Question: New Axolotl owner, read plenty (now: diary of Fred's new owner)

[dazkeirle]

Re: New Axolotl owner, read plenty, just want to confirm a few things.

i must admit, it does get covered in like a grey fluff, which i assume is dead food that hasn't been eaten, which i do clean off.

i gave him 2 cubes a bit ago and once he'd realised he gulped it down.

I think i confused him when i was setting up the aeration equipment as i decided that i had accidentally set up the tank back to front, and there was a mark on the back.

So I turned it around 180 degrees and set everything up as it was, jus after rotating through 180 lol.

I had a hell of a lot of trouble keeping the stones down. In the end i've used the round plent as a weight and the disc is hooked under the log with another plant as a weight.

Gonna need something more permanent.

As Ted expected it is quite powerful, the disc that is, the long stone is perfect but the disc has quite a lot of power and so will need a valve on there.

Interested to see what the temp will be like tomorrow when i do a full day with bubbles and fan.

Also interested to see how Fred feels about it. Truth is, he's so blind I doubt he'll realise.

 

[Mac Myers]

Re: New Axolotl owner, read plenty, just want to confirm a few things.

That is an awesome Moss Ball! Just roll it around every day or so and it'll stay clean.

 

[dazkeirle]

Re: New Axolotl owner, read plenty, just want to confirm a few things.

haha i would have done if.......

I wasn't using it to hold the bloody airstones in place. lol

It took about an hour to get them in position wih the tubes carefully running under the sand and more importantly under the ball.

Note to anybody, sand does not work to weight down tubing, don't bother trying.

What were just plants are now weights to hold the stones down near their connectors, but hey, I've done it and it looks pretty cool.

Fred is a little unimpressed at howI've turned his new home upside down and replacing it exactly as it was but with these strange new features.

I decided the air disc was just too powerful but after looking at the valves i realise they just restrict flow so i made my own by bending the tube over and wrapping around a zip tie. Works brilliantly, want more air, let a bit out and make the bend less severe and hey presto.

That's £2.90 your now getting of my money Elite!

 

[dazkeirle]

Here's some photos of the setup with my aeration in.

So here's the tank with everything full on:

Here's my makeshift restriction valve:

Here it is with the restricted flow to the disc:

Gonna need to get some rocks to hold tubing in place, if he moves that ball all hell will break lose.

 

[ted22]

Yo darren tis all coming along nicely It'll all be worth it in the end you're pretty much at that point where you can stand back and admire your work haha!

Got Gomez into his new home hes lovin it the amount of space he has now is amazing he's one lucky axie, problem is now that all my airbubble stuff is too small for the tank now so gonna need to get sum bigger bubble walls and stuff. The 3ft tank only cost me £4.50 in the end twas such a bargain I'l post up some pics when the sand has cleared abit!

Wish our axies could meet I think theyd get along swimmingly!

 

[dazkeirle]

£4.50 for a 3 foot tank?

That's an amazing deal, good work.

I was admiring some 200 litre tanks at the garden centre on the weekend, the temptations....

All I'm waiting on is some new lighting now then it's just a case of keeping him happy.

He's already become a bit interested in the wall.

I caught him this morning waving his gills through the bubbles, stood side on. Must be like getting O2 shots.

He also seems to like putting his tail through it.

Now it's a case of running it all together to see what / if it makes a huge amount of difference on the temp.

I bet Gomez is chuffed, I showed my mrs him last night, who said she didn't like the darker axies, but when she saw the photos of his smile she said "he's like the one on Google" which is a testament to how photogenic he is.

 

[ted22]

Haha thanks, Gomez is blushing from all the compliments, ive heard that some axies dont like the bubbles but gomez loves em, I think it must feel nice on his belly and tail he some times just rests his chin in the bubbles hehe!

Yeah the tank was a steal, not in perfect condition by a long shot (couple of scratches, crusted on limescale etc) but for £4.50 I cant complain and gomez certainly isnt complaining! Il try and get a pic up today!

Laters

>ed<

 

[dazkeirle]

Exciting times, the new light has arrived and I must say for £8 I think it's amazing quality:

All nicely sealed, feels very durable and has what looks like a good quality inverter (even came with a handy 3 to 2 pin adapter, not that i need one for this but handy to have all the same for hols)

Like I say, looks like a pretty bright even light, although nowhere near as bright as the lamp. We'll have to see how it looks in the water. (the light i mean, not the unit itself).

 

[Mac Myers]

Let me know Daz..... I've been looking at LED lighting myself.

 

[dazkeirle]

It's actually really good Mac a very balanced blue light, not too bright but bright enough to illuminate the tank.

I was thinking it was too bright to begin with but Fred got straight out and has barely been back in since it was switched on.

It's obviously very hard to capture on a camera, but i have recorded a little video for you. Not 100% representation of the colour or the effect (seems to make Fred glow on the cam) but it gives you an idea.

I'll post the vid as soon a youtube is done processing.

I'd buy it again at a drop of a that though, silent, and even lighting for £8. Awesome.

 

[dazkeirle]

As promised here's the vid:

YouTube - Fred the Axolotl with new moonlight LEDs
​

I got a little carried away and so filmed a bit more than expected. Turned the lights on to let the white balance work properly but to no avail.

It's close to how it looks in RL but not 100%

p.s. Fred can swim better than that, he was knocking his right legs against the tank side. He does seem to be out more when the light is on though.

 

[Mac Myers]

Looks great! Who's singing the bluesy sound track... sounds like a Jonny Lang thing. Very cool... but I haven't heard it before.

