Question: First-time axie owner: Are they male/female?

[appshan]

Hi, everyone!

I have 2 axolotls: one is a wild-type (8 inches) and the other is a melanoid (7 inches). I bought them 5 months ago, so I am unsure if they are now adults/sexually mature. Could you please tell me if they are male/female?

Also, they are currently in separate bare-bottom tanks, but I would like to house them together soon. The family I got them from keeps 3 adults in a 20-gallon long tank. Should I put mine in a 20-gallon as well? And how much sand would I need at the bottom?

Thank you so much!

 

[JM29]

Difficult to tell with the photos.
Have a look to this page :

Axolotls - Biology

www.axolotl.org

Unfortunately, a well diagnosed male is definitively male, but you'll be sure of a female only once she has laid eggs.

 

[appshan]

Difficult to tell with the photos.
Have a look to this page :

Axolotls - Biology

www.axolotl.org

Unfortunately, a well diagnosed male is definitively male, but you'll be sure of a female only once she has laid eggs.

Thanks for the link! So I’ll know if I have a female if I see eggs after putting them together, correct?

Do you have any recommendations about tank size and decor for them?

 

[wolfen]

a twenty gallon tank is the minimum size tank for one axolotl (used to be ten gallon years ago with thirty being widely accepted now) with ten gallon being added for each additional axolotl.
sand is fine to be used in an axolotl tank provided it has been thoroughly cleaned before hand and that it is turned over regularly to release any debris and gasses.

 

[JM29]

As an example, my axolotl tank 3 years ago

And nowadays.
Debris accumulate sometimes when some plants decay in autumn. Need some superficial cleaning but nothing dangerous for well-fed axolotls kept at adequate temperatures.