# silly silly man know nothing about axolotls



## steph09 (Nov 19, 2009)

heyyy i bought an axolotl today, the silly guy at the reptile shop insisted that i put granite in the bottom, i was like no because it will eat it and die. silly silly man i know this because i study them at college. sooo i bought sand instead :lol2: i put the sand in a couple hours and it still hasnt settled :whistling2: what can i do to speed up the process as i dont like bruce being in such a small space. he's in chlorine free water so all is good. can i use bottled water to put in his tank because i dont really like using tap water and then shoving it full of dechlorinater stuff????

thanksss :flrt:


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Actually, he's not all that likely to eat granite- it doesn't taste right! He's more likely to eat sand mixed with his food...:whistling2:

If you are going to use sand it needs to be rinsed first- run a slowish current through a bucket with a hose or showerhead. A lot of people on here swear by bottled water, although I don't use it. Hope some of that helps.


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## ipreferaflan (Oct 8, 2009)

Water changes.
I had the same problem with my turtles.
Do about 3 or 4 50% water changes.
Although I had tons of rainwater to use....


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## GemzD26 (Sep 22, 2009)

Hi,

Well ive never heard of Granite being used for the bottom of a tank!

I would never use Gravel either cause the axolotls can swallow it when they suck up their food from the bottom of the tank!

I use play sand and med river rocks to big to be swallowed in my tank.

Some people use a bare bottom tank for their axolotls as it is easier to clean,but does not give the axololt much grip when walking,in my opinion i would just stick with the sand.

You could use rainwater but with the water being kept outside there is not guarantee that no parisites have contaminated the water and if it is added to the axolotls tank upset the balance of the water and make your axolotl very sick.

A single axolotls must be housed in a mimimum 2 foot tank a few plants fake or real , a few hidey holes,(i use plastic elbow tubes my partner is a plumber and clean terricota plant pots.

As for the water if you are not keen on adding declorinator you can fill a bucket up and let it stand for 24 hours (this disperses all the gases in the water) , it can then be added to the tank,not sure about bottled water to be honest.

Tanks should be cycled for as long as possible before axolotls should be added if helped,this allows the tank to cycle and will start building up good bacteria in the tank.

Sand should be cleaned about 20 times i use a bucket half fill with sand mix round leave to settle and pour water out and repeat.

The tank should settle slowly it can take a few days.

When changing the water you can try pouring the water on top of the axolotls eg,pot or place a bowl in the bottom and aim the water to pour into it this saves stirring up the sand anymore.

Hope this helps! :welcome:


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## steph09 (Nov 19, 2009)

well yeah i thought it was stupid to put granite in the bottom too, because they ll eat it and then cant digest it. but with sand its too fine so can be digested. the sands been in for nearly a day now and is getting clearer with the filter on. patience is needed, i have alot of hiding spots for bruce and big pebbles to put in his tank eventually. : victory:
i would of thought that bottled water shouldnt be as bad as i found one with low chlorine, nitrate and nitrate. i reaaly dont want to use tap water as its that bad where i live that i dont even drink it :gasp:


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## jamesh (Jul 3, 2009)

dont use rain water for axies as its slightly acidic and axies come from hard alkaline water.

i had mine with bare bottom, they did not seem to mind too much they just used there tails a bit more


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## steph09 (Nov 19, 2009)

ahh well everythings sorted out now and bruce is back in his tank and seems very happy : victory:


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## rob-stl-07 (Jun 3, 2007)

yeah just continuoing (spelt wrong im sure) with the acidic rain water subject - i know a guy on another forum who used rain water for a very long time and one of his axolotls metamorphosed! due to the acidicy.


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## ipreferaflan (Oct 8, 2009)

rob-stl-07 said:


> yeah just continuoing (spelt wrong im sure) with the acidic rain water subject - i know a guy on another forum who used rain water for a very long time and one of his axolotls metamorphosed! due to the acidicy.


that's mental.
should you use tapwater that's treated then?


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## chondro13 (Aug 18, 2008)

ipreferaflan said:


> that's mental.
> should you use tapwater that's treated then?


 
Surely tapwater, left to stand for 24 hours would be safe. In order to make the water more alkaline why not use bogwood and plants in the tank (going back to my oscar keeping days)


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## Ron Magpie (Oct 11, 2009)

Um, bogwood and plants will make it MORE acidic, not less. Chalk etc is alkaline.


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

Bogwood will make the tank water more acidic as it releases tannin, also the water in lake Xochimilco is mildly acidic too, and as long as your rain water isnt polluted i would mix it 50/50 with aged tap water.


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## Adam98150 (Jan 12, 2009)

steph09 said:


> heyyy i bought an axolotl today, the silly guy at the reptile shop insisted that i put granite in the bottom, i was like no because it will eat it and die. silly silly man i know this because i study them at college. sooo i bought sand instead :lol2: i put the sand in a couple hours and it still hasnt settled :whistling2: what can i do to speed up the process as i dont like bruce being in such a small space. he's in chlorine free water so all is good. can i use bottled water to put in his tank because i dont really like using tap water and then shoving it full of dechlorinater stuff????
> 
> thanksss :flrt:


Can't understand why people have the settling problem with their substrate. Just put it in a bucket and rinse it with a showerhead until the water runs clear. I've done this a few times, with sand and gravel - I'd then just pour it in the tank and it would drop to the bottom, simples. : victory:


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## PrettyxPerfection (Sep 9, 2008)

I use large pebbles in the bottom of my axolotl tank, I did use sand in the beggining but it irratates them and you see them thrashing around in their tanks to get the sand out of their gills!!! 

I use sand for my tropical fish and I had to wash it through a couple of times before the water was clear.

But personally don't use sand it really iratates them so much.


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