Is sand best?

[yvette]

i am new to this forum and i have been reading some posts most people say sand is better for axolotls if this is so do ya have to have alot at the bottom of the tank?
another question also is what sort of plants would you say is the best to get for axolotls?
any help is much appreciated thankyou

 

[kapo]

we have 2cm height sand, in our tanks. Someone else will be able to help you on the plants bit.

(Message edited by kapo on May 31, 2006)

 

[yvette]

ok thankyou for your information kapo you have been a great help

 

[sharn]

i have very little, an cm if that because sand can compact very easily and quickly becomes anerobic if you dont regularly stir it up or have alot of plants. however in my planted tank i have about 2.5cm.

it depends on what you want to do with your tank, heavily planted (think takashi amano lol) need strong lighting which axies dont really enjoy, if you want to go that way you will need to provide lots of hiding spots. if you just want one or two bulbs on your tank plants like java fern/moss, assorted crypts, anubias etc are all good choices.

there isnt really a 'best' plant to get for axies but the ones that dont need to be planted work good as axie will often redecorate during their swims.

hope that helped!

 

[yvette]

thankyou sharn that has helped alot i have now got sand in my tank which is about 2cm i have a few little plants in there at the moment i also have a few bigger stones which they love climbing all over also i have 2 ornaments in there which they can hide in.
but they dont seem bothered with any of it they just sit in the corner where there is nothing.

 

[steph]

Would gravel for fish tanks be okay for axies?

 

[jennifer]

Steph, most gravel sold for fish tanks is exactly the WRONG size. Small enough to ingest, but too big to pass easily through the digestive tract. Axies tend to suck substrate in along with their food, and may even manage to ingest some at other times. Ingested gravel can cause digestive impaction and death.

 

[lorie]

I use sand. They pass it through easily if they swallow it and it's more comfy for them ^_^

 

[y]

i got my first axolotl recently, and so far i have nothing on the bottom of the tank, i wanted to put sand, but what is easier to clean? sand or rocks? if i were to get sand how would i clean it? i was also wondering where do i get sand from? scooping it up off the beach don't seem to clean

 

[clinton]

Sand is wicked also because it helps to distinguish between uneaten food and the bottom of your tank (white sand being best), hence aiding in keeping your tank clean.
I'm in Perth and aquarium safe sand is available at most pet stores an nurseries.

 

[sharn]

sand is good because food particles dont find it easy to get underneath because it is so dense. a quick siphon hovering above the sand will remove and debris.

 

[clare]

I don't have anything on the bottom of my tank at the moment. I've just come off sand as I didn't like it very much, for some reason I just couldn't get on with it.

I'm going to try slate next, plenty of it around being from Wales. My axies now eat out of a feeding dish anyway.

 

[lorie]

hehe i have alate in my tank holding down the air stone
Careful tho. it has sharp edges ur axie could hurt itself.

 

[emily]

Y C: I found river rocks extremely hard to clean around. I removed all of them at one point and was amazed at how much stuff i had missed. Sand is good IMO, and its cute to see their little foot prints in it

I have a freshwater muscle in my tank and he helps keep the sand moving so it doesnt compact, plus he eats any food that i have missed. I think you can also get trumpet snails which live under the sand and move it around (if your worried about dead spots in the sand)

 

[yvette]

thanks again! now i got to hassle my mum to go get me sand... and food... and those snails sound nice!

 

[nina]

Why do you have to keep sand moving around? What is "dead sand"? And where can you get a freshwater muscle? Do you have to feed them anything special?

Thanks!
-gecko1

 

[emily]

Dead spots is where the sand has compacted and gone anaerobic. Water cant really flow through the sand like it does with gravel and rocks because it is compacted. If you move the sand around when you do water changes each week it helps the water flow through it. Dead spots usually turn the sand a grey/blue colour when you move it and it smells like a creek bed. I have heaps of plants with my axie and the plants have helped prevent the dead spots.

I bought my freshwater muscle from a petshop. I dont know if they sell them in many places, it wasnt very expensive (maybe AUS$4). They are filter feeders and filter the sand for food. I dont feed mine anything, it eats whatever is on the ground that my axie hasn't eaten. They are cool cos when you turn the light off and go to bed they move around to other parts of the tank and leave a little sand trail.

 

[nina]

Thanks! Do axolotls ever damage muscles? Or do muscles damage axolotls in any way?

What is "anaerobic"? Sorry; I still don't quite understand what is bad about "dead sand", since there isn't rotten food buried underneath it or anything.

I have heard that plants are not a good mix with axos because axos always uproot plants or try to eat them. Has anyone had problems with this?

Thanks!
~gecko1

 

[charlotte]

If you use sand can the filter suck it up? I'm thinking about switching to sand but I have quite a powerful filter and i'm worried that would happen if i did.

 

[phillip]

I am a new Axy owner

and I have rounded pebbles in my tank - larger than standard aquarium gravel. Is this OK, or should I change to sand?