Question: River rocks

Anyone know where i can get river rocks for the bottom of my tank as listed HERE, as i think they look really nice in a tank

so any suggestions would be nice :smile:

Go for a paddle in a river or stream your bound to find a few gems! If your feeling lazy probably the garden center would be your best bet as people use river pebbles to make flower beds and garden things look all fancy! I actually nicked mine from my parents garden water feature thing on a flying visit (they diddnt even notice haha!) just make sure you wash them thoroughly and dont use any soap or detergents.

Let us know what you find!

p.s id go for sand instead if you are planning on using pebbles as a substrate!

Hi Harry!

I have to agree with you that the river rock looks very nice! However, axolotls can and will swallow large rocks too! If the rocks are even just a little smaller than their heads, they can be swallowed! See HERE

Also, I discovered the hard way that the rocks are very difficult to keep clean, no matter HOW much I vacuumed the tank!! When I made the switch to sand, I was horrified at the amount of nasties I found!

Just food for thought! Take care!

ted22 said:

Go for a paddle in a river or stream your bound to find a few gems! If your feeling lazy probably the garden center would be your best bet as people use river pebbles to make flower beds and garden things look all fancy! I actually nicked mine from my parents garden water feature thing on a flying visit (they diddnt even notice haha!) just make sure you wash them thoroughly and dont use any soap or detergents.

Let us know what you find!

p.s id go for sand instead if you are planning on using pebbles as a substrate!

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dragonlady said:

Hi Harry!

I have to agree with you that the river rock looks very nice! However, axolotls can and will swallow large rocks too! If the rocks are even just a little smaller than their heads, they can be swallowed! See HERE

Also, I discovered the hard way that the rocks are very difficult to keep clean, no matter HOW much I vacuumed the tank!! When I made the switch to sand, I was horrified at the amount of nasties I found!

Just food for thought! Take care!

Click to expand...

i was thinking about using river rocks and sand , so the sand will cushion the rocks against the bottom of my tank and will fill in the gaps

what do you recon to one of these as the base of the tank , i thing this and a bit would fit
HERE

That is not designed for aquariums so I would steer clear just incase

Yeah i would be concerned that that background may not aquarium safe, as I said you have to be very careful about what you put in an aquarium as axolotls have porus skin and can get poisoned easily! Nice one for asking first though! Unless its specifically designed for an aquarium its best to play it safe and ask on here and dont go on what the guy in the pet shop says most are clueless when it comes to axies!

ted22 said:

Yeah i would be concerned that that background may not aquarium safe, as I said you have to be very careful about what you put in an aquarium as axolotls have porus skin and can get poisoned easily! Nice one for asking first though! Unless its specifically designed for an aquarium its best to play it safe and ask on here and dont go on what the guy in the pet shop says most are clueless when it comes to axies!

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well if your pet shop is clueless about axolotls i wouldn't bother , paws for thought are great they have loads of experienced staff who have bred quite a bit between them ,

and my dad uses them backgrounds on his frogs and they have porous skin , do you think it works on the same principle or are axys a little more sensitive :smile:

Thats good youve found a good pet shop as an axolotl source, as I said most are clueless when it comes to axies so if they do know their stuff they could be a big help but if they are the ones that recommend that tank size for two adults (not saying they are) id be dubious!

As for that background yes axolotls skin is just like frogs but is that background fully submerged in water in the frog set up? it may be the case that it is safe but as a rule alot of vivarium/terrerium decor is not aquarium safe i would play it safe and do without if unsure and find one that is designed specifically for aquariums! also its made of polystyrene so I would have thought it would float and be very difficult to submerge and secure under water!

And yes my pet shops are clueless thats why I have had to research so much myself (luckilly i did this weeks before I got my axolotl so I was fully prepared!), Im sure I could tell a few petshops a thing or two about axies but this is what this forum is for, its the most reliable source of axie information you are ever going to find, so dont just go on what a salesman in a petshop says, most would just sell you anything suitable or not! I have yet to find a petshop that recommend anything other than gravel as a substrate for an axie and we all know what a big no no that is!

ted22 said:

Thats good youve found a good pet shop as an axolotl source, as I said most are clueless when it comes to axies so if they do know their stuff they could be a big help but if they are the ones that recommend that tank size for two adults (not saying they are) id be dubious!

As for that background yes axolotls skin is just like frogs but is that background fully submerged in water in the frog set up? it may be the case that it is safe but as a rule alot of vivarium/terrerium decor is not aquarium safe i would play it safe and do without if unsure and find one that is designed for aquariums! also its made of polystyrene so I would have thought it would float and be very difficult to submerge and secure under water!

Click to expand...

no they diddnt tell me to get the tank , but they diddnt tell me not to get it lol ( sorry if i sounded rude)

and yea i realised that but if it is a tight fit it shouldn't float and should stay at the bottom , but i wont bother and i will try and get some river rocks

Best source for river rocks is the floral section of the hobby and craft stores in my opinion.

I highly suggest AGAINST getting river rock from an "natural" water source, especially in Europe and North America. The risk of introducing pollution, farm waste, pesticides, parasites and various diseases is far too great.

I boil the living wowzers out of the river rocks I purchase at the craft stores. (OK, I cheat...I have a pressure cooker and access to an autoclave...Even then I run them through the UV sterilizer at work.) Once they are dry, I often give them a coat of clear polyurethane to boot.