 

[dazkeirle]

haha no idea. I thought I'd use youtube to add a track instead of my clicking about.

Searched under the word blue in blues (as the light is blue) and it was one of top ones )

I'm a big blues fan but never heard it before, think some unknown artist.

 

[Mac Myers]

Eh... can't find it. Like it though.

 

[dazkeirle]

well i think I now have an explanation for Fred's lack of poo being seen.

Today he passed another 4 pieces of white gravel, thats quite a lot now probably enough to cover the inner palm of my hand in two weeks.

With each citing is more poo surrounding it so it looks like he's freeing up his bowels.

I am a little upset and traumatised about it all. I may have only had him 2 weeks but the knowledge of all that gravel in his belly maybe explains why to me he has days when he seems sad ( may sound strange but..)

I've no idea if this is why he doesn't really swim about except when startled, but as he passed more and more gravel he is out a lot more, and climbing about on the log and the trees and walls etc.

May also be mad, but I think his gills are recovering, i though he only had two on each side, or two fused but i believe the stumps are growing out. Thin filament covered in feathers can be seen, hopefully he'll recover fully.

I didn't know I was adopting such a vulnerable creature from the start, i thought coming from a home who had looked after him for 8 months meant that, it appears e may have been in just as bad a deal as in a pet shop.

Still Fred, the days of Cube cat biscuits, filthy water and gravel are behind you. Think of it as being your reward for your time spent as a P.O.W.

 

[ted22]

Dude the light looks nice I bet it doesnt even bother fred u,ll definately be seeing alot more of him now! I love the light is it always that dim or is that coz the whole room is dark? also how have you positioned it? just stuck it in the hood or can these go in the water? Fred looks soo cool im getting really tempted with a nice luestic axie those black eyes look wicked with the white skin!

 

[jclee]

It's official. I've fallen in love with Fred. That is one cute video.

It sounds like he's passing the gravel with more and more ease, since you're spotting poo in the mix. Give him time, and I'm sure he'll be just fine.

 

[dazkeirle]

It's official. I've fallen in love with Fred. That is one cute video.

It sounds like he's passing the gravel with more and more ease, since you're spotting poo in the mix. Give him time, and I'm sure he'll be just fine.

aw thanks Jcee. He is a friendly little thing.

Cute I suppose is the word, he's very cautious of everything, doesn't really enjoy swimming and is easily shocked.

I think of him like a small puppy, perhaps a small puppy from a rescue home. He'll be fine, but for now he still associates everything with his aggressor. He's getting better and better though.

I'm going to teach him to swim about though, was thinking that tonight I'll fill the baster with live blood worms, give him a little spray to get him going then get him swimming about to get them, rather than him eating them from the sand surface.

Either that or install some kind of shelf high in the tank so he has to get some exercise to get the food.

In time I know a big tank is on the card and already have my eye on a 120 litre one for him.

Dude the light looks nice I bet it doesn't even bother fred u,ll definately be seeing alot more of him now! I love the light is it always that dim or is that coz the whole room is dark? also how have you positioned it? just stuck it in the hood or can these go in the water? Fred looks soo cool im getting really tempted with a nice luestic axie those black eyes look wicked with the white skin!

The light is very acceptable for Fred, he actually comes out to it now, seems to help him see food and what not.

While it's dim, it's a balanced light, more that the light makes everything glow glow as opposed to there being a light source itself.

I actually removed the original bulb, and tapes the light strip where the old lamp used to be.

It's very low profile, so much so that it fits in that little 5mm lip in the lid so even when it's on, with the flap removed from the hood you can't see the light source from looking straight on.

I don;t think it "should" go in the water, although on my first tape attempt with some "waterproof" tape i came home to find it floating. So i used regular selotape and literally covered it, no such issue.

This should help explain:

Well I now have a turkey baster so have been spot cleaning. It's usefull for cleaning that grass out, a quick blow and out comes the dead worms and poop. I gotta be quick though else Fred will have another go at feeding.

I accidentally squirted Fred with the turkey baster yesterday underwater, not at force or anything but i think he got upset. He shot up to where the moss ball is and stayed there clinging to the glass. He eventually came down but only after swimming onto the bubbles and propelling himself up into the air a few times lol.

We've made up since then.


To say sorry I've just bought some fancy aquarium backing for him jut like this (but i got from ebay) : http://www.petscrazy.co.uk/index.php?case=product&proddb=7&pid=20

Unfortunately always one for a deal I got 4x to much i only need 1 600mm2 sheet and have 3 coming and a 450mm2 sheet too, so false economy on the deal really. Still have some spare for the second tank, or in case anybody wants to buy some from me, once I get it on display.

That really is it for this tank though

He doesn't like swimming in the bubbles like Gomez etc, but i have caught him several times waving his gills, face or arms in the wall.

Check it out:

And here's a few more good 'uns

 

[Mac Myers]

Great Pics!

 

[ted22]

Those pics are nice Fred looks soo nice he does have a very timid look about him, you might just have a shy one! Gomez loves playing with the turkey baster i squirt the top of his head and he chases it around haha I dont torment him with it, its only if he starts it!! (hes been a nutter hes only just settled down after 3days of non-stop going nuts! got some wicked footage tho, hours and hours worth!) Gonna have to invest in some of those lights tis a nice solid glow and nice and compact seeing as I have a very makeshift hood at the mo n thinking about a mesh screen lid so no tube mounts so those L.E.Ds would be perfect!

I love the fact that you seem to be trying to teach fred to swim, bless him!