Will this substrate design work?

Hello

i have attached 3 photos to this thread, i hope they worked??

i had my tank set up to be an aquarium with 1-3mm black gravel, i then decided to get an axolotl, i did not want to empty out the water i had already put in there and take the gravel out as i have no where else to put it any way.

instead what i have done is buy a bag of large garden pebbles, they are natural river pebbles, i washed them over and over very well and placed them on top of the gravel.

my question is does this look like there are enough pebbles to stop the axolotl getting to the smaller gravel and possibly eating it? or should i buy another bag and put them in as well.

i don't want to put more in if i don't have to because i am going to ahem to move the bigger pebbles out of the way to clean the gravel underneath every now and then along with regular water changes and this will become more difficult the more pebbles i use, there is a good layer mostly 2 large pebbles deep covering the gravel. when say large pebble they rang from 2-6 cm long and wide, they are gorgeous in the water with all of their colours showing they looked a bit boring in the bag all dusty i was very impressed as soon as i wet them to wash them!

thank you all for your help in advance


oh and also there are no plants because i am buying them this week, it is not ready for the axolotl yet, i am not even sure where i shall get one from yet

Honestly, I think it'll be a bit of a pain to clean that way, but it'll work.

The only thing I'd be concerned about are the smaller pebbles. Anything under 4cm (50cent piece size) will fit in an axi's mouth and could get stuck. I would go through the pebbles and only use the largest of them.

Good luck!!

How big is that tank, it's hard to tell ?

Personally, I would just take it all out and get sand. To clean it, you'll have to shift the rocks around and it will expose the gravel - and axolotls can and do dig a bit, they also eat by sucking water in and can suck small matter from between cracks. I just wouldn't risk it when the animal's life is at stake. It's also a huge pain in the butt to clean and the gravel makes it that much harder.

I know it sounds like a pain to take it all out, but you'll be *saving* yourself so much work.

If the tank is not cycled, emptying it will not harm anything. If it is, simply keep the filter media submersed in something like a bowl or cup while you change.

the tank is 51cm wide 34 cm deep and 64cm high, unfortunately is taller than it is long, but it is 75 litres i hope it will be enough for one Axy????

i was holding up hope that my idea would work but it sounds like a little bit of a swing and a miss!! haha might be back to the drawing board for me!! i would rather have it down pat before getting my new pet, which i still ahem no idea where to get one from as i want one from a breeder so i can know its exact age i am so amazed at how old they can grow!! i hope to do things right and have a good friend for a long time!!!

Also it looks like you have a heater in there which you shouldn't need, ideally the temperature should be under 20 C and your tank size is fine for one axolotl.

edit

Check the classified section on this forum there was a person from Victoria selling eggs or juvies

Haha the heater is just there just in case i don't think i should need it but our temps here drop down to around 3 degrees celsius over winter and the tank is in a pretty cold room so i might need to put it on low over winter, if i ever get ready before winter is over!! hahaha

would the tank work if i took out the small gravel and just put the bigger rocks back in?? or do u really strongly recommend sand? what kind of sand do you recommend? i shave heard of people using non toxic play sand from a hardware store???

I agree with the others. When you are ready to take out your substrate, fill a bucket with the eater and put your filter (leave the filter running so you can preserve the bacteria in the sponge) , logs and any of the largest stones you may be wanting to keep. Do remember that any stones smaller than 4-5 cm can be accidentally eaten. You could then perhaps add well rinsed play sand and return the water and filter etc. Have a look through the forum for some ideas maybe.
I am looking forward to seeing how it goes.

P.s I would certainly remove the gravel, as this can cause potential problems with impaction.

ok, so my plan is, the water is only a couple of days old and i haven't even started cycling yet as i am still getting my head around exactly how this is meant to be done!!

so i can just expose of all the water onto my garden and start all over again... what to do with the gravel though!? it is such pretty little gravel haha..

i am very glad that i have been told my tank is big enough i am very excited!!!

As in my tank i have a base of black sand and then a few of the larger white pebbles to contrast around the tank, imo looks really good, its up to you.

I'd just use sand as the others have suggested, or no substrate at all. you don't need to have substrates when keeping axies and it's purely for our enjoyment as it makes the tank look more pleasing.

you can cycle your tank with your axie in it, but be prepared to monitor your water chemistry daily and also do daily 30% water changes.

the only thing I'm concerned about is the brightness of the light over the tank, they don't like bright lights and you only really need lights if you're growing plants.

the heater is also not needed as they prefer colder water. you can also even keep your axies in the fridge.

asisaid before the heaters in there because i had it set up for fish and changed my mind i left it because our temps at the moment are dropping to 1 degrees celcius over night and the tank goes down around 10 and have read it is better for them to be at 15-18 so i was maybe going to put it on low if the temps here are still so extreme when i get my axy. would that be a good thing to do???

the lights were both on so the picture looked better they can be half as bright for part of the day once i ahem live plants in there just so they keep growing should that be ok??

How do you cycle a tank with an Axy in there??? i am struggling to understand cycling! haha

i just started emptying my tank to remove the gravel, and on re assessing it, i had forgotten how fine it is. it is basically like coarse sand, will this actually be ok afar all? if i remove the rocks and only return the larger of them onto the gravel/coarse sand?

or is this still too big?

thanks

I wouldn't keep it. There's a thread on here about the coarser sand causing intestinal damage to even adult axolotls. It can cut them inside when sucked in.

The easiest way to clean it out will be to take it outside and spray it out with a garden hose, just being careful not to scratch it.

i actually kept removing it just after i wrote that comment, i looked at it and thought, no i wouldn't be happy to ahem that pass through my system! haha

most of it is scooped out n once my till girl is asleep tonight i will take the tank out back n spray it, may ahem suffered a few mini scratches on the bottom but i think its pretty ok!

I have decided to go with no substrate in the tank, i have put the hides and a few of the more interesting large pebbles back in and will ad lots of potted plants and perhaps a log or two. Pictures to come over the next week as i start to get it cycling i am excited, its getting closer to Axie time!! haha