Something a little different - My Axolotl tank

[kyryah]

For those that do not know what an Axolotl is, they are a freshwater salamander from one small area in Mexico that spends its entire life in larval form. They have gills and are totally aquatic. There are more of them in the pet trade than in the wild, as their habitat has been mainly sedtroyed. For more info, you can visit http://www.axolotl.org/ for more info.

Well, I have been on a journey to get their tank just right. Here was my first set up. I HATED it

Attempt #2 was a bit better, more water and a little furniture.

Lenny the Pleco also came to live with us.

Well, I still was not happy with the tank. The water level was still low, due to the filter, but I really wanted to use that particular filter. The problem with Axolotls is that they are VERY sensitive to current, and yet water conditions must be pristine, so filtration is a challenge. The particular filter was doing the job without creating more than a little surface agitation.

Axies are also prone to impaction from gravel, hence the large rocks. The problem with the rocks was that they trapped a lot of waste, even with weekly water changes and vacs. My parameters were staying pretty good, but you really have to make sure there is ZERO ammonia with Axies too.

So, I tried again. I LOVE IT! The water is a lot deeper, and it looks so much more natural. I can clean easier and I think it is beautiful. The plants will help with the bioload.

Just wanted to share I used some of the old stones and furniture, and the old filter media, and my params are perfect.

Kristina

 

[kyryah]

I forgot to add that there are also 8 guppy fry and three ghost shrimp in the tank. All are doing great, but the shrimp and the fry will eventually be eaten. Axies swallow anything that fits in their rather large mouth.

Kristina

 

[msjinkzd]

They are really neat critters. The change in the tank is a big improvement. Thansk for sharing!

 

[Winged]

How big is your tank?

I really like the new set up. Looks great!

 

[kyryah]

It is a 29 gallon. One of these days I will upgrade them to a 55 that I have in storage, but for now, this is adequate.

I did make one rookie mistake with the sand, which I have not used before. I forgot to rinse it, lol. talk about one HECK of a mess. I ended up wasting the Prime that it took for water, and having to do about ten water changes. I put three filters on the tank and got the water clear in a couple of hours, but next time, I will definitely put the sand in a bucket and rinse the sand OUTSIDE

I can set on the floor and watch these guys for hours, they totally fascinate me

Kristina

 

[Octavarium]

Thats cool, I'm glad someone is keeping axolotls as a pet and not a lab experiment for once!

 

[kyryah]

There are a lot of Axolotl keepers on Caudata.org... You should see the tiny jars they are kept in, in the labs... Barely enough room to turn around They are so sensitive that they use them for testing reactions to hormones and chemicals, sometimes even forcing them to morph into land-living salamanders... Which shortens their lives considerably.

I am hoping to add a male albino or golden to my little group, as I am reasonbly sure these are both girls Next I'll be selling Axie babies


Kristina

 

[cheeseb0y]

How are you keeping the temperature ok for both the Axolotls and the Pleco? Just trying to keep it around 75f and hoping?

 

[kyryah]

The tank is kept at 73 degrees, which is on the low side for the pleco, but so far has not seemed to be causing any problems. The axies don't start to show stress until temps have exceeded 75.2 degrees, although a little lower is better.

Kristina

 

[angyles]

it looks awesome! they're such adorable little things. one of these days I'd like to try and have setup myself