72 gallon completely redone!

[Jenste]

I had posted a couple weeks ago about being bored with my tank http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-beginner-newt-salamander-axolotl-help-topics/f48-axolotls-ambystoma-mexicanum/f59-axolotl-tank-set-ups-filters-substrate/85235-bored-my-set-up.html


Here is my tank before....it felt cluttered and thrown together, and they, sadly, never used the big ceramic pots to the right as I hoped they would.

Well I have finally decided that, for now at least, I am satisfied with my tank. I wanted to go for a natural feel and will be looking for a few more live plants to add in but for now, here it is. I sold off a lot of my water wisteria (floating plant in first picture) but kept a lot of the trimmings....with in a few weeks I will be on my way to a decent canopy again!

To get the new plants to stay down I used sewing thread to tie the roots to larger rocks and covered them with sand.

I also threw in a dozen ghost shrimp. We'll see how long they last!

opinions?

 

[Jenste]

Video of the tank, under a minute long but gives a better view
VIDEO0032.mp4 video by jenstefrog - Photobucket

Video of my axies with the shrimp....maybe they will last after all!
VIDEO0033.mp4 video by jenstefrog - Photobucket

 

[jessicaanne]

Hahaha wow. If they were my two axolotl's, that shrimp would have been snapped at the first sign of movement!

P.s. I love your new setup :happy:

 

[tusken raider]

Looks great, are you going to add more plants? one of those pots covered in moss would look great

 

[Jenste]

I will be adding a bit here and there once I get a feel for how this is growing.
I did pick up some water hyacinth from a friends pond.

 

[Jenste]

Figured I would also introduce my growing lotl family....

Reese, my female wildtype 2 years old

Butters, my male golden albino 1.5 years old

Spyro, my recently matured male leucistic 8 months old

Black Magic, unsexed GFP wildtype 8 months old

Yoshi, unsexed wildtype 6 months old

Puff, unsexed leucistic 6 months old

Fluff, unsexed leucistic 6 months old

Group, clockwise starting at the top behind the plants. Top - Wildtype Yoshi, Right - GFP Wildtype BlackMagic, Bottom - Leucistic Fluff, Left- Leucistic Spyro

 

[Jenste]

photo at night with out glare from the windows

 

[hacelepues]

Wow, so many axies! And that tank looks great!

What's the biggest size difference in your tank? And have you noticed any problems?

I have a 5" mature (but not ready to sex) golden albino waiting to be introduced to my 30 gallon with my two 8" year old adults, and I'm not sure when he will be big enough to do it.

 

[Jenste]

My large female "Reese" is set up in a temporary tank due to her size and bully nature.

The sizes in here range from a bit over 5.5" to just over 7". The 7" is my male "Butters" who is a timid thing and who was being pestered by my female "Reese".

Once the young ones are all approaching 7" I will put her back in and watch for any of her naughty behavior. I am hoping that being out numbered gets her to behave, if not she will get permanent residence solo. (Which so far seems to bore her as she follows my every move at the closest corner of the tank. If I move, she moves.)

 

[Cheva]

wow looks great! i can't wait to start introducing plants

 

[Jenste]

Thank you!!! They definitely change the whole "feel" of the tank - I love it! I will be picking up more plants hopefully in the next week or two.