Question: Best substrate for an under gravel filter

J

Jenksie

New member
Joined
Jan 25, 2009
Messages
23
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Wolverhampton
Country
United Kingdom
I'm in the process of setting up a tank for some Axolotls. My setup will include an under gravel filter system. I know that the substrate is very important to get right so i was hoping someone could recommend a type of substrate or even better a supplier of the right type.
 
Hi
Axolotls are very likely to swallow any gravel of the size needed for an undergravel filter, and become very ill as a result. I've got an external filter on one of my tanks, and an internal one on the other. If you type in "undergravel" into the search facility on here, you will come across copious reasons as to why undergravel filtration is not for axolotls, given by very knowledgeable axolotl experts. What kind of axolotls are you planning to get? I've got 2 leucistic (breeding pair) and two wild types. They are fabulous pets. Bet you can't wait to get yours. :happy:
Lots of people use play pit sand in their tanks, or keep them bare bottom (mine are bare)
 
Last edited:
I haven't use an undergravel filter w/axolotls so this is just guessing on my part.

If you used sand it would fall through and kill the space. So thats sort of pointless.

Gravel is dangerous.

River rock would work sort of - but I think it would create to many pockets for crappola to get into.

So I'm gonna go with pieces of slate, easy to move, rather flat..... should do the trick?

anyone else?

Sharon
 
I will reiterate (sp?) what optimist said......an under gravel filter isn't suitable for an axolotls tank. Firstly, axolotl produce a lot of waste, this getting dragged into and under the substrate which can obviously cause problems with ammonia levels. Also it is more tricky to clean properly with an under gravel filter and as Sharon mentioned above there's not really a substrate you could use with this type of filter. Bear in mind, an under gravel filter is meant to be that UNDER GRAVEL, a substrate lethal for axolotls.
Sand or a bare-bottomed tank is by far the best substrate for axolotls, consider a box type internal filter, or a canister type external filter.
Welcome to the world of axolotls! They are fascinating and addictive!
 
Hi Jenksie,

It sure looks like a good deal for that internal filter :p! I would normally recommend an external filter such as a waterfall type filter or external canister filter over an internal filter. However, looking through the product description of the internal filter. I would say it would work just fine. It has both mechanical and biological filtration, and you can reduce the water currents by the spray bar. Now thats nifty. Not sure if it would be optimal for your tank capacity though. Have you checked whats the volume capacity it can handle? No point getting a filter that is too weak or small to handle your tank or too big that its an overkill.

Cheers
 
The capacity of my tank is about 12 gallons so it should be fine. Once its all set up and i've managed to cycle it i then need to find an Axolotl!
 
I've bought a bag of childrens play sand today. I have read in a few posts that its best to rinse the sand first. Whats the best way of doing this?

I was going to half fill a bucket with sand and put it under a running tap until the water runs clear, will that suffice or is there a better way of doing it?
 
Hi Jenksie,

I used the bucket method to clean my playsand. Put sand in bucket, add water, swirl hand around in sand to stir it up, pour water out. Repeat until water runoff is clear.

You may find that even after rinsing the sand thorougly there will be a little bit of cloudiness in the water for a couple of days. To prevent this, after putting the sand in the tank, place a plate on top of the sand and direct the pouring water onto the plate rather than the sand.

The good news is you only need to lightly cover the tank base with sand.

Most of my tanks have a centimeter depth at most. If more than an inch of sand base depth is in the tank, you run the risk of gas pockets developing under the surface.

I used the remaining sand to fill in some cracks in the garden path ;)
 
Thanks, i used the bucket method and so far it seems to have worked quite well. I currently have the sand about 1 inch deep, but i'll reduce that tomorrow night. Out of curiosity whats the problem with gas pockets under the substrate?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Back
    Top