Kylehubble
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- Kyle_Hubble
Hey there everyone, this is my first post on Caudata forums, so sorry in advance if I made any mistakes with posting. I just wanted to share my set up of my 30 gallon planted tank with you guys, and I was interested in your comments / concerns.
First off, this tank took some work. It features two decently sized driftwood pieces, both with hollowed out parts that my axolotls love to hide in when the light is on. These driftwood pieces have java fern and various anubias planted within them. This tank is only 3 weeks old to add, in case you were wondering about growth issues. It was also cycled for two weeks before axolotls were added, I put in 20 minnow feeders to start a nitrogen cycle as well as a few zebra snails.
The substrate I used was play sand, which seems odd for a planted tank, however it is treated with good lighting (4-6 hours a day) and weekly liquid fertilizer (amphibian, newt and reptile safe). I could have gone out of my way at this point to buy planting sand, but it just worked out the way it did. The plants all have been growing out roots, and most have new shoots and leaves.
My tank is filtered with two NatGeo 30 gallon tank rated underwater filters. I have plans of eventually getting a canister but these two filters pump out some decent flow and I only really have to do a water change it seems 20% a week, as its usually crystal clear.
My room that I keep the tank in is fairly cold and the tank temperature stays around 65-69 degrees, which from what I've read is on point. The axolotls seem fairly active in this temperature and like to move around, but also do their fair share of hiding too. My leucistic (not yet gendered) seems to like being out all the time, while my Het Copper Wild type (not yet gendered) seem to enjoy hiding in the shade behind the rotala indica bushes by the driftwood. My lighting fixture produces little heat however equals out to about 2 watts per gallon of water; I keep it on about 4-6 hours a day.
I purchased these axolotls from a recent reptile show in Hamburg, and the Het Copper Wild type have much smaller gills then my leucistic. Not sure what that could entail health-wise, however I seem to understand its just genetics. They all generally come up for air every couple minutes, and flap their gills every 10-15 seconds when I view them with the light on. That's just a general observation so it may differ from time to time. Anyways, Ill include pictures of my tank, please give comments and opinions and thanks for reading!
First off, this tank took some work. It features two decently sized driftwood pieces, both with hollowed out parts that my axolotls love to hide in when the light is on. These driftwood pieces have java fern and various anubias planted within them. This tank is only 3 weeks old to add, in case you were wondering about growth issues. It was also cycled for two weeks before axolotls were added, I put in 20 minnow feeders to start a nitrogen cycle as well as a few zebra snails.
The substrate I used was play sand, which seems odd for a planted tank, however it is treated with good lighting (4-6 hours a day) and weekly liquid fertilizer (amphibian, newt and reptile safe). I could have gone out of my way at this point to buy planting sand, but it just worked out the way it did. The plants all have been growing out roots, and most have new shoots and leaves.
My tank is filtered with two NatGeo 30 gallon tank rated underwater filters. I have plans of eventually getting a canister but these two filters pump out some decent flow and I only really have to do a water change it seems 20% a week, as its usually crystal clear.
My room that I keep the tank in is fairly cold and the tank temperature stays around 65-69 degrees, which from what I've read is on point. The axolotls seem fairly active in this temperature and like to move around, but also do their fair share of hiding too. My leucistic (not yet gendered) seems to like being out all the time, while my Het Copper Wild type (not yet gendered) seem to enjoy hiding in the shade behind the rotala indica bushes by the driftwood. My lighting fixture produces little heat however equals out to about 2 watts per gallon of water; I keep it on about 4-6 hours a day.
I purchased these axolotls from a recent reptile show in Hamburg, and the Het Copper Wild type have much smaller gills then my leucistic. Not sure what that could entail health-wise, however I seem to understand its just genetics. They all generally come up for air every couple minutes, and flap their gills every 10-15 seconds when I view them with the light on. That's just a general observation so it may differ from time to time. Anyways, Ill include pictures of my tank, please give comments and opinions and thanks for reading!
