First time axolotl owner

[iChris]

Hello all, I have just got my first axolotl! being a keeper of tropical freshwater fish for many years, this was a welcome change to something new to me.

I've started by setting up its own tank, complete with a thin layer of washed river pebbles I obtained from a aquarium shop, plants held in decorative pots, for easy removal when the time comes to clean/rearrange the tank, and one upturned pot for him to hide in if he wishes.

The tank has a hang-on-the-back filter, witch I have cycled for a month along with the tank with a few healthy goldfish to build up the filter bed, I tested for ammonia, nitrate, etc to ensure that the tank was ready for the axolotl, and after a month, it is well within acceptable parameters.

my question is, I have done some research, and from what I have found, they can sometimes tend to be inactive, I have offered him food, (earthworms, small bait fish) but he does not seem keen on taking the food, what other foods do they enjoy?

also, I know they can be stressed by flowing water. if this is the case, how do I keep the tank well oxygenated without stressing him? for now, I'm using a small air-pump that I have turned down to minimum attached to a airstone.

any other tips you would have for a first time owner would be appreciated.

attached is a picture of my axolotl, he is also still nameless, and come to think of it, I'm not sure what gender it is.

any help with sexing and also naming would also be great.

 

[Shizeric]

You'd need a picture of the base of its tail to sex it. And you might want to consider sand as those river rocks are going to trap a lot of waste and make cleaning difficult. Regular water changes will keep the water oxygenated enough for an Axolotl, so no need for an airstone...even though there is no real harm having one.

 

[iChris]

thanks for the advice, I'm yet to take a picture of his hind legs.

also, in regards to my choice of substrate, I am aware it can make cleaning difficult, and I'm not keen on having a bare bottom tank just for convenience sake, because I want to make it feel right at home.

would pool filter sand from a local pool shop suffice as a alternative substrate?

my new axolotl has settled in well, and I woke this morning to find it very active, swimming about and not staying in one spot for too long, I have tried feeding him since, but he still seems to be off his food.

any tips on feeding methods would also be appreciated.

 

[lea]

hi
Welcome to the wonderul world of axies. Have you tried bloodworms? One of my axies will not eat earthworms so I fed him axie pellets and bloodworms in a feeding jar(to save on mess). He loves the pellets and then it is a race to the feeding jar for the worms. I also have childrens play sand in the bottom of my tank but i have read that pool sand is also ok to be used.

 

[mewsie]

Congrats on the new Axolotl! I'm quite new at this too!

I've found mine love bloodworm, and brine shrimp (frozen cubes) but the latter is pretty messy, lol! Rather than just popping the cube in though, I've started poking at the cube with a chopstick while it's floating over their heads, the worms break off and float down and they get far more excited! A few times I've held the cube in my fingers and wriggled it about for the same reason, they seem to feel like proper axolotls if they are catching real wriggling things

I got an airstone, and it's the best thing i've bought for them, they absolutely LOVE it! Chester just likes sitting with his face in it, letting the bubbles tickle his chin, and Roscoe will play for hours floating to the top on the stream of bubbles and swimming down and doing it all over again! Little cuties. Oh for the life of an axolotl.

x

 

[iChris]

thanks for the tips, I have also noted that my axolotl loves the airstone too, it dangles in the edge of the tank, just above the bottom, and he seems to enjoy "kicking it".

I just tried him on some whitebait, and he was once again not interested. he does not seem stressed though, (his gills are not flared forward) I have checked the water quality, (ammonia, nitrates, ph etc) and once more its all acceptable. I've been testing the ammonia levels daily and it has been slowly rising, but not drastically, so I have been changing about 20% of the tank water with de-chlorinated tap water daily and testing the levels again, and the ammonia drops well below detectable levels according to my test kit.

and as for pool filter sand, is there any particular type of sand I should steer clear of?

here is my still un-named axolotl, giving a little wave.

 

[iChris]

sorry for double posting, but success! he finally took and ate a whole bait fish. oh happy days.

 

[mewsie]

sorry for double posting, but success! he finally took and ate a whole bait fish. oh happy days.

Whoop! Just need to worry about a name, now

x

 

[pawprint08]

I'm new to all of this, too! What are the pH levels supposed to be in an Axolotl tank?

Thank you!

 

[carsona246]

Dont worry about you ph. Unless it is drastically crazy I would advise you to just leave it be. You can create so many more problems by messing with your ph, than just having your axolotls acclimate to the ph of your tap.

 

[cichlidmayhem]

I cant help noticing that in your first pic your axie seems to have white patches almost looking like a white film on its skin. Mine look like that too are are also the wild type. Is this normal?

Gary

 

[DeCypher]

White patches are a sign of stress. This could be caused by water quality, temperature, other tankmates, or water flow, etc.