Plants??

Hi everyone, I am just trying to mature/cycle my tank before I get my axolotls and need some advice please.
I have been given some amazon blade will this be ok with axolotls?
Also in a 4ft tank can i put an air ball one end and the filter to run across the top of the water? Or will this be too much?
Many thanks

Hi Mika, if you're talking about amazon sword plants they will probably be fine, just be aware that sometimes axies have a tendency to charge around the tank knocking things about and sometimes uprooting plants. The main problem I find with swords is that they tend to need a lot of light to grow (so you'd need a lot of dark hiding spaces for the axolotls) and if they start to die they don't look so pretty.

You might want to look at this page for some ideas of other plants that are a bit more suitable for axie tanks: Axolotl Sanctuary

An air stone at one end of the tank should be fine; if by filter running across the top you mean a spray bar that should also be fine. Just pay attention to your axolotls and see how they go with the movement in the water (if their gills are turned forwards they are stressed out), generally if your plants are moving around a lot that is an indication that it's too much.

Hi Dan yes it was the sword plant lol They have attached to a ornament at the mo so and are looking a little sorry for themselves. I will check out the link thanks.

Yes I was thinking about a spray bar many thanks.

I think I need to change the stones in the bottom of my tank as I think they are a little too small. I am thinking of using sand instead.

Sand is a good way to go, you can buy childrens play sand (fine granules and no added treatments) super cheaply from somewhere like a hardware store that should work fine. Just remember to rinse it until your arm falls off to try and get as much of the sand dust out as possible because it can clog your filter otherwise, the tank will probably go cloudly for about 24 hours as well after you put it in, so you just have to let it settle.

Sounds like you're on the right track! Good luck