Tank setup help........ pleeaaaassssseeeeee

[HMAxolotl]

Hi
Firstly i have a 3ft long and 1 and bit ft wide tank and was planning on getting 3 axolotls (very excited )... but will this be ok?
I have some medium sized pebbles for the floor of the tank and got them from a gardening centre, washed them off with a hose and boiled them for 3 hours is this ok?
I have a peice of black pvc pipe and some large rocks for them to hide...
Im thinking of feeding them a range of frozen bloodwrms, frozen brime shrimp and thrawed tubifex worms is this ok or should i be using live food aswell...?
My biggest dilema is with my water iv had the tank set up since the end of april and was a friends previously but when i had the water tested a week ago the parameters were all high... My problem is the person im getting them off of wants me to take them at the weekend (i feel like i have made her wait a a while and feel like im taking the p**s but i dont want to kill them!!! is there anything i can do to so that i can put them in my tank without killing them . Could i cycle the tank with them in there or is this a bad idea...

I appreciate any help and advice to make me a great owner please and thank you...

 

[Shizeric]

3 Axies is the absolute max for a tank that size, it is acceptable, but larger would be better.

Do not use pebbles...new owners always underestimate the Axololt's ability to engulf things, and this often causes big problems....use sand...it's cheap, easy to clean, and no risk.

Try to find earthworms..either in gardens without pesiticides and fertilizers...or order them online

You can cycle a tank with animals in there, but 3 axolotls in only a 3ft tank is going to be extremely difficult, and if it is your first time, this may be a bit too challenging.

 

[HMAxolotl]

Thanks for the reply, so would i be better off with 2 as i wouldnt go anymore than 3 anyways but i was planing on getting three different colours... and the person im getting them from said 3 would be no more trouble than 2 but if 2 would be better then i guess i could tell them i only want 2 (dont know what colours to get now ) Also i have done loads of reserch about substrate and i chose the largest pebbles i can find and am confident thay will not be able to fit in the axolotls mouth.... If i did cycle the tank with them in it (as a last resort) how would i do this or should i keep them in another container and do the daily water changes in there untill my tank has cycled fully.... I can get some pictures if people are willing to give me some advice with the layout aswel....

 

[Shizeric]

Pictures would help significantly (especially of the substrate). And 3 is more work than 2 because of the increased feeding, cleaning, and the setup of the tank would require more hides and whatnot to accomodate more axolotls.

 

[ted22]

Hellooo I agree 3 axies for a nooob will be mental its hard enough work lookin after one! Id recommend getting one to begin with and once you get the hang of things go from there! I wanted a black one and a white one but I am so glad i diddnt, axolotls are very easy to look after but it does take abit of practise to get it all right as their needs and requirements are quite specific (although easily achieved) its best to get one as your are bound to make a couple of begginners mistakes (dont worry we all have) and wouldnt want to risk the health of 3animals at the same time in the process.

Axolotls live a very long time you will have plenty of time to collect the whole set!

You are cycling your tank, are you doing daily 10-20% water changes? also unless your axies are babys theres no need for the brine shrimp they just make a mess! my axie loves crickets!

Hope you do the sensible thing, nice to meet you!

>ed<

 

[Shizeric]

I hate it when I give advice and it is just repeated by next person

Better for advice to be given twice than not at all.

 

[ted22]

It looks like he/she is doing a fishless cycle right now...well they have no axolotl so I assume there is no other fish/amphibian in the tank

Surely theres an ammonia source of some kind like a bit of food or something? otherwise how will it cycle?

 

[HMAxolotl]

Def go with sand, pebbles will just tick you off and you will remove them.
Will play sand be ok if washed out properly... Cheapest option but i just put the pebbles in this morning my mum will have something to say about that :uhohim not a kid lol, 17 but she wll object i have hassled her so much with axolotls and she didnt want me to get them in the first place (she thinks there ugly lol)

How large are the axolotl? if they are small you could house all three if you plan to upgrade in a few months.
Around 5cms is what iv been told and my mum would kill me if i said i was going to upgrade lol

I have a tank slightly bigger than yours which houses two I am planning to add a third as well. As long as you provide a hide for each Axolotl and there are enough barriers, plants etc so they can have there own space and not feel crowded you should be ok, you may be cleaning waste quiet a bit too.
You live in lewisham right.. Have u hered of supremes pet shop an axolotls in there needs saving i feel sorry for it if you want a third axolotl... (just thought i would let you know lol)

What have you been using to cycle the tank? you really should invest in a water test kit, £30 will get you a years worth of tests! The PVC pipe is a great hide I use them also.

