NadeZ's 4ft Tank

I've finally moved my adult leucystic and two juvenile wildtypes into a 4ft (200L) tank so the purpose of this thread is to seek advice on various aspects of the setup and to post updates and pictures as the tank develops.

Tank
122x38x46cm (LxWxH)
Filled to just over 180L

Filtration
Fluval 306 Canister Filter with 60cm Spray Bar
Hydor Prime 10 Canister Filter (backup filter)

Lighting
38W T8 Fluorescent Tube (not in use)


Initial Setup Pictures

Substrate
I plan on ordering substrate on the weekend or next week and am torn between sand and pebbles. I've used sand before and, while easy to clean, it rapidly accumulates muck and becomes discoloured. I plan on heavily planting this tank during the summer at which point any waste will be little more than an aesthetic issue and so pebbles would hide the muck nicely.
For now I think I will use sand primarily with pebbles dispersed around the tank. Where is the cheapest place to buy pebbles and polished rocks of varying size?

Low Light Plants
As mentioned above, I am going to heavily plant this tank with both aquatic and terrestrial plants (with roots in the water) over the summer. But for now I need some aquatic plants that can survive (and ideally thrive) in a room with no direct sunlight. I have java moss and marimo moss balls, neither of which have grown much in the two months that I have had them. I was hoping that the java moss would establish a little but it seems the lighting is just too low. What other plants can grow without a dedicated light source and can be planted in sand without issue?

Light Intensity
I do have the option of turning on the 38W T8 tube in the tank hood, but it is too bright for the axololts. Is there anything that can be done to reduce the brightness of the tube, or to prevent light reaching the axolotls at the bottom of the tank?

Pebbles are generally a no-no. The axies will swallow them - you'd be darn surprised at how big of a thing they can swallow. Unless these rocks /pebbles are the size of your FIST, don't.

Use sand. Plants root in it nicely and it's axis safe :>

Anubias will be okay with little light, or mine has so far. Other than that I can't think of any plants xD axies are little bulldozers, they love to destroy live plants.

No to pebbles. I started out with large rocks - fist sized - and soon found it was an absolute nightmare to clean. Food and poop got stuck between the rock and the water quality was off within days of a clean out. And my axies decided to move the rocks at random intervals, make scary clunking noises in a big glass tank.

Sand with rocks for decorations is good though.

Anubias and pond weed are cheap and great for bunging in a low light tank for a start.

And TBH I would not light an axie tank, so can't comment on lights.

Kaini said:

Pebbles are generally a no-no. The axies will swallow them - you'd be darn surprised at how big of a thing they can swallow. Unless these rocks /pebbles are the size of your FIST, don't.

Use sand. Plants root in it nicely and it's axis safe :>

Anubias will be okay with little light, or mine has so far. Other than that I can't think of any plants xD axies are little bulldozers, they love to destroy live plants.

Click to expand...

auntiejude said:

No to pebbles. I started out with large rocks - fist sized - and soon found it was an absolute nightmare to clean. Food and poop got stuck between the rock and the water quality was off within days of a clean out. And my axies decided to move the rocks at random intervals, make scary clunking noises in a big glass tank.

Sand with rocks for decorations is good though.

Anubias and pond weed are cheap and great for bunging in a low light tank for a start.

And TBH I would not light an axie tank, so can't comment on lights.

Click to expand...

I'd been planning fist sized to avoid impaction but if it really is such a nightmare to clean then I will stick to sand and reconsider when the tank is heavily planted. Anubias look like a nice mid-ground plant, how do you keep them rooted in the sand? I've seen lead weights for fish tanks but I was under the impression that lead was highly toxic?
When you say pondweed, do you mean duck weed? I got some from a generous hobbyist in January and it had died off within 2 months, but not before getting stuck on everything and clogging up the filter. Much as I'd like to use duckweed to enable lighting of the tank, it was just too much of a nuisance. Was this what you were referring to? If so, are there other, less annoying surface 'light-blocking' plants?
When I plant the tank in the summer, I plan to mount the lighting about 2ft above the water to avoid heating and lighting of the water itself but I am not sure how effective this will be and for now, I just don't have the time to build a custom mounting frame.

Great to see they have such a spacious and nicely decorated tank! I'm sure they'll be happy in there

bugdozer said:

Great to see they have such a spacious and nicely decorated tank! I'm sure they'll be happy in there

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Yeah, they are all getting on fine, I was a little worried about my adult nibbling them but there hasn't been any trouble. Will take some better pictures on the weekend when I have a little more time to arrange ornaments and setup the substrate. This week has been a busy one so all I was able to do was chuck all the decorations I have into the tank for a quick phone picture.

