New tank for my babies

[ashlee]

I have two golden albino babies (about 3 months old) and they are getting too big for the little tank (0.5 gallon) that I have them in. I bought a 5.5gal tank and some black aquarium sand, as well as a micro-filter. I also have some smooth round rocks(big) to put in there, and I will be putting in a plexi-glass divider (with small holes for circulation. The two babies are only about an inch to and inch and a half long, so I know the tank size will suffice for the time being.

Here is the problem, Today I filled the tank with water, added the sand, and started the filter. I don't have the dividing wall or rocks in there yet. But the water is black from the sand! Will the sand settle soon? I don't plan on putting the babies in there until this weekend, will it be ok by then?

I've been around axies for awhile now, but only in a research type situation. This is my first time having my own axies and caring for them.

Any advice would be great! I love them ... they're just too cute!! Thanks in advance!

 

[cynthia]

I used the white sand for the 1st time last week. The water was pretty cloudy for 24 hours. It took 36 hours to clear completely. I didn't have the axolotls in the tank so I ran 2 large filters on the tank to help clear the water.

Let me know how the black sand does. I was torn between it and the white.

 

[jarred]

I just put sand in my tank and it took about 12 hours to clear. I had my filter running on high so it cleared faster. I also cleaned the sand thoroughly, over and over again, before putting it in the tank.

Your tank should be alright by the weekend. If not, just give it a little longer.