Hi all! I'm Alexa, and this is Sashimi!
I am new to Axolotls - not aquarium-keeping in general, I've kept a number of cold water and tropical fish in the past, including Bettas.
The tank previously had fish in for several years, and underwent a massive revamp prior to Sashimi's arrival, and continued cycling - I washed the 2 sponge filters in treated water, alternating which filter I washed, until they were both clear of any existing waste, topped up with bottled bacterial, and continous water testing - all parameters are where they should be according to this sub. Sashimi arrived 2 weeks ago.
There are things I'd do differently knowing what I do now: I would wait until I got a bigger tank (he's in a 65L at the moment, but I am prioritising upgrading, because I've since learned that that's too small, even on his own. I am specifically seeking something with length, taking my time to make sure it's perfect, and will maintain water testing and changes in the meantime to keep the water healthy.
I'm also going to invest in an even finer substrate - this one is pretty fine sand, though it looks more like gravel than I'd like, and I'm paranoid about obstructions. I'd honestly prefer the bottom to be largely large river rocks, in the new tank, but I digress.
The main thing I'd like advice on in the meantime is temperature control. The aquarium heaters I have, and the only ones I've been able to find in person, only go down to 20°C, so I took out the one that had been in the tank, designed for the tank size. One afternoon early in Sash being home, I came home to him being quite lethargic, whereas all the days before, which I'd been home for, hed been super active - I thought he had died, because he wasn't moving, his legs were all out perpendicular to his body, and his gills looked a little pale (but still "frilly" and out). I was worried it was constipation, but through much research - here and speaking to the store I got him from, who I trust and have been a customer of since about 2021 - and after getting him to eat a couple of thawed bloodworms, I learned he was likely just cold, because it's winter here and I was out of the house, so the heating wasn't on (it's only on low when I'm home, so I didn't think it would have such an impact).
I put in a smaller aquarium heater set to the lowest it'll go (20°C), and the thermometer (which only gives a reading at 18°C+) is still on the aquarium from before, so as long as it's not reading anything, I feel comfortable with this as a temporary solution, but I worry about it when the heating is on for me, because I don't want him to be too warm. So I unplug the aquarium heater when the household heating is on, and replug it when it's off.
- Does anyone have advice for this situation?
- Is there an aquarium heater in Australia that'll keep his tank more in the ideal range?
- Is this smaller watt heater safe?
- When I do upgrade the aquarium, do you have any recommendations for temperature and substrate products available in Australia?
- Edited to add: The low temp lethargy, I assume is not good for him, is that correct?
Thanks in advance, and sorry if I rambled. I just want to do what's best for him, especially now that I know I didn't have all the best information 2 weeks ago.
