Moon light...type thing.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3212&item=4336031936&rd=1

this is a link to a moon light thing on ebay. does anyone know if it would be suitable for axolotls and salamanders??

thanks.

Looks pretty expensive given the size of the lightstick ...

Wy not just use a samller tube Jen. If that thing only gives off blue light you won't be able to make out any natural colours.

Similar effect to street lamps only emitting yellow light no colours appear to be what they are.

"the light given off is the exact wavelength given off by the moon and has been rigorously tested on marine fish and corals for a minimum of 10 months and counting"

So far as I know, the moon itself does not give off any light, and I don't think an LED is emitting at that frequency anyway. Sounds like BS to me. Also, there is no evidence that moonlights in the aquarium are beneficial to fish and corals, or anything that says they're harmful either. People use them mostly in reef tanks to mimic nature and avoid stressing the animals with drastic changes from bright day time lighting to complete darkness. They're also good if you want to observe nocturnal species- like axolotls.

I'd be a bit wary of this particular product because of the first part I quoted, and because they haven't actually given any pictures of it in use. It is not that hard to take a picture of a tank at night. Especially when the tank has a light in it. Some of the best pictures I've taken have been in a dark room of with a dimly lighted aquarium. Just seems a bit fishy to me. It's also kind of cheap- I've seen moonlight fixtures costing upwards of 1000$ US in stores!

There are some do-it-yourself websites for moonlighting a tank, and I'd probably go that way. Google search "diy"+"moonlight" gives you thousands of hits. A couple I liked were these:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_moonlight.php

http://www.kaotica.com/frag/diy/moonlight/

I could be wrong about the lighy on ebay, and it could be a good buy! I don't like the idea of having it in the water though. If you do decide to try it, do you have some kind of fixture above the tank that you could wire it onto?

Just my two cents, let us know how it goes if you get it!

i would have thought itd fit into any light fixture?

think i might leave it then.

id just like a light to look at them that they wouldnt be bothered about. most of them dont seem to be that bothered by light when i had it in my previous tank but one of them did. the moon one would look pretty cool at night as well without being to bright to disturb sleep. and possibly them.

one of my axies balls has got extremely bigger and hes always hanging around the only known female i have. is this what they do to mate? its mating season now isnt it? the female doesnt seem to happy though.

also, another of my males which im pretty sure is a male. is quite fat but not overlly, but fatter than the other male. but his stomach has like two bumps in it that drag on the floor and has been like that for a while. are these two bumps andything to worry about. its kind of like just a dent in his stomach. but from a top view he isnt fat but at the side his belly proper drags on the floor like them popped belly pigs whilest my female is just wide fat.

Jenny, its called a cloaca. Axolotls do not have testicles, which are commonly referred to as 'balls'. You need to learn this. When a male gets into breeding condition, yes, he will follow around a female. If she doesnt want to mate, then they wont. Are you prepared for 200 babies? If not, I suggest you separate them

Its an LED fixture, not a regular lightbulb. It wouldnt fit into 'any light fixture'. From what I gather, its a seperate fixture. Like a lamp. However, it seems like a waste of money to me. Axies dont normally 'forage' and they do so by scent, not sight.

If your male has lumps, it could be serious. they could be abscesses or gravel stuck in the intestinal tract. You should take him to a vet familiar with herps and get him checked out.

PS: They're pot-belly pigs, not popped belly

I Got some blue light aquarium spotlights which i have in with my newts,theyre waterproof l.e.ds with "sucker" attachments so you can keep them under water.I tried them once with my axies but they didnt seem to like them and they(lights/wires) got in the way.
The newts dont Mind them at all, there are 2 underwater & 3 mounted on the glass above (shining down).THey dont cast much light & i think theyre cosmetic rather than anything else.
I think they look better in a semi aquatic set up
but thats just my opinion.
anyhoo i got my ones going cheap in Maplins Although i have seen similar in petshops.
Ive also seen a similar underwater laser beam thing which i would be a bit scared of..........

Karl, I also have the same under water lights as you. I fitted them, used them for a week then took them out.

Other than the wires getting in the way i found that the axies just kept pulling them off and i gave up sticking them back on.

yeah that happened to me too Kim!
bloody vandals!!

I do like the look of that cold cathode D.I.Y thing.
I might give it a go sometime

Yeah they cant leave anything alone... i put some plants in 5days ago and i've had to re plant them 3 times already!!

I was thinking of putting just above the water line... but i have just brought a new light, which they dont seem that fond of.. but i'll see what they are like after a week or so.

I personally wouldnt buy the link above due to some of the reasons posted by others, i think that a normal light on for a few hours is just enough to view them for.

they havent had gravel for a good few months. only sand. but i will take him vet on monday. i will try get a pic first though see what you think. she seems fine and eats fine. two of her middle toes got removed somehow in transit from my boyfriends to mine and she always has that front leg in the air n its like shes like 'rock on man!' hes so cool! or she.

Jenny, axies can retain gravel in their belly for years.

Just re: the light... as above. I found a really nice low halogen lamp (or other really low light lamp) put on the ground in front of their stand at night time creates a very low light effect. It was something I tried a few times to see how it would look on any sort of permanent basis (as having a lamp on your floor is a bet messy). The axies didn't seem to mind it at all and it actually looked kind of like moonlight or evening light looks in the water, it's a rather nice river effect and you can buy a little lamp like that for $10 or something from those bargain stores.

2 quick things: you can buy all the parts for that for FAR less than 25 pounds.

if you want a nightlight for your tank, I'd recommend getting a dimmer switch and a 10 watt (or less) incandescent bulb, and fine tuning the switch till you get a low enough glow.