Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping => Gallery Showcase => Topic started by: Littlefish on December 28, 2016, 08:41:36 PM
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Phew, this is taking more effort than I expected.
I've got the sand and 300L of water in the tank.
I set up the FX4 today, which was more of a struggle than I was led to believe. I'm certain this was more to do with me being quite short, and dealing with a larger tank than I have previously. The small step/stool thingy I use is good, but I could have done with being closer to 6ft tall to have made it actually easy. ::)
I'm currently having a very serious think about the placement of decor. I visited a few LFS today to pick up some bits, saw a turtle ramp, and wondered if the axolotls would like it. The younger ones do climb to the top of the large hide they have in their tank, and ther older ones climb the rocks and decor they have in their tank, so I thought I'd give it a go. Just not sure about placement, along with the placement of other decor.
I'd post some pics, but my moving of decor has stirred up the sand a bit and it's looking a bit cloudy.
Hopefully this will be settled by the morning, then I can finalise the decor placement, test the water (due to my dodgy pH change issues), then perhaps consider moving the first 3 'lotls into their new home. :)
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...and the pictures are where???? ;D
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The water has cleared overnight, so I should be able to get some pics today.
I'll probably get some pics with the tank as it is, before I do any more planting & placement of decor, as I expect to stir up the sand a bit again today.
:)
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Still a little cloudy after some more plant arranging today, and still a long way to go with adding decor and more plants, but I'm getting there slowly.
We'll see how things go with the turtle ramp, but they do like places to hide, so it might work.
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Oh wow, @Littlefish - these look absolutely fantastic... like a dream home for the axolotls! Would be fantastic if you could take video footage of their exploration of their new home but, if not, a very detailed description of how they find it as I reckon they'll be chuffed to bits!
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Wow, looking good! 8) Keep us updated Littlefish!
Have you done any root tabs/similar for the plants?
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All my other planted tanks have appropriate planting substrate with a layer of sand on the top, but axolotls tend to move the substrate around, so I've gone with root tabs and rocks to avoid them digging it up. I've not relied just on root tabs before, so I'm hoping it works.
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Have just moved the 3 younger ones into their new home.
About to start the transfer when I thought "do I have anything large enough to move them in?". The answer was that nothing immediately sprang to mind, until I found the washing up bowl I'd been using for rinsing sand. Axolotls are a lot bigger than any fish I've had to move. :-[
The whole thing was possibly a tad traumatic for all of us, so this is the picture of their new home while they settle in - probably not quite as stylish as I thought it would be. :)
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Hope everyone settles in ok. What's the axolotl equivalent of a brew and biccie?
Let me know how you get on re plants as I'm on root tabs only and must admit some of the plants are struggling... think those were swords I saw, fortunately they are doing ok.
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Thanks, I hope they do too. I think the equivalent is an earthworm and a lay down, but they may have to wait until tomorrow for some worms.
Yes, I've got amazon swords in the tank, and some small anubias.
I've had swords in their tanks before, but tied to the decor rather than planted, and they did fine (axolotls produce a lot of waste).
Some of the aponogeton bulbs also tend to do ok in their tank, even though it is <20C, so I'm going to put some of those in too.
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Looking... er.... towely. ;)
I hope they're appreciative of all the effort you've put in for them.
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Special aquarium towels @ColinB ;)
Although I'm keeping them shaded I have managed to get a very poorly lit photo of Chunky Monkey peeping out of the hollow log. Ben & Jerry are still hiding in their man cave. :)
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@ColinB We have the special marine versions - Beach towels ::)
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Ben heads out for a look around before returning to the cave.
I think that the water flow is a bit too strong for their liking, so I'll have to make some adjustments.
Meanwhile, in the other tank, El Bandito practices his stand up comedy routine, and is joined by Dafydd.
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They are such amazing, almost comical, creatures - they must provide hours of entertainment.
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They look great. :) I have a soft spot for amphibians.
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They are adorably goofy, and far from elegant. They are not the most active creatures, unless it's feeding time. :)
I can certainly say that the output from the FX4 is a bit too strong for their liking. Unfortunately strong flow can stress axolotls, so I'll be putting some filter sponge over the outflow for now, until I can sort out a spray bar.
