Sanded Grout

[jessica]

I don't have a lot of personal experience with axolotls but met someone who has them when I worked in a pet store.

He used sanded grout on the bottom of his tank. He spread it out and used an acrylic sealer when it dried. He let the tank cure dry and then sit empty of everything but water for around a month before doing a complete water change and cycling it.

His pair of axolotls have lived in the tank for over a year now with the grout and haven't had any problems.

I was just curious to see if anyone had tried this type of flooring in their tanks?

Jessica

 

[kaysie]

I've never tried it, although it sounds fine.

The point of having a substrate (as opposed to nothing) is so the axolotls have something to grip when they're walking around the bottom.

Sealing it would probably take away most of the grip. It seems as though it would be aesthetically pleasing to people looking at the tank, as well as easily cleaned.

 

[jennifer]

I worry about using any kind of glue that isn't made to be aquarium-safe. The fact that he had to seal it suggests that maybe he was also concerned about it leaching something. I think a better option would be to use aquarium silicone (clear or black) and embed it with pebbles or soft sand.

Here is something I did along those lines:
http://www.caudata.org/people/JM/sand.html