New to the Forum and Crazy for Axolotls!

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Zp00ky

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Just thought I'd drop a short note to say I'm new to the forum and have just picked up two new axolotl babies for my 5 year old son's 30 gallon tank. The first one is golden albino named "Bananas" and a true white albino named "Pajamas". I've never owned these before and am excited to have them!

They are in a bare bottom tank at the moment but I want to eventually put some black sand in. I'm just unsure what type. I'd really like to use the Estes black sand but its not available where I live and shipping it across the border is a ridiculous cost. Would anyone recommend the aqua terra black sand or the Carib sea black moon sand as alternatives? The person at the LFS said it was but I'm not sure I believe them. I ask this question because I want to star off on the right foot so there are no problems down the road.

Anyways, it's great to be on the forum and am looking forward to your suggestions!
 
Whatever type of sand should work as long as its fish safe. You can also use rocks as long as they are bigger than your axies head.
 
salamandergod said:
Whatever type of sand should work as long as its fish safe.
Click to expand...

Actually, this is not the case.

There are larger sands, that are around the 2mm mark. These may be smooth to touch, however if ingested, axies, it can accumulate and impact your axolotl. This can sometimes be the case with smaller sized sand, however the smaller size is much more easy for an axolotl to process, and thus a much smaller risk to impact.

Coral based sand are a big nono because of the calcium carbonate turning your water acidic (often used in saltwater tanks).

Avoid things that add chemicals and metals to the water (eg. Flourite).

As for the CaribSea TMS, it seems to depend on the bag. Some people have received very sharp sand, others smooth. Sometimes there are large jagged particles inside, sometimes not. Read this thread, if you haven't already: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...e/80274-warning-about-tahitian-moon-sand.html

Here's an outside thread I found that talks about Estes, TMS, and aquaterra: Estes marine sand review


Welcome to the forum, Zp00ky :)
 
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