sand

R

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Heya
My boss at the pet shoped tried to order some sand in for me to put into my axolotl tank but has had a lot of trouble. my Mum went to another on in Palmerston North but they dont sell it a wet pets either and the dude thier was very insistant that it would get stuck in the filter and everytime the axies move it would cloud the water. so we found some gravel that is very tiny, smaller than a grain of about half the size, would this be ok? i have also found a new tank, this one is 80 centimetres long :)
 
You could also get pool filter sand. This is somewhat coarser (and more natural looking, in my opinion). I bought mine for $7.50 for 50 pounds of sand (you wouldn't BELIEVE how far 50 pounds can go!)

As far as sand clogging the filter, no, it won't. As long as you wash it really well before you put it in the tank, it stays settled pretty well.
 
ok i live in New Zealand, do you know what type of shop would sell that? If all else fails would the tiny gravel i mentioned be okay? Also if i put some sunset minows in with them would they get along ok? thanks :)
 
Your axolotl will probably end up eating the minnow. As a keeper I tend to only put in 2 or so feeder fish with my axolotl and if he doesn't eat them by himself within a day, I'll hand feed them to him.
Feeder fish aren't a very good staple diet for axolotls either, so they are given as a sort of treat.

In New Zealand, huh? You should be able to get different types of sand from your local hardware store. Maybe even from a dedicated aquarium based pet store. Good luck :eek:
 
The warehouse has a garden section, doesn't it? You should be able to get cheap play sand from there or from Mitre 10. Just make sure it doesn't have anything nasty in with it, and wash it really well before putting it in the tank. Finding it should be the easy part, it's the washing that will give you a headache!
 
ok i may have located some aquarium sand from auckland, and there is some bird sand at the pet shop. both of these are "sterilized". is this good or bad. also how do i clean the sand and when i put it into my tank and add water, how long till i can put my axies in? how long does it take for the sand to settle?
thanks;)
 
You can clean your sand by swishing it around in a bucket of hand hot water. You may get some sort of scum on the surface of the water, this is normal. Keep washing, emptying bucket, refilling and rinsing until the water is clear or as clear as you can get it.
Even though the sand is 'sterilized' it wont hurt to give it a good rinse through.
Even though you have washed it you may still find the sand will make your water cloudy for a day or two. Again this is normal.
If you switch your filter on , this will help to clear the cloudiness a bit faster.
Leave the sand to settle for a day, then pop your axolotl in, even if its still a bit cloudy it shouldn't harm it.
 
ok, thanks for all your help :)
 
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