Hey Im a newbie

[adam]

Hello everybody I am a newbie.

I have kept axolotls when I was a little younger and would like to buy another one.

I just have a few questions

1)Whats the minimum dimensions for 1 or 2 adult axolotls?

2)Is it best to keep them 100% aquatic or should I also provide a dry land area?

3)What is a good staple diet for an axolotl?

4)Do they require a heater? My area can get pretty cold in winter and pretty damn hot in summer

5)What is a good substrate for them?

6)Do they require airstones/airators? Or is the current from a good internal filter enough?

7)What are their light requirements?

8)Is a filter turn over rate the same as an aquarium? 4 times the tanks capacity?

That's all I can think of now, Sorry for all the questions.

All help appreciated

 

[joan]

Adam, have you read all of www.axolotl.org yet? A lot of your questions are answered there. I'll answer them here, but for future questions, you should refer to there first, and if they're not answered, go ahead and ask them on the axolotl forum.

1. You need at least 30 cm of tank length for one adult.

2. They're 100% aquatic. They do not come out on land.

3. Earthworms are a good staple, but you can include blood worms, waxworms, or any soft-bodied insect larvae. Some people have good luck with high quality carnivore pellets.

4. No heater! They need to be kept as cool as possible. Under 20C is great, as long as you don't go under 10C or so.

5. Sand or bare substrate is the easiest for the keeper, I feel. Some use large river rocks (too big to be swallowed), but these are hard to clean. DO NOT USE GRAVEL! This can be swallowed and cause impactions.

6. Airstones are nice to have, but not required. They DO NOT tolerate current from filters. Your filter must cause little to no current, or your axolotl will be stressed and possibly fall ill.

7. They're nocturnal, and have no light requirements.

8. I'm not sure what you mean by this.

 

[adam]

Thanks for the reply.

Question number 8 refers to the "turn over rate" In aquarium you usually aim for 4 times the tanks capacity e.g if you have a 100 ltr tank then its good to go for a filter with at least a 400 ltr filter.

They seem quite easy to keep