Ashlimarie83
Member
Hello!
I just wanted to come and introduce myself to other Axolotl lovers as I will soon be joining you ranks! I have been lurking a little on this site for a while now, but have finally decided to join in on the fun. I will soon be getting my very first Axies hopefully in about a month or so. I know I'm pretty far off from getting them, but I like to do my research and I want to make sure their home is nice and nearly perfect before I introduce my new babies.
I did have a couple questions however, and if any of you would be willing to bestow your advice on me, I would be very appreciative.
Firstly, at the moment I have a 40 gallon tank with a mesh hinged lid set up on a long table. Do you think this would be okay to house maybe 4 axolotls?
I also was recently gifted (after some blatant nudging) a wonderful Eheim classic 250 canister filter, because I have heard axolotls can produce a lot of waste and I've been told it's the best kind to get. However, I believe it came with a spray bar, which I assume will go on the surface of the water (I haven't started setting it up yet). Will this be okay for circulating oxygen through the water or should I get a bubble stone? Also, do you think I should put a mounted rock or something near it to break up the current so it won't stress the Axies?
Other than that, I also have purchased some Tetra Safe Start Plus solution to help cycle the tank. I have read the tank needs to have a well established bacteria colony to assist in lowering nitrogen levels and to keep healthy axolotls. This solution says it has concentrated aquarium bacteria in it as it is, so will this be okay in beginning to cycle the tank for about a week or so before the axolotls? I also have some Tetra Start Zyme tablets I bought because I was not sure which was better. The Start Zyme tablets also say that they are a complete water condition with beneficial bacteria and they removes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals. Should I use the tablets first to dechlorinate, then the Safe Start Plus or one or the other?
I am also considering some things for my tanks decorations. I was leaning towards using very fine black sand for the substrate at the bottom of my tank, but also might use large smooth river stones. The only issue with the river stones was I am not sure where to get them and I'm not sure I'd like not being able to find my Axolotls underneath the stones. Besides that, I was looking into some flora to liven up the tank a bit and make the axolotls more comfortable. I have learned that a lot of plants get rooted up by Axolotls, but floating plants, potted plants, and such work well. Could anyone give me some advice on aesthetically pleasing plants for the tank? I've heard good things about Anacharis.
I have also been considering some cool looking hides such as castles and bridges to make kind of a dragon type theme in my tank. I know that I must be very choosy on the type of material I use in my tank, such as no BPA plastics or materials that could leech off into the water. Is there any suggestions on types of objects or places that would be best to get such things?
On another note, I also have researched food types for my babies. I was leaning more towards raising my own earthworms and supplementing their diet with higher quality pellet food as well to make sure the get all the proper nutrients. Is this an okay idea? I had considered daphnia, but I feel earthworms would be easier to raise and I would like to hand feed my babies (with very clean hands of course!).
Last but not least, I am very unsure of where to get my new pets from. I know there are a couple pet stores in my area that sell axolotls, but the ones I have seen the tanks look very un-kept and murky/cloudy. I was thinking about looking into getting them from a breeder, perhaps from the website, but I was hoping to get specific colors (such as golden albino, albino, cream/leucistic, and either copper or black) and preferably, large but similar sized juveniles (to prevent cannibalism), yet I am also worried about how much inbreeding has occurred.
Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read all this and I really appreciate any and all advice or comments!
Hopefully within the next month or so I will be able to decorate my threads with pictures of my tank and beautiful babies!!
I just wanted to come and introduce myself to other Axolotl lovers as I will soon be joining you ranks! I have been lurking a little on this site for a while now, but have finally decided to join in on the fun. I will soon be getting my very first Axies hopefully in about a month or so. I know I'm pretty far off from getting them, but I like to do my research and I want to make sure their home is nice and nearly perfect before I introduce my new babies.
I did have a couple questions however, and if any of you would be willing to bestow your advice on me, I would be very appreciative.
Firstly, at the moment I have a 40 gallon tank with a mesh hinged lid set up on a long table. Do you think this would be okay to house maybe 4 axolotls?
I also was recently gifted (after some blatant nudging) a wonderful Eheim classic 250 canister filter, because I have heard axolotls can produce a lot of waste and I've been told it's the best kind to get. However, I believe it came with a spray bar, which I assume will go on the surface of the water (I haven't started setting it up yet). Will this be okay for circulating oxygen through the water or should I get a bubble stone? Also, do you think I should put a mounted rock or something near it to break up the current so it won't stress the Axies?
Other than that, I also have purchased some Tetra Safe Start Plus solution to help cycle the tank. I have read the tank needs to have a well established bacteria colony to assist in lowering nitrogen levels and to keep healthy axolotls. This solution says it has concentrated aquarium bacteria in it as it is, so will this be okay in beginning to cycle the tank for about a week or so before the axolotls? I also have some Tetra Start Zyme tablets I bought because I was not sure which was better. The Start Zyme tablets also say that they are a complete water condition with beneficial bacteria and they removes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals. Should I use the tablets first to dechlorinate, then the Safe Start Plus or one or the other?
I am also considering some things for my tanks decorations. I was leaning towards using very fine black sand for the substrate at the bottom of my tank, but also might use large smooth river stones. The only issue with the river stones was I am not sure where to get them and I'm not sure I'd like not being able to find my Axolotls underneath the stones. Besides that, I was looking into some flora to liven up the tank a bit and make the axolotls more comfortable. I have learned that a lot of plants get rooted up by Axolotls, but floating plants, potted plants, and such work well. Could anyone give me some advice on aesthetically pleasing plants for the tank? I've heard good things about Anacharis.
I have also been considering some cool looking hides such as castles and bridges to make kind of a dragon type theme in my tank. I know that I must be very choosy on the type of material I use in my tank, such as no BPA plastics or materials that could leech off into the water. Is there any suggestions on types of objects or places that would be best to get such things?
On another note, I also have researched food types for my babies. I was leaning more towards raising my own earthworms and supplementing their diet with higher quality pellet food as well to make sure the get all the proper nutrients. Is this an okay idea? I had considered daphnia, but I feel earthworms would be easier to raise and I would like to hand feed my babies (with very clean hands of course!).
Last but not least, I am very unsure of where to get my new pets from. I know there are a couple pet stores in my area that sell axolotls, but the ones I have seen the tanks look very un-kept and murky/cloudy. I was thinking about looking into getting them from a breeder, perhaps from the website, but I was hoping to get specific colors (such as golden albino, albino, cream/leucistic, and either copper or black) and preferably, large but similar sized juveniles (to prevent cannibalism), yet I am also worried about how much inbreeding has occurred.
Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read all this and I really appreciate any and all advice or comments!
Hopefully within the next month or so I will be able to decorate my threads with pictures of my tank and beautiful babies!!