thinking about a big tank!

Hello everyone!!!

I was thinkint about getting some more axies... and a big tank!!!

I have some questions , hope you can help me:

1. with the appropiate space, is there a limit in number of axies that could be kept
together?

2. there are some tanks, made of concrete with the front wall made of glass. Thoght this could
be good for keeping the temperature right, but, could this leach chemicals in the water? Or is there any kind of material that could be used instead of concrete?

3. Is there any real problem in mixing phenotypes?

I was thinking 8 axies (far far in the future... or maybe not that far) A tank about 1.80 m x 60 cms x 35 cms, if it is possible to use other material, to put driftwood and large stones "glued" in the concrete....

what do you think guys?

Hi Celeste,

the limit in number of axies in a tank is limited by the tank size. The bigger the tank, the more axies you can put in. The tank size 1.80x60x35 is fine for 8 axies. The phenotype is irrelevant, you may house all color-varieties together in the same tank, as long as you don´t mix the species (f.e. axies - newts).

A tank made of concrete sounds very interesting to me, but I don´t know if it will be safe for axolotls.

-Tina-

I agree with tina that size tank will have plenty of room for 8. There is some evidence that dark coloured wild types can be more aggressive towards other colourations, but this is heresay, I have one dark coloured wild type in with 3 leucistics and have never had any issues

Celeste said:

Hello everyone!!!

I was thinkint about getting some more axies... and a big tank!!!

I have some questions , hope you can help me:

1. with the appropiate space, is there a limit in number of axies that could be kept
together?

2. there are some tanks, made of concrete with the front wall made of glass. Thoght this could
be good for keeping the temperature right, but, could this leach chemicals in the water? Or is there any kind of material that could be used instead of concrete?

3. Is there any real problem in mixing phenotypes?

I was thinking 8 axies (far far in the future... or maybe not that far) A tank about 1.80 m x 60 cms x 35 cms, if it is possible to use other material, to put driftwood and large stones "glued" in the concrete....

what do you think guys?

Click to expand...

I generally suggest one adult axolotl per every 7-10 US gallons of water volume.

Concrete tanks are acceptable, however I do no recommend them for aquatic caudates, as they are very hard to keep clean and will cause increases in water hardness and pH over time. I have found in my experience that all glass or all acrylic tanks work best. There are exceptions to this, like acrylic polymer based concrete mixes that have been sealed with an aquaculture safe epoxy, however these can be hard to find and are very, very pricey.

No problem in mixing phenotypes at all.


In a tank the size you describe, I feel that 8 axolotls would not be a problem provided there are enough hides. I will add that a tank that size will require you to use an ironclad maintenance schedule. While the large volume of water will help to keep temperature very steady, it can be hard to keep it clean- there will be a lot of space for waste to collect. Filtration will also be an issue as there will be "dead' spots in the tank as pertaining to water circulation.

HI Celeste,

Another consideration for you to ponder about before committing to a giant tank is that a huge tank when filled with water, substrate and rocks etc., is extremely heavy. That means that it is way better to ensure that your floor type is suitable to hold this weight. I once saw this beautiful relatively cheap preloved customised 8 foot tank that i really wanted. However, i got wooden floor boards in my house and it was fortunate i did not succumb to my temptation. Puncturing holes in the floor or worst still a collapsing crashing tank will be my ultimate nightmare.

You should also measure out and select the spot you want to place your tank. It is a hassle to move the tank about once you get it all set up.

Cheers

Hi guys!!!

Thank you very much for your replys!!

I will consider every opinion and advice...

It is still a project, but I think I wont use concrete... that volume of water must be enough to keep the
temperature in a good range, because Im thinking about putting it in a really cold room. (floor made of
solid stone (thanks Ray))

Thanks for the cleaning advice too Johnny!!! It will help me to think really well about the position of the
caves and hiding places!

Given the volume of water, should the filtration liter/hour rate must be bigger?

Celeste said:

Hi guys!!!

Thank you very much for your replys!!

I will consider every opinion and advice...

It is still a project, but I think I wont use concrete... that volume of water must be enough to keep the
temperature in a good range, because Im thinking about putting it in a really cold room. (floor made of
solid stone (thanks Ray))

Thanks for the cleaning advice too Johnny!!! It will help me to think really well about the position of the
caves and hiding places!

Given the volume of water, should the filtration liter/hour rate must be bigger?

Click to expand...

You want the flow rate to be atleast 3x the volume of the tank, per hour.

so, 100 litre tank + filter that flows 300l/pm+ is sufficent.
200 litre tank need 600+

I would ALWAYS, get a bigger canister filter then you require, as you can turn it down

Thanks B00f!! I will keep that in mind, and keep you updated about my project!!!