Juveniles and their tanks?

[Axoogje]

Just bought my first Axolotl should ship tomorrow, and i am very excited because i have been looking for one for a while with no luck.
But now i have a question, and maybe a littte bit of a problem..

First off i have a 29 gallon tank, with a HOB filter running with a fake plant obstructing the flow, i have fine black sand substrate and i am adding some large river rocks and slate rock, but i got tired of watching it sit with nothing in it so i went out and bought 6 minnows and 4 ghost shrimp all of which are verrrry tiny.

I dont mind getting rid of the minnows if it is going to be a super bad choice but i figured id keep them untill he ate them but hes only 2.5 inches... will they fish bother him? i did get them their own food. also the water in my tank is like 13 inches high, is that to high for a Juvenile axi?

I see people keep them in Tupperware containers, should i do that for a while?

Well i know that was alot to read but thanks, love reading the forums

 

[Axolotl4life]

I'd get rid of the fish when you're ready to put the axolotl in. They may get along fine with the axolotl, some people do it, but I would be fearful they'd nip the gills of your baby. While axolotls are phenomenal at regenerating limbs, I think this applies less to their gills. Some gills grow back, but I bought a female axolotl who was missing a gill and it never grew back.

I wouldn't drop the axolotl in the 29 yet. I'd wait 'til he/she is 4 inches and has some meat on its bones. Your shrimp will end up being food : ) I'd use Tupperware to make feeding and cleaning easier. 2.5 inches is still very young! Twice a day feedings would be best along with regular(daily) water changes. If you can snag some black worms from the LFS do so. Its very entertaining to watch and an efficient means of feeding. With pair of tweezers you can hand feed the worms to your axolotl. The worms will survive in the water for a day or two. I also feed betta pellets to my juveniles to start training them to eat pellets. The betta pellets are very fine and a good stepping stone to eventually assist the juvies to start eating shrimp pellets.

I've also been warned not to use sand with juveniles. Adults as well on numerous occasion but I'm sure you've heard about the great debate over substrate. I want sand badly, but I'm not running that risk with my axies. None the less, the reason you should not use sand with young axolotls specifically is that a grain of sand will act just like a pebble would to an adult. Don't get me wrong there are many people who do get away with sand, but I've read to many horror stories to advise otherwise. I'd rather air on the side of being over overcautious than being down one axolotl.

Good luck to you!

 

[Axoogje]

Thanks, that helped alot!
fish are getting out i guess, and ill do my best to keep him outtta the sand lol

Are blood worms ok, just picked up a 40 pack of frozen cubes?

 

[Axolotl4life]

Blood worms will definitely work. But look to vary the diet further if possible.

 

[HodgeaPodge]

Frozen brine shrimp work well too and if you're feeling up to it, you can catch some earthworms for treats!

 

[tigmades]

I have 6 juvies ~2 3/8"-2.5" and they're almost soley on frozen bloodworms (and have been for the past 2 weeks!). They've grown 1" over 2 weeks so they're growing fast! Occasionally I give live white worms. This week I'll be getting some live black worms, gammarus shrimp and daphnia, so they'll really get a variety