How many axolotl hatchlings to a tub?

[Whitewolf89]

I have 168 baby axolotls, they are now two and a half weeks old, i have seperated them beween three tubs that are about 1ft long and 1ft wide, there are roughly 50 in each tub, i now want to start seperating them as they are starting to range in size now and i want to avoid insidents, i was just wondering how many to put in each tub of the same size tubs to make sure they have enough space so that they dont start nipping one another, plenty of food is always in with them to make sure there is no issue over lack of food, just wanna know how many i can safely have in each tub of that size.

 

[auntiejude]

There's no right answer. You can only watch the groups and if they start nipping thin them out a bit.

 

[Whitewolf89]

There's no right answer. You can only watch the groups and if they start nipping thin them out a bit.

Ok will keep an eye on them over the next couple of weeks, ive just noticed you have a golden axolotl on your picture is he/she yours?

 

[Boomsloth]

I think it might be better for the babies to split them up as much as possible or give them much more space. Even though more tubs means more work, I think that when it comes to many amphibians they tend to grow better in smaller populations. Maybe run some light aerators in the tubs or some sponge filters?

 

[Whitewolf89]

I think it might be better for the babies to split them up as much as possible or give them much more space. Even though more tubs means more work, I think that when it comes to many amphibians they tend to grow better in smaller populations. Maybe run some light aerators in the tubs or some sponge filters?

Think i will watch them closely this week and next week go buy three bigger tubs for each group, i have small air stones i can put in each tub but not got any filters, didnt want to use them till they got bigger just incase, im doing 50% water changes daily at the moment and it seems to be working fine. Im slowly raising the water level as they grow but making sure its still shallow enough for them to go up for air and to be able to catch their food, they are in a few inches of water at the moment im going to raise it again next week, dont want it too high but dont want to stunt their growth by restricting the height either.

 

[Boomsloth]

sponge filters work by attaching an air pump to a tube with a special sponge at the end. The beneficial bacteria can actually grow on this sponge and since its only an air pump pulling water through by creating negative pressure in the tube, it is not enough to actually pull any little lotls into it. If your pump is powerful enough you can have one pump working multiple sponge filters.

Axolotls can only really be stunted in growth if they are kept in bad water, poor temperatures, and/or not enough food. In labs they are kept in bowls barely bigger than their bodies and they still grow to their adult size. Hope this helps. definitely upload pictures of your progress since they'll start to grow fast. how do you plan on separating them once they grow their front legs?

 

[auntiejude]

ive just noticed you have a golden axolotl on your picture is he/she yours?

Yes that one is a golden albino, he's one of my October batch of babies. All my albinos are golden, I believe my male can only produce golden albinos and wildtypes.

I think at 2-3 weeks my babies were in shoesbox size tubs, a dozen in each. But then I only had 30 or so babies to deal with.

 

[Whitewolf89]

sponge filters work by attaching an air pump to a tube with a special sponge at the end. The beneficial bacteria can actually grow on this sponge and since its only an air pump pulling water through by creating negative pressure in the tube, it is not enough to actually pull any little lotls into it. If your pump is powerful enough you can have one pump working multiple sponge filters.

Axolotls can only really be stunted in growth if they are kept in bad water, poor temperatures, and/or not enough food. In labs they are kept in bowls barely bigger than their bodies and they still grow to their adult size. Hope this helps. definitely upload pictures of your progress since they'll start to grow fast. how do you plan on separating them once they grow their front legs?

I have lots of tubs so plenty of room for them to be in very small groups and i have plenty of plants available for them to hide in and plant pots and ornaments to, my last lot of baby axolotls did well and i had them in groups of five with lots of plants and big tanks and tubs, all of them got along in small groups and with plenty of food no limbs were chomped.
Will post pictures as they grow

 

[Whitewolf89]

Yes that one is a golden albino, he's one of my October batch of babies. All my albinos are golden, I believe my male can only produce golden albinos and wildtypes.

I think at 2-3 weeks my babies were in shoesbox size tubs, a dozen in each. But then I only had 30 or so babies to deal with.

Funnily enough ive been trying for ages to get goldens, i have found nealry every other colour, i have baby melanoids, wilds and leusistics but dont have a gold or an albino, found them hard to get, i have some in my current lot of baby ones that at the moment look gold but i cant tell for sure if they will change as they grow, although even if they end up as albino ones at least i'll finally have one of those, im hoping to have one of each colour to keep eventually