Hello all - Axolotl Tank Setup

Hello every one,

I am getting my first axolotl tomorrow and I'm very excited / nervous. I have been scanning the forums for information the past few month as a guest and finally decided to sign up and become a member.

This is my current tank setup.

- Sand substrate
- PVC Tube, various sized sandstone glued around the exterior with aquarium safe silicone (shelter)
- large sandstone structure resembling a "Flintstones" type home (shelter)
- "real" java fern in various places
- "fake" red plants on top of the PVC cave (replacing with java moss soon)
- internal filter with restricted flow ( putting a guard around the intake to protect gills)
- aquarium safe lighting
- thermometer
- turkey baster to clean up

I'm a bit concerned about the sandstone because i was getting mixed opinions weather or not to use it or not. I looked for impurities in the rock grain but all seemed good.

Will post some pictures of the tank as soon as i remember how to

Regards,

Michael.

Hi!

Sounds like a good tank setup apart from maybe the sandstone which could harvest impurities deep within its core.

Also, something I've recently learnt - quarantine the plants in fresh water for 28 days. I placed my living plants straight into my tanks, and it seems a whole colony of snails hithced a ride with them!

Mike!

Thanks for the info Mike, i will take the sand stone out for now and just use the PVC tube.
The java fern was bought from an aquarium shop, it seems snail free but i will quarantine it ... better safe than sorry

What kinds of rocks/stones would be safe for an axolotl setup. I read that perhaps granite, slate, quartz and sandstone is safe. I guess the ultimate safe stone is a fake stone hehe.

Also do u have any experience with some form of water cooling device, aside from frozen water bottles. Currently the water temperature is sitting at 19-20 and can get into the 30's in summer (defiantly not an ideal temperature). Perhaps moving him to a cooler place is the best alternative for now.

Regards,

Michael.

Hi Michael,

This link might be useful for you.

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml

Cheers.

Cool link . This will be a huge help for me, thanks for the info Darkmaverick.

Regards,

Michael

Michael,

Good on you for being so organised and well prepared, I wish I had been when I began axie keeping. :happy:

I look forward to seeing your axie! Have you got him/her yet?

My own personal experience with cooling has largely been with frozen bottles. I did buy one of those clip on fans, however, it wasn't that effective in a QLD summer, though they did help keep the tank cool once it was cool, if that makes sense. I nearly want to get a proper cooler one day, like in 600 years when I finish uni.

And I have to ask, where did you get your turkey baster from?! I live on the Gold Coast and can't find one in any of the obvious places!

I got him/her today, its still a juvenile so its hard to tell if its a bow or girl. Eventually i want to breed some babies but i will need to upgrade my tank size i think. I will post some pics soon

I got the turkey baster from a kitchen supplies store in my local area. I'm surprised they actually had it.

Regards,

Michael.