New Tank Set Up

ok I have some more questions:

1. When i get the new tank as im hopefully ordering it on the 21st how long do i need to leave it before putting axle in it? as i know ur meant to treat them for chlorine ect and that and leave them for a bit to stop new tank sickness or what ever its called but im not sure how long to leave it running for after i have treated the water,
2. Should i put a bit of his/her current tank water in it (like when i do a water change) or should i just go all tap water and no recycled water.
3. also my other half wants to get another axolotls to go with axle (i know they should try and get one the same size as axle also i may get a divider for the tank to keep them apart from each other if need if its big enough but im not sure if 2 adults would fit in the tank where getting, Aquarium dimensions are: (L x W x H) 100 x 40 x 50 cm / 39.3" x 15.7" x 19.7" and its 200 liters 44 gallons (52.8 US gallons)
4. also is it better to go with fake plants or real plants? and which are the most suitable real plants to get. ones that are easy to maintain and are robust, as i know axolotls can dig them up and knock them over ect, and ones that can survive in sand if sand makes any difference with plant growth)
5. Swell Aquarium Silver Sand | Aquarium Supplies also is this sand suitable for the tank and how mush would i need for any live plants to take? (i read about using rabbit poop as fertilizer and my sister in-law has many rabbits )

sorry for all the questions i just want my axle to be happy
and thanks for putting up with me

You can start with a whole new tank without using recycled water. It would probably help you a little bit if you have a pre-cycled filter. I would wait a couple of days before putting your axie in, letting the filter run and get rid of anything bad that may be in the water. Generally they will do perfectly fine with either fake or real plants. But if you want real plants, the easiest you can get would be a java fern or java moss, given you have the proper lighting. That's about all I've got for you. Hope I've helped

Oh and the sand will be fine. Personally I used pool filter sand in my tank, but that's just my preference. And two axolotls can be houses comfortably in a 10 gallon tank, so you can easily have five in yours. It would be a great idea to have a divider if your axolotls are still juveniles as they are cannibalistic until they are 6 inches long and will bite off each others legs, but they will grow back

I'm not sure if you have got the hang of water management. There are 2 separate issues.

First, you need to remove the chlorine and chloramine from your tap water before you put it in the tank. You buy a liquid for that.

Then you have to keep the water healthy after your axies have started to us it as their toilet. This is more tricky to get your head around. You can either have no substrate or filter, clear up all uneaten food after each meal and clear up all poop daily and change the water every other day. Or (and this is much better long term) grow some beneficial bacteria in the filter sponge (or ceramic media) that will convert the poop, urea, uneaten food etc into less harmful stuff so that you only have to dilute it by doing water changes weekly. This process is known as the nitrogen cycle. The important thing is that it takes time to grow the bacteria (around 6 weeks) and your axies will suffer and be damaged and may well die if they are living in the tank before there are enough bacteria. You can speed up the process by using media from an existing established tank. I recommend that you read up on cycling on this forum before you move your axies. (You can keep them in a bare bottomed tank in the meantime with high maintenance as above)

I speak as someone who has kept fish for many years, I have some young axolotls that I still have in bare tanks with just bits of plants for cover.

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1.When i get the new tank as im hopefully ordering it on the 21st how long do i need to leave it before putting axle in it? as i know ur meant to treat them for chlorine ect and that and leave them for a bit to stop new tank sickness or what ever its called but im not sure how long to leave it running for after i have treated the water.

New tank syndrome is caused by lack of bacteria in the tank that would convert toxic ammonia into nitrate. I would suggest after setting up the tank, using a dechlorinator and allowing about a day to have the water temp to stabilize before putting your Lotl in.

2.Should i put a bit of his/her current tank water in it (like when i do a water change) or should i just go all tap water and no recycled water.

You can use some recycled tank water to help establish some good bacteria but it is not necessary. Biggest help would be transferring your filter over to the new tank without cleaning it or replacing medium that way the good bacteria can populate your tank better. Even if you plan to have a new filter I would suggest running the old filter as well as the new for about a week before taking the old filter off.

3.not sure if 2 adults would fit in the tank where getting, Aquarium dimensions are: (L x W x H) 100 x 40 x 50 cm / 39.3" x 15.7" x 19.7" and its 200 liters 44 gallons (52.8 US gallons)

It will be plenty big.. big enough for 4-5 adults.

