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Wanting a bigger and better change! Help?

Zyfxa

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Joined
Dec 22, 2016
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Florida
Greetings! I have a 3 year old (4 years this November) Axolotl and I want to get him in a bigger tank with live plants, more hides, different flooring and an overall ascetically pleasing atmosphere. He is in a 20 gallon long with 2 hides black sand substrate and that's it, yep... that's it. Granted, he is doing great, eating well... maybe a bit too well..... but I wanna spoil him with some plants, more exciting hides, and different flooring. He has had medium/large river stones and sand substrate throughout his tank history, he likes the sand a lot better but I fear some day he will ingest too much and gain compaction and I don't wanna do stones, too much mess gets stuck under there, so what other options are there? Next thing is tank size, Ive seen these tanks where they're short in height and is long but I cannot seem to find them or know what they are called, would you recommend those tanks? and if so what are they called, if not then I will continue looking at the normal ones. The max size I think I'm willing to go is 40 gallons for him maybe a 55 if we get lucky. Next thing is plants, the jewelry of aquariums, what kind of plants would you recommend? I never dealt with plants in aquariums other then moss balls so the kind of lights, fertilizer/soil, etc is all gonna be new to me but I am willing to learn! :lame: For plants, I want something that provides a nice natural hiding place for him but I wanna be able to see my lil baby as well so nothing to overbearing in the tank. Colorful plants aren't necessary, just something that is great at minimizing nitrates and nitrites, adds decent but not too full flourish, and of course, is safe for him. Last thing are hides, I have a large aquarium log in there and a PVC pipe, depending on my options I may reuse those but any large hide suggestions would be great. Anything else you may want to add feel free and I'm excited to see what everyone's suggestions are!
Many thanks in advanced!:happy:
 

hunterwho

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Jan 12, 2020
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Elgin, IL
Honestly, your current setup sounds great already! I think sand should be fine, especially if you keep a dedicated feeding dish (a ceramic pot holder works well) to put his food in. It prevents them from ingesting a lot of sand.
Axolotls, being bottom-dwellers, don't care much about the verticality of your tank as much as how long it is. I don't know what you're referring to with the short, long tanks, but if you can find one, I'd say go for it. 40 gallons, especially long, is a great size for an axolotl, maybe even a few!
Plants for axolotls have to be able to withstand colder temperatures than most aquatics, and most plants don't grow great in the substrate axolotls have to be on, sand. I bought mine a java fern, and in the future, I plan to get some hornwort and java moss. These plants are ideal because 1. they don't form branching root systems through a substrate, like most plants, 2. they thrive in cooler temperatures with lower light, and 3. they provide a great hiding space for axolotls! Java ferns need to be attached to something so the axolotl can't tear them off, but they root in water instead of substrate, and only take a few days to get situated. Java moss, as the name implies, is moss, that loves to grow on decorations, hides, or stones, and is fun for them to walk on! Hornwort doesn't grow roots at all, and instead absorbs all its nitrogen through its stem; they have needles instead of leaves, and can grow really tall. If you really want to get fancy with plants, you can probably find some decent floaters, which can help filter the light for your axolotl and provide them a darker space to hide in. If you can get a grow light, go for it; it'll help the plants grow faster and larger, but some people think it stresses their axolotl to be exposed to light.

The hides sound pretty great; ceramic pots and "breeding huts" for livebearing fish also work well depending on the size of your axolotl. If you want to get creative, you can incorporate the plants into the design of the hides, and stack rocks around the sides to make it more denlike!

Best of luck with your axolotl! You're giving him a great life already, and it'll only get better with more additions :)
 
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