of the forum.

Just for starters, I think 4 axolotls may be a bit much for a 55-gallon tank. I'll defer the other questions to the folks in the axie forums.

Good luck on your setups

In a 55 gallon tank, a canister filter is going to provide much better filtration than a hang-on filter will. There are some (like Rena) that are pretty reasonably priced. They're more expensive than hang-on filters, but provide superior filtration. Once you go cannister, you'll never go back.

Sandbox sand is fine. I use pool filter sand, as it's more coarse. Sandbox sand, or play sand, can be really fine, and gets sucked up in gravel siphoning much easier. It's really your choice.

Axolotls CAN reproduce pretty frequently, but you're not obligated to raise the offspring. Many people leave the eggs in the parents tank, and let nature take its course.

You can raise feeders if you want, but most people find it much easier to just buy earthworms and use them as the staple.

Yes, they can live 15 years or more.