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The guys have all eaten today, and are slowly starting to explore the tank, even with some lights on.
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Have done some more planting and added a divider.
The older 3 axolotls have been moved to the other side of the large tank.
The lights are off and the tank is decorated with towels for this evening, but I have managed to get some dark pictures of El Bandito standing on a rock, Mr Pringles quietly sitting on a hide, and Dafydd investigating the underside of the turtle ramp.
Hopefully they will start to settle in this evening, then tomorrow I may be able to get some better pictures of the whole tank.
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How did you make the divider?
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Great! Keep the updates coming - am enjoying them.
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How did you make the divider?
Badly....they've broken through already.
I made the divider out of plastic mesh stuff that I had for the garden, and some airline suction thingies to attach the plastic mesh to the tank walls.
I have now taken the divider out and have sat watching the tank. Perhaps it is because none of the axolotls have ever been on their own, and they are similar ages/sizes, but they seem to be mixing ok. Still keeping the tank covered this evening, and will be watching them closely, and see how things go.
Perhaps the biggest test will be feeding them tomorrow. :yikes:
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I've heard they can eat each other's limbs!... :yikes:
Is there any truth in this?
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Yes, but that is usually when they are younger. Their eyesight isn't great, so they will snap at anything that they think is small enough to eat. They will go for limbs, tails and gills when younger.
Thankfully they can also regrow their missing bits, so it isn't quite as bad as it seems. Some of the other axolotl keepers had posted pictures of their pets regrowing bits after injury, which was amazing.
It is also a bad idea to mix axolotls that have more than an inch in size difference, because the larger one could eat the smaller one. This is why I've waited until they have all matured before I considered putting them in the same tank. Also so I could check on their sex, and luckily they are all male.
I'm still keeping a very close eye on them though. :)
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Everyone survived overnight. I have counted them and they are all there (even though one is hiding in the man cave).
I only have a few more adjustments to make:- remove the filters that I've put in there because there is nowhere else to put them, move one of the hides and 2 of the plants slightly, adjust the sponge I put over the filter outlet to reduce/disperse the flow, and put the lights & hood back on.
Had a few concerns last night as it looked like one of them was behaving as if he was about to lay spermatophores, which coould not have been more poorly timed, but the running around and nudging only lasted a few minutes, and there is no evidence of spermatophores this morning. :)
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This looks absolutely awesome @Littlefish !
Congratulations.
:fishy1:
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Many thanks @Matt
I'm pleased that the fellas seem to be getting along so far. :)
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Another lovely tank @Littlefish
You will need to go back to work for a rest!
What is the floating plant in the final image? Did it get turfed out by the lads or was it intentional and it can be kept as a floater?
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Thanks @Andy the minion
The floating plant is one that was turfed out by the lads, so it will have to be put back in place at some point.
Most of the plants are either tied to something, or have rocks to keep them in place, but the fellas can be a bit disruptive if they decide to have a run around, so I'm expecting that to take its toll on some of the plants.
I also expect feeding time to be a bit chaotic until things settle down. ::)
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Very impressive... you've done a grand job there.
They've all clubbed their pocket money together and asked me to get you a bunch of flowers as a thank you gift for their new home...
(http://www.qronfla.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/mixed-bunch-of-flowers.jpg)
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Fantastic, @ColinB. ;D
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@ColinB thanks, that's a lovely thought. :)
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Just wait 'tll I've taught them to sing for you....
(https://media.giphy.com/media/RE5iREBNhI0Ok/giphy.gif)
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:rotfl:
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The gang still appear to be getting on well.
Feeding time not quite as chaotic as I expected.
Ben gives a wave (apparently) as I head towards the tank with a tub of worms.
As soon as they've eaten they all settle very quickly.
Ben and Dafydd rest on El Bandito.
Chunky Monkey is not too far away, and the two quietest axolotls (Jerry & Mr Pringles) are sharing the man cave.
I hope that this peace continues. :)
Probably time to start on another tank. ;D
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They look fantastic, simply wonderful!
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I hope there's a TV and a beer fridge in their man cave!
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This is wonderful - so glad they're interacting with and comfortable with their new tankmates too.