I havnt used anything to cycle the tank i just keep trying to get my head around it i thought you could just leave it untill recently keep meaning to get a test kit found one one ebay just over £20 :wacko: I got a piece of pvc pipe for whilst their small and the large rocks make another hideing place... Just need some plants....

Whats the quickest thing you can suggest to get the axolotls off of this womens back i have hassled her for ages... I think she might be getting fed up with me and that....
Im working on getting some pictures having trouble with putting them on the computer... Thank you for your reply, oh do you give your axolotls earth worms if you do where do you get them from...

 

[Shizeric]

The best thing to do if you are doing a fishless cycle is try to get some substrate or something that would contain bacteria from an already established aquarium. Sometimes pet stores will give you a hand with this, or perhaps this woman who is selling you the Axolotls will have a bit you can borrow.

I feed my axolotls earth worms that I collect from my parent's yard.

 

[HMAxolotl]

Help from everyone is appreciated i dont mind if its repeated and the more to read the more advice i will take in

 

[Shizeric]

But in my own opinion you can house them now and possibly as adults in the tank

Yeah, the general rule is 1ft or 10Gallons per Axoltol. A 3 ft. tank is probably 30 gallon.

This tank would be ok for 3 Axolotls, but with the 1 ft/Axolotl rule, this is the absolute maximum of Axies you can own comfortably.

 

[HMAxolotl]

Ok i got the pictures of the tank, the tanks not finished and i have a lid just took it off for now since i put water in without treating it any suggestions please..., I dont know why my parameters are high... Im confused myself

 

[Shizeric]

You won't need to change the water, as the chlorine will evaporate out as the water sits...usually 48 hours and the water will be fine. But, you do need to change the pebbles out. (They can potentailly be swallowed, and will trap a GREAT deal of waste and foul your water very quickly.) Also, if you plan for 3 axies, you will need more hides.

 

[HMAxolotl]

Ok so what about the water???

 

[Shizeric]

Ok so what about the water???

If you are referring to why the parameters are so high, I have no idea..there should be no source of ammonia, so there should be no reading. I would get a test kit and retest, to make sure your initial results were accurate.

 

[Mac Myers]

Around here we have chloramines in our water too.

 

[HMAxolotl]

Yeah i think the water does thats why i left the lid off so it would evaporate... I will treat the water when i do any new water changes and such...
The tank and equitmnet was used by a friend of mine who kept fish in there, she said she cleaned it out using water from the tank... But when i filled it back up again i didnt get rid of the clorine so i dont know if that got rid of the good bacteria... But is the tank not cycling now... And what should i do about the axolotls i was plannig on picking them up on the weekend... But im guessing that would be a bad idea .
So should i get rid of the huge rocks and can i keep the pebbles as i plan on using a syphone and dont mind the extra work i have to do to clean them its nothing compared to work iv done before...

 

[HMAxolotl]

Omg you are so helpful thank you soooo much i spoke to my mum and she said your keeping the pebbles but i will put sand in without her knowing but do i need to wash the sand and if so how... ? Ummm the large large rocks should i take them out and just put some more pipe in and get some plants... and are you sure the acolotls will be ok when im cycling the tank with them in there Should i only get two whilst doing this... Im getting an albino one with blue eyes definatly and a golden albino or black/brown one not sure what one out of the two (could decide for me) And do i need to take the water out to get rid of the chloramines or can i treat it in the tank and sorry if i sound like an idiot but what are chloramines I have a fluval 104 canister filter....
I think that is it i really do appreciate all of your time and help
but random question do you know about that petshop near ladywell lol...

 

[HMAxolotl]

lol i live in newcross not far... I saw my first axolotl in person in there a week ago with a missing leg... I think you should save it its on really small gravel and it had a bright light on it...
I will change the water and get a test kit before getting them just so i know where everything is at... i will check the filter i have before but i will again... I havnt got a problem doing the water changes and will le you know how everthing does and the levels . The temperature is starting to worry me as in hot whether my room is in the sun all day so gets quite hot so i need to think about that some more... Where do you get your earthworms from if i gug them up from the garden would they not have parasites my mum dosnt spray pesticides and that.... Thanks again for all of your time you have helped me looooaaaaaaadddddddddsssssss... And i just emailed the women about only having two... And i think i need food for saturday aswell lol

 

[HMAxolotl]

Ok good good, i saw that little boy he sold us a rabbit i swear thats illegal... I use that pets at home and know someone who works in there i will go up there and get some stuff... I have somelet over pvc pipe its my mums so im going to steal it lol Im not looking forward to the worms but i guess if it keeps them happy il have to get my sister to do it lol... Well im going to start sorting it out tomorrow so i will keep you updated... Thanks for all of your help again and i look forward to the update ...