Pictures of various axolotls

Pictures of axolotls

Pictures of axolotls

Friday, February 18, 2011

Personalize and Decorate your Tank.


Decorate your fish tank, any type of fish will look stylish with these tips. 
Gravel-
You need to have some layering on the bottom of the tank.
Whether this is gravel or sand, a bottom layering is essential.
For specific, Axolotls, require bigger then pea size gravel, as they have a tendency to swallow them. They require pebble sized rocks much larger then pea sized. I have spread said rocks out making 2 layers for them over my 3 foot tank and they seem to love it just fine. Bare glass is impossible for them to get a grip on and can be stressful and some times. Sand is also a risky choice as it can lead to murky water every time the fish moves. Make sure when first purchase of your gravel you rinse out the rocks in water a few times so all the dirt rubs off. 
Plants-
Definitely throw some plants in the tank. As long as you have a light suitable enough for your tank, even if you don't plants are a good way to have more oxygen flowing through your tank and some plants only need a few hours of artificial light a day. Be careful you don't buy anything too expensive though, axolotls might have a tendency to nibble on the leaves if they get a touch hungry.
Logs-
Caves and hiding places are essential for all axolotls, they need to have a "Hidey hole" for those times they don't feel safe. You can pick up some plastic logs from your local aquarium for medium price. You can also pick up other things that don't necessarily provide a spot to hide in, but add some attractiveness and spice to the tank. Having a mixture of these is great and will make your axolotl feel right at home.
Filter-
Choosing the right filter for your tank is essential. Make sure you get one that can pump the the right amount of water for your size tank, if you have a tank, it is a stupid idea to get a 500 liter pumping filter.
**Update** Day 5:
Shit! I got home from work and i put in a bottle of frozen water into the tank (I do this during summer, put bottles of ice in the tank to defrost and cool down to the right temperature for the fish) and the bottle dropped down and clipped Aristotle, lying directly beneath it. He scattered away instantly and i dont think he was hurt, just the sudden fright of death from above. Sagee is being more active, she walks around and swims more then she use to. I hope that means shes getting use to this new environment. Tomrrow is going to be fun, im going to buy Earthworms from the aquarium and test out feeding LIVE WORMS to the axolotls. It will be a true test to there sence of smell and movment to try and catch them, its also a good idea for me to vary there diet as they have been eating nothing but frozen blood worms for the last week. Untill tomrrow, Thanks for reading. Im a whole lotl axolotl.

-Josh

28 comments:

  1. I think I would do that if I had the time... fish are so calming...

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  2. Poor little guy, hope he wasn't hurt. Anyway thanks for the tips, this will come in handy if/when I choose to get one of these adorable little critters.

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  3. axolotls look so cute. so you have two?

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  4. Awwww I hope he's ok. I'm glad Sagee is starting to settle in better too :)

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  5. Nice tank, looks great.

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  6. glad to hear they are still kicking around. And a varied food diet is awesome.

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  7. waiting for post how they did with new food :D

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  8. make a feeding video!!

    i love this blog, its making me want to buy some fish

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  9. this looks like an expensive hobby

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  10. I had no idea these fish even existed before stumbling upon your blog!

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  11. Glad she seems to be doing better. I like the slideshow you added up top, btw.

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  12. you should make a little leesh and take him to the beach and let him swim in the ocean. Young Aristotle will learn so much!!

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  13. Oh shet! Those things look pretty cute. I want one! LOL

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  14. I love the name aristotle for a fish, I dont know why, but it always makes me smile.

    Really interesting blog, I wish having fish wasnt outside of my [incredibly tight] budget!

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  15. NIce info, is that the pic of your actual fishtank?

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  16. Poor Aristotle getting bopped on the head.

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  17. Aristotle is the best name ever for an axolotl:)

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  18. That's pretty awesome,My fiancee is interested in fish,this should help getting us started quite a bit. ^^

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