 |
Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred
A site to share your Reptile experiances & ask questions
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
lol93
Site Moderator
Joined: 29 Aug 2006
Posts: 3172
Location: Glasgow
|
 Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:50 pm Post subject: axolotls |
 |
|
I'm thinking of taking the plunge into keeping amphibs again (first time in 20 years!!) and have fallen in love with axolotls.
I've been doing a bit of research over the past few days, and have a couple of questions.
1. I have an old 12 gallon fishtank which I plan to reseal with aquarium sealant(just to be on the safe side). Will this be big enough for 1 or 2 axolotls?
2. What would be the best type of filter to use with this size tank?
3. I've read that the tank will have to be 'cycled' for a few weeks before the animal goes in. For this, apparently I need a water testing kit. Which one do you recommend?
4. I've also read that gravel as a substrate is a no-no-sand is better. Is there a particular kind I should buy, or would play sand be OK?
Thanks for any advice you can give!
_________________
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
neep_neep
Key Member
Joined: 21 Mar 2006
Posts: 274
Location: Sheffield/Peterborough
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 2:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: | | 1. I have an old 12 gallon fishtank which I plan to reseal with aquarium sealant(just to be on the safe side). Will this be big enough for 1 or 2 axolotls? |
Sorry, i'm no good at the gallon:length conversions 
If it's 24" in length, then it should be suitable. Apparently the bare minimum is 18", and although they don't seem to active, they're supposed to have mad pinging swims every so often, so I suspect they'd appreciate the extra length of the 24"! 
| Quote: | | 2. What would be the best type of filter to use with this size tank? |
Not sure on filter size, but apparently they can be a bit messy with their food - I would go for an internal filter such as the Fluval 3 to be on the safe side. Nowt wrong with overfiltering!
However, make sure you attach a spray bar to the outflow pipe, Axolotls don't deal well with strong currents - it can stress them out and make them susceptible to fungus. The spray bar distributes the returned water so it doesn't create a strong current in one direction.
| Quote: | | 3. I've read that the tank will have to be 'cycled' for a few weeks before the animal goes in. For this, apparently I need a water testing kit. Which one do you recommend? |
Best test kit i'd say is the API Master test kit. Got Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH and high range pH tests in there. However, it doesn't come with a water hardness test kit, but you can buy that separately for about a fiver. Axolotls prefer harder water, you can use African Cichlid water conditioner to increase the water hardness.
For cycling, if you can't get hold of pure ammonia, try a few flakes of fish food or a prawn!
| Quote: | | 4. I've also read that gravel as a substrate is a no-no-sand is better. Is there a particular kind I should buy, or would play sand be OK? |
I've read on fish forums that Argos play sand is frequently used in fish tanks. I don't see why this can't be used with your Axolotl...though don't take my word for it! If in doubt, you can buy aquarium sand. Though it'll be a bit more expensive!
An alternative look, if you don't want sand, is a base of large rocks and pebbles that it can't fit in it's mouth. However, this will be a much bigger pain in the backside to clean!
Hope that's helped a bit 
_________________
Sophie
 |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
lol93
Site Moderator
Joined: 29 Aug 2006
Posts: 3172
Location: Glasgow
|
| Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 5:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Thanks Neep Neep. I've resealed the tank ( it's 2') so will leave that to cure for a couple of days. I've bought and washed the playsand, and I have a Fluval Plus 1 filter. I have bought a couple of Amazon Sword plants to go in, as I've heard that helps with the cycling.
I managed to get a kit for testing the water, too.
_________________
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
