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Is lighting preferable?

A

amy

Guest
do you use lighting? what are the pros and cons of it? would you recommend it?
 
H

heather

Guest
I used to use a light in the tank.
pros:
keeps your live plants healthy
lights up the tank so you can see whatevers in it
(duh)
Cons:
my axos hate it. its not bright or anything theyre like vampires!! they go and hide whenever the sun/light comes out (or on)
it heats up the tank
it costs money(id rather not get one than buy it and never use it)
 
H

heather

Guest
in other words, i dont think the light would be worth the money!
 
M

mercedes

Guest
I’m going to have to agree with Heather with the lighting. My Axolotls hate the lighting in the tank because the water gets to warm and too bright. I would not recommend it.
 
C

cynthia

Guest
Axolotls are not fond of bright light that is true. But if you are going to keep them in a planted tank you need fairly good lighting.

My first axolotls were kept in a tank with no lights and plastic plants, they loved it.

This time I am trying a planted tank. I do have a 36" twin tube light over the tank they are in but I have turned one of the blubs so it won't come on.

My current axolotls do not seem to mind the light as much as my first axolotls did. But I did put a thick covering of floating plants in this tank. This blocks a lot of light from reaching the floor.

What I found most odd is that the albino goes up near the light and hangs out in the floating plants most of the day. The light does not seem to bother it at all. And the dark eyed wild colored ones are staying in the shadow of a over hanging rock most of the time.
 
E

eric

Guest
If you have flurescent lighting then the tank won't be heated up much (at all?) by the light. If you have a floating plant like java moss or tall, stemmed plants then most of the light will be blocked out before it gets to the bottom of the tank and as an added bonus the plants really add to the aesthetics of your aquarium.
 
L

leah

Guest
Duckweed is great at filtering out the light, if you want lights, and you only need a tiny bit to start. A few months ago I had only a dime-sized amount (came with some daphnia) and it's now a thick blanket across the entire surface. Both my axolotls 'hang out' near the surface during the day a lot more now, where it used to be a nighttime only activity. I think they feel safe with the duckweed above them!

I love having lights on my tank. You just have to plant it well enough that there are shady spots and give your axolotls hiding places to use if they get uncomfortable in the 'sun.'
 
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  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
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  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
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  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
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  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
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    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
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