4.is it better to go with fake plants or real plants? I personally like real plants better since they help keep the water cleaner by uptaking the nitrate and using it as fuel. My favorite plants are Java Moss and Java Fern as they are low light plants that can take a beating and dont need much fussing with. Other plants that may work for you is Amazon Sword, Cryptocorne, and floating plants like Frog Bit.

5.sand suitable for the tank and how mush would i need for any live plants to take? (i read about using rabbit poop as fertilizer and my sister in-law has many rabbits )

You will need about 2 inch layer of sand to keep plants anchored and allow them to develop good roots. For a tank that is about 50 gallons you will probably need about 40-50lbs if not a little bit more. RINSE the sand a lot before putting it in otherwise it may take days for the filter to take in all fine sand particles.
I would not suggest using rabbit poop as fertilizer, your axolotls could unearth it and eat it not to mention it could deteriorate your water quality if used improperly. If you go with Java moss and ferns little to no fertilization is necessary. I rarely add any ferts to my tank, only a liquid fert occaisonally. Good lighting is also important if you plan to have your tank very heavily planted like I do. 1watt per gallon is what I would recommend.

Here is a photo of my axie tank.. about 4 months between the two pics.

2 inches and 50 lbs of sand is A LOT of sand. You won't need nearly that much, probably less than 20. A 50 lb bag of sand lasted me nearly 10 years and dozens of tanks.

Kaysie said:

2 inches and 50 lbs of sand is A LOT of sand. You won't need nearly that much, probably less than 20. A 50 lb bag of sand lasted me nearly 10 years and dozens of tanks.

Click to expand...

Perhaps I was getting measurements wrong based on tank base. :/
Used to setting up lots of fish aquariums where a little more is better for bottom dwelling. I have about 1.5in to 2 inch layer on my tanks and plants flourishing. My axies tend to move the sand around a lot, if I had less Id have bare bottom areas.

thanks for all ur answers and that
i finally ordered the tanks and all its bits(20 min ago) (£500 its costed in total but i think it will look nice) and it will be here on the 3rd (hopefully sooner) i also got 25 kg of sand as i found a convert table online for working out how much u would need and for 3 cm deep sand for the tank i have its 24 kg so i may not use it all but at least i have some spare, i have also ordered some almond leaves and some fake plants and some large smooth rocks (gonna be getting some real plants after the cycles done)
also have made a wormery so i can breed my own worms as it would be cheaper in the long run and axle love having the worms (i just hope im not feeding him too much now lol)
thanks again every1 when the tanks here i will take some pics when its put together and is set up
and if i have any more questions i know where to come

Faith73, I hope you don't keep 2 axies in a 10 gallon, that wouldnt be very comfortable

Hi Nemesea, I have a tank exactly the same dimensions as yours, I currently have one in it, as I've sadly lost the others) but I used to have 3. Personally i think my 3 were a bit cramped, as they were quite large. 2 is a good number in the tank, 3, if they are small, but I would not consider 4 or 5 in the tank, as others have suggested. The tank is 200l but the length is only just over 3ft, and that is the dimension that matters really.

Also i have moss balls, a bit of java fern that i bought stuck on a bit of bogwood that has got huge now, and something else leafy (think it might be anubius??) i never add any fertiliser to the tank, and only put the light on for a few hours every few days and they are thriving.

Good luck with your axies x

what im gonna do is wait till the tanks here and then make a decision but if we did get some more i think 3 in the tank would be the max (hoping to have a gold for jade and albino for melody so each one of my kids has one) but if the tanks only big enough for one then they will have to share him/her but i will just have to wait and see


also have some sad news one of jamie's fish died the other day...
im just a bit shocked as jamie showed no emotions at all but he did ask alot of questions and after i had answered them he just said ok and went and played
(his sister was different as she went a bi white and sat down and then kept asking where angle was)

Your tank will definitely be big enough for 2. I have 3 small adults in a 3 ft and there's no cramping so I think you should be fine.

3 will be fine in that tank, just keep on top of poop basting and you are getting some live plants, so that will help with the water quality too. Mine is just a biffa!! Lol.

My son was the same, he loves the axies, so I thought he would be devastated when we lost the others, but he seems to accept that they are no longer around without too many problems. I was really surprised.