Had a little buying spree when I saw the SwellUK free delivery this weekend. To fill up the empty baskets of the Fluval 306, I purchased 1L of Eheim Substrat Pro which should be easy to clean and minimize clogging. A Seachem Ammonia Alert will allow me to check the status of the tank at a glance in between regular water tests. Threw in a small piece of bogwood too as it was £3 for a foot long piece. I also picked up a bag of sand to stop the tank looking so empty, and a hose adapter for the bathroom tap which should make water changes a doddle (no more heaving a 25L bucket over my shoulders)!

Bogwood
I'm interested in filling the tank with bogwood to create a dense environment with lots of levels to provide lots of walkways for the axies, as well as a nice place for java moss to blossom. Online, I've found pieces that take up a cubic foot for £10-£15. This is pretty reasonable but it would still cost £50+ to fill the tank and it's hard to know what you're getting from a picture.

Are there any fantastic websites to buy bogwood, with lots of varieties, pictures, and cheap prices?
Do any stores sell bogwood, or something equally suitable at reasonable prices in the UK?Are any types of bogwood harmful to axolotls?
Is it possible to find nice wild specimens out and about in the UK, if so, where do you look?

NadeZ said:

Had a little buying spree when I saw the SwellUK free delivery this weekend. To fill up the empty baskets of the Fluval 306, I purchased 1L of Eheim Substrat Pro which should be easy to clean and minimize clogging. A Seachem Ammonia Alert will allow me to check the status of the tank at a glance in between regular water tests. Threw in a small piece of bogwood too as it was £3 for a foot long piece. I also picked up a bag of sand to stop the tank looking so empty, and a hose adapter for the bathroom tap which should make water changes a doddle (no more heaving a 25L bucket over my shoulders)!

Bogwood
I'm interested in filling the tank with bogwood to create a dense environment with lots of levels to provide lots of walkways for the axies, as well as a nice place for java moss to blossom. Online, I've found pieces that take up a cubic foot for £10-£15. This is pretty reasonable but it would still cost £50+ to fill the tank and it's hard to know what you're getting from a picture.

Are there any fantastic websites to buy bogwood, with lots of varieties, pictures, and cheap prices?
Do any stores sell bogwood, or something equally suitable at reasonable prices in the UK?Are any types of bogwood harmful to axolotls?
Is it possible to find nice wild specimens out and about in the UK, if so, where do you look?

Click to expand...

I got some for my tank from Maidenhead Aquatics. It was cheaper than other places I've seen it and they had a nice variety.

Update 1
Added sand, reorganised the ornaments and sorted out the mess of cables running this thing. A fellow caudata member was kind enough to give me two 3 year old axolotls in a 3ft tank with a bunch of hides and filters. Shoutout to Priesty! The majority of the hides have been used in the 4ft tank since the 3ft tank is sheltered in the bottom of the unit.

Full Front Setup


4ft Tank


4ft Tank Left Side


4ft Tank Front Left


4ft Tank Front Middle


4ft Tank Front Right


4ft Tank Right Side


Filters and Cables


The camera's exposure was a little high, the light is nowhere near as bright as the pictures suggest, but is still only used for pictures.

180 Liters of beautiful space, and where do all three axolotls choose to hangout..?

Nice set up

Once i finished downstairs I might consider getting another tank, really like the look of your 4ft tank but I just don't have the space/time at the moment.






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What are their names?

bugdozer said:

What are their names?

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I haven't decided yet, was going to wait until they can be sexed. What did you name the ones that you kept?

NadeZ said:

I haven't decided yet, was going to wait until they can be sexed. What did you name the ones that you kept?

Click to expand...

They are Anders and Galadriel. Galadriel already shows clear signs of being a boy, which is annoying! Anders I'm not sure about yet. Sod's law will probably ensure that "he" turns out to be a girl... I don't really want to have to divide the tank to stop breeding.

Built a lighting mount so that the 38W T8 Tube can be raised well above the water to provide light for plants growing out of the water. At the lowest height, it provides light for aquatic plants but, since it is at the back of the tank, allows shade in the front half of the tank. Since the back of the tank is filled with hides, this should enable a good photoperiod for the tank without bothering the axolotls. It is a vast improvement on the original light fixture which was far too bright across the whole of the tank and no good for plants above the water level.


