Sucks up sand when feeding

AxieHi, Im pretty new to keeping axols and have had one for approx a month now. When I first got him he was on aquarium gravel and after reading the danger of it i quivkly changed to "reptile sand" the sand is very fine and the bag says it is good to prevent scratches and is safe if ingested. But it doesnt appear if the sand was made for being underwater. Whenever I feed my axie it sucks up sand and the earthworms get sand on them when i drop them on the bottom. It looks like it breaths sand out after it eats a worm but it may just be sand moving from exhailing water. Is this bad for my axie?

I reduce sand consumption by feeding the axolotls with tongs or dropping their food onto a plate.

Reptile sand is not recommended -
It can be limestone based sand & mess with the tanks Ph.

Scroll half way down & it gives you a breakdown of all sand types.

http://www.caudata.org/axolotl-sanctuary/Aquascape.shtml

Playsand is fine & safe. Reptile sand can be very sharp.

Mine suck in a lot of sand when they inhale their food - it gets flushed out when they close their mouths & I often see it coming out from behind the gills (all totally normal) most of the sand is eliminated while they eat & I've found very little in their poop. I do try & hand feed or use tongs for earthworms to avoid ingestion. I'm about to move mine into a 6'ft tank with a bare bottom - I've had them in a 4'ft bare bottomed temp tank & cleaning is much easier than trying to vacuum sand but I prefer the look of sand so I may crumble & put it in lol



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Definitely get the reptile sand out. It's not aquarium-safe.

A lot of people who have sand use feeding jars or bowls to drop their food into. Less sand ingestion and also easier to clean up. :happy:

What is play sand and where would I find some? It seems hard to believe the reptile sand is dangerous, it seems more fine than most kinds of sand

BoBo478 said:

What is play sand and where would I find some? It seems hard to believe the reptile sand is dangerous, it seems more fine than most kinds of sand

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Reptile sand is intended to stay dry, it's not meant to be submerged as it can be made from mineral rich limestone which will mess with Ph.

If you're not testing parameters regularly then you won't realise how it is reacting to the sand - so best avoided.

Playsand is a river sand & tends to be fine well rounded fine particles - it needs to be washed thoroughly (then rinsed again ... lol) & it will look wonderful & not be a risk for ingestion or impaction.

I believe the best place to look for it is a hardware store - sometimes in the children's area (sandpit sand). Someone located in the States can offer exact locations - sorry I'm in Australia & not familiar with the stores over there.

In the meantime remove your sand & leave the tank bare bottomed until you find the Playsand - I'd also test the water to see if it's been affected.



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Ok I will switch to playsand then, since im moving it to a 30 gal anyways, any ideas on a color of sand that will make my gfp axolotl stand out more under a black light?

You can get a lot of cheap, good sand at Home Depot. It's good to use, except you have to thoroughly rinse it yourself, as well as check through to make sure there are no big pebbles.

The thing about sand is that, though axies can pass it, it could take months for all of the sand to completely pass through their system, which could eventually lead to problems (and I imagine it might be uncomfortable too) so I personally feed Godric in such a way that he doesn't eat the sand at all.

Don't drop the worms directly onto the sand; just dangle them in the water with your fingers until the axie grabs them. It's much better.

BoBo478 said:

Ok I will switch to playsand then, since im moving it to a 30 gal anyways, any ideas on a color of sand that will make my gfp axolotl stand out more under a black light?

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How many times do you intend on subjecting your axolotl to black light?

I understand the novelty of having a GFP axolotl - but I don't think you understand how intense a black light fluoro can be especially to a small creature who has no eyelids. It is not recommended to shine black lights on any animal & prolonged exposure to UVA/UVB is best avoided.

Please rethink the whole black light idea - you wouldn't want a blind axolotl.

Lighter colour sands are easier to clean as you can see the poop / uneaten foods & siphon it them out before it loads up the filter. Playsand just tends to come in a light beachy colour - looks great with large rocks & plants



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I dont intend on keeping a black light on him, Although when people come over and im showing them my axol that glows under a blacklight I want it to glow the best it can. Thats the only time I really ever turn the blacklight on him. Also, is there anything that can make him glow more? Also, is there any way to make him glow more, he seems fairly dim under my blacklight I turn on it