axolotls

[freshwaterashley]

How big of a tank would i need to have one of these amazing creatures as a pet? Also.. are they friendly with other fish? I have a freshwater tank with mollies guppies platys and swordtails i woulsnt want any to go missing...

 

[freshwaterashley]

*Poke* anyone?

 

[Mlani]

I looked into these guys a little bit (never actually owned one) From what I read they will eat smaller fish and they should be housed in at least a 50-75. They are quite remarkable and very expensive. (at least where I live)

 

[PockX]

I looked into these guys a little bit (never actually owned one) From what I read they will eat smaller fish and they should be housed in at least a 50-75. They are quite remarkable and very expensive. (at least where I live)

I read that they didn't need that big of a tank, if I remember correctly, especially if they the only thing in it. You can find tons of info about them online and on YouTube. I never have had one..so I can speculate.

 

[freshwaterashley]

Did a little bit of research myself.. says you need at least a twenty gallon and the key is that it needs to be as deep as they are long. Yes very remarkable creatures. I would love to own one. They are very sensitive though and require lots of care but im totally still looking into the price... my husband wants a lizard but i want fish lol so its kind of a compromise.

 

[Mlani]

There you go freshwaterashley. You tube and google are your friends I was going off of what I was told from a guy who was trying to find a home for his. So my info may be off. Like I said I've never owned one. Very cool looking though. You'll have to let us know what you find out.

 

[freshwaterashley]

Yeah i know i could google it.. i just like to hear from personal experience..

 

[Darylb]

I owned an axolotl and tried keeping guppies with it and then found out that guppys are there favourite food I then went to another fish store and got told to put Molly's in and they survived except one that didn't look healthy from the start and axolotls need a lot of care you can't have gravel in your tank I found out the hard way I went to feed mine and it swallowed some gravel what you can do is either use sand or river pebbles sand would be the best option because the axolotls are messy eaters and there is a lot of wast that goes into the cracks of the rocks and your cleaning becomes huge also they don't really like a lot of water movement naturally they come from a lake so the flow isn't to strong mind you mine did seem to enjoy swimming in the water column that I had they are awesome because you can hand feed them too and it will scare you at first but sometimes they miss and get your finger but they don't have teeth either a 20 gallon is the minimum for one and you need and extra 10 gallons if you wish to have a second one also if you get 2 move the tank around and make new hiding holes as they can be aggressive towards each other you need to get one that is either the same size or bigger don't go smaller because the smaller ones are more aggressive sorry if that dragged on a bit haha keep on top of your water changes and test your water a fair bit you will get a lot of ammonia from these fish

 

[freshwaterashley]

Thanks so much! That actually helped alot. I just recently read about their aggression towards smaller ones. I have mollies so i hope they will be safe. They tend to stay either in the top of the tank or in my stump hideout

 

[Darylb]

Just make sure you have plenty of hiding spots for your axolotl and your fish and if you do get one the general rule is if the fish is bigger then its mouth it shouldn't try to get it but saying that mine did try go for a Molly but missed they have very poor eye site

 

[bthomas]

Ive actually got a tank up & running waiting patiently for one of two lfs to get some in. From everything ive read axlotls are best kept w/ no fish, apparently the fish can mistake the axlotl gills as food and end up sucking off the slime coats. Also have to be careful of keeping young axlotl together because they are known to mistake anothers foot or tail for food and they can become cannibalistic.(they can regenerate body parts but I think its still better to be careful ) I cant wait to get mine- apparently theyre hard to come by here. They are very interesting animals and make a unique tank!

 

[Horsegirlmaddy]

Another note- axolotls need cool temperatures which are not good for tropical fish such as mollies.

 

[freshwaterashley]

Another note- axolotls need cool temperatures which are not good for tropical fish such as mollies.

Oh thanks for that info. I have a separate ? 30 gallon? Tank especially for if i decide to get one.


If anyone has one or two please post picsi am very interested and have seen many different colors.

 

[bthomas]

My lfs has two colors they normally get in so I dont have much of a choice. One is a green/grey and the other is the albino (w/ pink eyes) I like them both and would be happy w either one at this point...ive been waiting almost 2 months now!!

 

[TheLadySmoke]

I don't have much to add to what was already said. But definitely keep them in a species only tank, only use feeder guppies or something as a treat. The reason is because 1) they will eat the fish, and 2) the fish will nip at the axie gills. Their staple diet is earthworms, if they are small when you buy them you will have to cut the worms so they are no bigger than their heads. They can also eat bloodworms and brine shrimp, but worms should be their everyday meal. They grow very fast! Mine doubled in size in two weeks. They went from 2" to 4" in no time! They also have huge poops lol, you'll have to clean them out with a turkey Baster (or something like that) lol. Or maybe my water siphon just sucks, but I have to use a turkey Baster! They need cold water, no temps over 72F. They're not any more maintenance to take care of then fish... Same thing, test for ammonia, nitrite & nitrate. Because they are sensitive they should not be added to an uncycled tank. If you have such few options at your pet store, try looking online for axies, there is probably a breeder that can ship you the other color types. I have a golden albino (named Cersei), dark Melanoid (named Jon Snow), leucistic (named Arya) and a wild type (named Daenerys). They are 13 weeks old right now and 4.5" long. My small guy, Daenerys is only 4". They live in a 45G Bowfront. I keep the water up to the top, some people only fill theirs halfway. My guys have no problems swimming up for air and they love the extra swimming area. So it's up to you how full you want to fill your tank. No rocks. No sand until axies are at least 5" long. When you add sand make sure it is smooth and max 1mm grain size. This will make it easier for them to pass when they suck up sand while eating. To help stop this, I just got a reptile feeding dish and put their food in there. It also makes it easier to clean uneaten food. They don't like bright lights, give them caves and hides. Floating plants are good to help block the light.

Attached are pictures of my guys! Old and new pics, so you can see how much they have grown! They were 2" when I first got them.

 

[bthomas]

Love your setup ladysmoke,im definitely going to try something like that with the plants it looks great!

 

[bthomas]

Ladysmoke do you run a filter on your tank? I planned on a hob but have read alot that they can become stressed from the current.trying to figure out the best way to fix that

 

[TheLadySmoke]

Yes I do! I have a HOB filter too.. It's Fluval C, rated 40-70gal. I have it set to the lowest flow setting. Which, honestly, i don't notice much of a difference between the max and low flow settings lol. What I did, is put my fake plants at the top floating in the way of where the water comes out, it helps a lot. The flow was pushing my plants out of the way, so I put a large castle (I have a very large castle decoration lol) in the way so that the top of the castle held the decoration behind it and in the way of the water flowing. The large castle also caught a lot of the flow.

Now that they're bigger I took the castle out and am just using the floating plants. They can walk on the bottom and swim by without being pushed around. It did push them around a lot without the castle there, when they were smaller.

 

[bthomas]

I have a larger decorative cave I can use to stop some of the flow...at least til theyre bigger. I was just worried about the rougher edges on it.I was going to ask you what type of plants those were lol I guess theyre fake ! I called the store today to check on a timeframe for these guys...at LEAST another two weeks!! They said theyre hard to come by now for some reason? My last resort would be online so im holding out hope for a local store.

 

[bthomas]

The axlotls should be in the next two days!