The Seachem Ammonia Alert arrived today and is working fantastically, providing an 'at a glance' reading of the ammonia levels.

I've always wondered if the alert was worth getting. But now it looks like it just might be worth it. Thank you

After 2 months of exams, I'm finally back home and the tank has come a long way while my brother took care of it. Just before I left, I planted 20 Valisneria along the back of the tank. These have doubled in size and now stretch out over the surface to the front of the tank. I had also bound some tiny clumps of java moss to cylinders of plastic mesh. These too have grown and are now almost covered. My plan is to slip the cylinders over the filter inlet and spray bar to hide the pipework. The moss has propagated on the surface side (pointing towards the light) so I'll first need to rotate the cylinders to get the result I want.
Sadly it seems my brother got a little lazy with the water changes towards the end and algae had completely taken over the glass and surfaces. I've since cleared up the glass and done a large water change but I still need to give the ornaments and pipework a scrub when I find the time.
The Fluval 306 is still making a rattling noise so I'm looking for a replacement, probably a Hydor Professional 250.
The axolotls still rarely leave their hides during the day, so it isn't just because of the new tank. I still can't figure out why they are so shy. When I go to bed, the blue moonlight shows them wandering around as normal, although not swimming much. But I rarely see them before the room light goes out. I find this odd as the axolotls in my 3ft tank, which receives the same room lighting, are always swimming about.
Speaking of the 3ft tank, the albino's gills have grown back a lot although the wildtype is still completely gill-less. I'm thinking of putting the albino in to the 4ft once I've added some more hides.

Re-arranged the ornaments to give a less cluttered look and added some pebbles to the back to hide the roots of the valisneria and prevent the axolotls from digging them up.


I've also added the java moss sheaths to the pipework but they still need to grow out a bit more


I'm currently planning to add some shelves to the interior to drastically improve the floor space and create more hides. I also want to get some more pebbles or the back and some more live plants.

Any recommendations for live plants to add to this setup?

Filtration
New filter, the buzzing from the Fluval 306 was driving me mad so I replaced it with the Hydor Professional 250 and I must say that I'm very impressed. The telescopic intake and modular spray bar make the pipework extremely versatile and the construction of the canister seems much better than the Fluval, with minimal chance of water bypass.



Lighting
The 38W T8 light was well past its prime and it was beginning to show in the plants. So I took the whole thing out and made a DIY CFL light fixture out of some gutter and aluminium tape. I've now got 100W of lights, still directed at the rear of the tank, which should allow for the growth of higher light plants. The other advantage of CFLs is that when they stop producing photo-synthetically useful light, I can just swap them out for new ones and carry on using the old ones in ordinary house light fixtures. I have it set so that one light comes on at 8:30am, with the other four joining it at 9:00am. The latter four then turn off at 6:00pm, with a single light staying on until 6:30pm. This creates a more gentle transition so that the axolotls aren't too shocked when the lights come on. At night I an RGB LED strip which I have set to a dim white until I go to sleep, at which point I switch it to a dim blue to mimic moonlight.



Bogwood
Found an excellent supplier of bogwood that was able to ship me some beautiful pieces for a very reasonable price. I let these soak for a week in the bath, just to make sure that all traces of tannic acid had been removed. I've since added them all to the tank to continue soaking as two of the pieces still float, and two others are not completely waterlogged. I absolutely love the new look! Not only does it provide complete shade from the lights, allowing me to do away with hides that obscured my gorgeous axolotls from view. But also creates a very natural, swamp-like, feel in the tank. The axolotls seem to really enjoy the bogwood. They've been much more active that usual, clambering along the new levels to the tank!


Fish
After much deliberation, I took the plunge and purchased 10 cloud mountain minnows, 10 female guppies, and 4 male guppies. I quarantined them for a fortnight, but since I knew the previous owner, I could be confident that they were healthy and added them to the main tank. I was scared initially, as 2 of the minnows started nibbling at the gills of my albino. I waved them away and haven't seen any violence since. I lost 2 guppies due to jumping out, and 2 more have disappeared, but 20 fish still remain and give the axolotls a wide birth. The axolotls ignore the fish for the most part, occasionally stalking them but never fast enough to catch them! I'm glad I chose to do this, it really spices up the tank, adding movement to the upper levels and really filling out the aqaurium. All the female guppies are pregnant but I am not sure if they will give birth at the low temperature of the tank.


Happy axolotls!