Question: Too early for substrates? and how much?

Hi there, I have been planning on getting an axolotl of my own for a few months now and have looked through a bunch of forum topics here so I figured it was about time I sign up and become a part of this awesome community!

As you can see, I have a tank all set up that my friend who knows a lot about fish helped me with at the time ready for the axolotl season here as I had ordered one a few months ago and it turned out to be different to the one I ordered (so it got returned).

I had assumed my new one could arrive at any day so I just kept the tank going.

Upon looking through the forums I noticed that I probably have too much Silica sand down the bottom of the tank - probably about 3 inches worth. So I know I will need to get rid of a good amount of it before my axy gets here.

My problem now is that I found one online that I liked and seeing as it is only 6 weeks old (and 2 inches long) I get the impression that most of you would not recommend sand in the tank at such a young age.
I wonder if I could get away with it if it is silica sand? - if not, when am I able to put the sand back in?

I attached an image of my tank, does it look suitable overall? the light is on just for the sake of taking the photo and those are fake plants, I will put in a live plant or 2 once the axolotl has arrived.

The tank is just over 50cm in width and I am only planning on having one axolotl in there.

PS: There's this pump that I have that just blows air into the water through this blue stone thing that my friend advised me to have in all the time once my axolotl arrives, she also mentioned a rock that fizzes I can buy from a store that I can just put in there instead. Do you recommend either of these for axolotls? I have not noticed them in many tank set up images.

Sorry for such a long post guys! I just want to ensure the best sort of space for such a young axolotl before I commit to buying it!

Thanks for reading this
I look forward to being a more active member in this awesome community!

Hello FUTURE axolotl keeper!

First off, make sure you dont have currents in your tank. Axolotls will stressed out and get ill.
So check if the things you want to buy dont make currents, myself have experienced not much success with the airstone, but now that they are big, I am able to use it again.

The sand is not a problem, its very fine, so your axolotls should do great.

Nice tank setup, enjoy your Axie!

Thanks for the helpful reply, Michel!
That's good to hear that I have done okay with the setup for now - I guess my main concern with the amount of sand is that I read somewhere that if there is too much sand that some nasty harmful things can grow deep in it that could harm the axolotls.

I had another question, that fake log tunnel I have in there... I moved it out to move a few things around today it has been a week or so since I have finished the "stress zyme" cycle, the underside of the log was a little slimy and didn't smell too good. Is that normal?

I understand that the product I used contains some live bacteria or something but I guess I'm just concerned over whether or not that sort of thing is normal. (seeing as there is no animal inside the tank yet!)

Thanks so much!
I am trying to figure out how to do your reputation but I am sure I will get it

Beaniepompom said:

Thanks for the helpful reply, Michel!

I had another question, that fake log tunnel I have in there... I moved it out to move a few things around today it has been a week or so since I have finished the "stress zyme" cycle, the underside of the log was a little slimy and didn't smell too good. Is that normal?

I understand that the product I used contains some live bacteria or something but I guess I'm just concerned over whether or not that sort of thing is normal. (seeing as there is no animal inside the tank yet!)

Click to expand...

All the decorations i have in the tank will get slimy, even if the decoration is brand new and the water too. So that makes me think that nothing is wrong

And sorry for the late reply

Oh I forgot:

Axolotl's don't like bright light, so keep that in mind

Hi Michel!
Thanks for replying and it's okay for the late reply!
I have not had any problems with water since I switched to the 'SeaChem' brand, I recommend it to everyone over the 'API' brand, which is what I was using when I made this post.
I only successfully cycled my tank when I made a complete water change and started again with the 'SeaChem' and it was unbelievably simple.
My axolotl is now adult sized and have bought another baby one that am keeping in the same tank (with a divider).
I have also upgraded to a 3ft tank now too.
Also, here is a picture of them meeting each other through the mesh of the divider for the first time...
The older one was never used to anything else inhabiting the tank except for food, so he (it's a she but have always referred to him as a male) was quite alert for the most part of the first day they shared the tank together!

Thanks again for your help, Michel!

Hi there

I don't know how to say this but I hope you don't plan to remove that divider any time soon, otherwise your baby may become a meal ?

It may be a while before those two little friends can live together safely.

Hi Kerry
Absolutely not, I will not be removing it for at least 5 months, the larger one is 10 months old and the smaller one is growing at the same rate.
I have set up the divider so that I do not need to waste time/money on a separate tank, filter, room for it, etc.
I am really careful with that sort of thing but appreciate your concern.

Im surprised no one has said that sand at the 2" mark is too soon? I've always read it's best to wait until 5-6". The sand granules compared to axolotl volume of a 2"er are still relatively large, even if it is silica sand; I personally wouldn't do it.

Hi Ashley, there is a difference in the amount of sad each axolotl has. The smaller one (who is larger than 2" anyway) only has a little bit of sand in its tank. It is also fed away from the area with sand in it.
The sand is mostly there to help with keeping the divider in place for safety and I have not had any problems with it, my older one grew up with a small amount of sand in its tank too (this first image in the post was taken long before the first axolotl arrived and I got rid of a significant amount of sand before i got my first axolotl).
I also found having sand in the tank helped with cycling.
I used sand from the start as I have read somewhere that it stresses axolotls to have nothing to grab onto while moving around when they have a glass tank base, correct me if I am wrong though.
Thanks for the help!

Noticed you were replying to my first post, my mistake!
My first axolotl was 2" when he arrived and i used no more than a fistful of sand for his entire tank just to have something on the bottom.
As he grew, I slowly added more sand to the tank but always keeping an area where there was no sand for feeding.

The way I saw it with raising my youngsters was they're fine walking on a bare bottom - until around 4-5". It was then that I noticed them starting to slip when trying to move forward.

Yes, the sand does help with cycling as it provides a higher amount, and a nicer surface for the beneficial bacteria to grow upon.

The problem with sand at such a young size is it can be quite difficult to tell whether or not it's swallowed largish amounts. A fat axolotl can be a well fed axolotl, but it can also be a well fed axolotl that has sand in it's stomach.

I'm glad you fed him in a non-sand area though The problem is it can seem fine and you wouldn't really know. You could always use decorations to keep the divider in place? I'm not saying you're a horrible person for having sand in the tank so early,.. moreso why take the risk, when it could have potentially devastating results? I guess the same goes for adults on sand, too, however with my guys they were starting to slip and visibly have a hard time gripping... and how to put it nicely.. their holes are bigger, so I don't think it's as hard to pass?

Just something to think about!

Hi Ashley
I agree with what you're saying. If I were to do it all over again, then I would have started with a bare bottom and moved onto a substrate such as sand when the axolotl got a bit larger.
At the end of the day, I know this might seem a little silly, but, at the time I figured that it wouldn't hurt to mimic their natural habitat at a young age because that was probably what they would've been exposed to in the wild.
I have no evidence behind that fact, I don't even know if the lakes had sand floors but I think it was what I convinced myself at the time to feel better about the situation - will probably try removing the sand in the smaller one's section to see if shes okay with it.