My first Axel! (Never seen this colour before)

sscotthhuang · Feb 29, 2012

Hi

Just got my first axolotl few days ago!
Check it out!! so cute :3

It's not typical black ones because it has red gills and it doesn't have the dots of wild type on its body. I don't know.

Can someone tell me what type is it? Thanks :happy:

Bellabelloo · Feb 29, 2012

What a pretty axolotl. I have no idea what colour you would call it.

I do need to point out to you that the substrate that you are using however is potentially dangerous for your new addition. When axolotl feed, they gulp food in...In the process anything else in the area will get eaten too. Those chips could get stuck in your axolotl and cause a blockage called impaction. We generally advise you to use a bare bottom tank/ sand or large stones that are far larger than your axolotl's head

sscotthhuang · Mar 1, 2012

Thanks, the fish shop ran out of sands, so they told me to buy this blue crystals temporary. I notice something odd about Axel though, he doesn't eat any food once it sinks to the bottom of the tank. Should I clean them out?

Kaysie · Mar 1, 2012

You should remove the food and the gravel immediately.

Have you been doing water changes? Or testing your water parameters?

Coldnorthtoy · Mar 1, 2012

sscotthhuang said:
Thanks, the fish shop ran out of sands, so they told me to buy this blue crystals temporary. I notice something odd about Axel though, he doesn't eat any food once it sinks to the bottom of the tank. Should I clean them out?

I would say yes, if only to avoid him sucking up some stone along with the food during a nocturnal wander. And I believe others will join me in saying you're better off having no substrate at all until you can find sand.

And on the topic of finding sand, here are some options:

'pool filter sand' at pool supply stores is silica sand - but ensure you find some without any extra chemicals, as I've read that they sometimes contain other undesirable stuff.
'play sand' at a hardware store - just be thoughtful with play sand as well, as it seems (at least in Canada) to be local sand which may contain unsafe elements like iron (magnetite), limestone, coral, seashells, etc.

I bought a 50-lb bag of 'pool filter sand' for $20 CAD at a local pool supply shop. I have so far used about 5% of the bag, and I expect I'll never, ever have to buy sand again.

sscotthhuang · Mar 1, 2012

Thank you guys for the advice

I'll take away the crystals and hopefully find some sand soon :happy:

Coldnorthtoy · Mar 1, 2012

sscotthhuang said:
Thank you guys for the advice
I'll take away the crystals and hopefully find some sand soon :happy:

Good, and you're welcome.

Kaysie had a couple of questions for you, the answers to which would help us ensure you receive the right advice:

have you been testing your water parameters?
have you been doing regular water changes?

I would also like to ask, just for reference: how big is your tank?

danchristopher · Mar 1, 2012

sscotthhuang said:
Thank you guys for the advice
I'll take away the crystals and hopefully find some sand soon :happy:

Childrens play sand from Bunnings for around $8 a 20kg bag works well. Just remember to rinse it really really well. Rinse until your arm feels like it will fall off, then rinse some more. Even then your water will still be cloudy after you put it in but it should hopefully settle quickly.

SanderB · Mar 1, 2012

danchristopher said:
Childrens play sand from Bunnings for around $8 a 20kg bag works well. Just remember to rinse it really really well. Rinse until your arm feels like it will fall off, then rinse some more. Even then your water will still be cloudy after you put it in but it should hopefully settle quickly.

Here in Belgium the price of sand is even less. About 1,75 euro or 2,33 US dollar for 20 kg.

Do you have a better pic of the axolotl, this wat it is quit hard to tell the colour.

sscotthhuang · Mar 1, 2012

My tank is around 10 gallon (photo taken before I took the sand out), not too big. I have no idea how to test my water quality

One thing I'm not sure is how to position the water filter. Should I let the water go straight to the tank or make it hits the glass (less water flow). But I also afraid that there will be not enough oxygen for Axel if I make the water hits the glass. He's been constantly swimming towards the top of the tank to breath very often, and I'm a bit worried if I haven't given him enough oxygen, but i also afraid that I'll create to much waterflow.

Sorry guys, I really feel like I have a lot to learn about taking care of my Axel. XD

Coldnorthtoy · Mar 1, 2012

There is much information at Axolotls: The Fascinating Mexican Axolotl and the Tiger Salamander. If you haven't already read that, it's a good idea - specifically the Housing and Requirements pages.

10 gallon is considered the minimum size for one axolotl, so you're good there. As for the filter, worry about flow; oxygenation most likely won't be a problem...

...And on that note, he's probably not short on oxygen, but rather likely has concerns with the water quality. Are you doing partial water changes on a regular basis? You probably should be changing out ~20% of the water daily with new dechlorinated water until the tank cycles (axolotl.org talks about tank cycling, and a search here will reveal more) - or at least that was my experience.

You can test the water parameters with a water quality with a test kit like this one from API, or with separate test kits for each parameter. You should also be able to have your local fish store test the water for you - though it seems they prefer to just provide "it's fine" as an answer, rather than the actual results of the test, so you may have to ask specifically for the numeric results.

SanderB · Mar 2, 2012

That is quit small, my tank is about 100 gallon. (about 375 liter)
Here you can see my setup: Ik en mijn dieren |

loadedsith · Mar 2, 2012

Being rather new to Axolotl myself, I hesitate to guess, but seeing as no-one else has said this, let alone anything else on the topic, I would say your 'Axel' is a very pale Wild type.

Btw, is 'Axel' his name or you're shortening of Axolotl? I kind of like it for both!

No1Mustang · Mar 3, 2012

My Axolotl is called Axle too!!

sscotthhuang · Mar 3, 2012

Turns out that my water is super DIRTY! When I got it tested from local aquarium, everything was sky high

I made a mistake to feed him 'beef heart' yesterday. He didn't eat it but instead the whole cubic heart just dissolved completely in the water... impossible to clean. I also decorated my tank with corals and sea shells that I collected from the beach which made the PH level extremely high

I had vacuumed and washed all the sands and changed all the waters --- Start fresh again!

Hopefully, this time I will succeed

Thank you guys for your great advices!

BTW, my axolotl is really called "Axel" and his last name is "Hola~"

I think he might be a mix from an albino and a wild type

Rissa1980 · Mar 4, 2012

i have a axolotl that colour, i called him duckie. hes 30cm long now. he was 26cm when i got him june last year, so he has grown 4cm in 9 months

iChris · Mar 4, 2012

looks almost as if it's a bronze colour.

I would remove the substrate personally. you don't even need a substrate at all when keeping axies, but sand is recommended. some people choose to keep their axies in a rather spartan environment which is fine too as it makes keeping a smaller tank like yours easier to keep clean. you will need to at least add a couple of hides. a mug on its side or the like will do, or you can even use pieces of PVC pipe (just sand the cut edges so they are not sharp)

you should also keep changing about 20-30% of the tanks water daily to keep the nasties down whist your filter matures.

Neil C · Mar 4, 2012

Australia has a host of strange coloured axolotl which almost all turn out to be some kind of albino. I would name both of these as tan albinos, which are mentioned in Peter Scott's axolotl book.

Regards Neil

sscotthhuang · Mar 4, 2012

OMG! This is wayyyy tooo CUTE!!

Mr. Smili

Talk about perfect timing!! He's in real comfort now! I hope he can stay healthy and be happy

iChris · Mar 4, 2012

I've got a video of one of my axies (the golden in my dp) yawning. I can post the link to the thread if you like.

My first Axel! (Never seen this colour before)

New member

Attachments

Julia

New member

Site Contributor

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

Attachments

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

New member

Attachments

New member

Member

New member

Attachments

New member