Question: New axy tank setup?

[Tea]

Hi all! I have been wanting / planning to bring home an Axolotl for around 6 months, and a friend of mine who works at a wholesale pet supplier company got a shipment of them in and ended up bringing me a cute little green one the day before yesterday! This is great because I thought I was going to have to get one shipped to me, but unfortunately it also means I have a little Axolotl before I was 100% prepared!

I have mine in a 10 gallon tank, and I used a little bit of Prime an hour before I but her
(or him?) into it. I put a Penguin power filter on the side. I also have some plastic plants and hidey places in there, but I am not sure what is best for the bottom. Not sure how old she is but she's around 2" - 2 1/2". I have been feeding tiny pinches of frozen bloodworms.

My question is what are the Tank essentials for a small Axolotl? I am still learning about tank cycling.. Also, is a bare tank bottom best, and when is it okay to put sand in?

 

[dragonlady]

Hi there!

Instant axymom, huh?! Okay, well at this size, a simple set up with a bare bottom is fine. I'd wait until closer to 4" for sand. You may want to ditch the Penguin filter though - that's a pretty powerful flow for such a little guy and axies in general don't like moving water. If you're not up to daily water changes, I'd go with a little sponge type filter for right now or maybe a Tetra 3i?

You'll need a thermometer, temperature is key. Clean, dechlorinated water (Prime works well) and knowing your parameters - pH, ammonia, nitrite/nitrate - are necessary too. Axies hate ammonia.

Frozen bloodworm works well, and I would try some chopped earthworm too as earthworms are a perfect staple for axies.

You can read about the dreaded cycle here. You may want to prepare a larger tank as a 10 is too small for an adult but you have a while. Good luck and if you have more questions, please ask!

 

[Tea]

Cool, thank you! I will switch filters.... I will definitely be getting a bigger tank, too as some day I want to get one more. What size do you think is comfy for two adults? Also, I have been trying to figure out how much/often to feed them and have been getting a variety of answers.. thoughts?

 

[lea]

ohhh..you will get another one......i feed mine everyday 1 or 2 earthworms (i think he is a bit skinny) and then once a week i give him a treat of bloodworms.....i think the norm is every 2nd day
lea

 

[dragonlady]

Cool, thank you! I will switch filters.... I will definitely be getting a bigger tank, too as some day I want to get one more. What size do you think is comfy for two adults? Also, I have been trying to figure out how much/often to feed them and have been getting a variety of answers.. thoughts?

Bigger is always better with axolotls and concentrate on the "footprint" of the tank, not height. I'd say a 20 gallon long would be the minimum, but definitely recommend something larger if you can.

Feeding - Whatever he will consume in 15 - 20 min is a good rule of thumb for the amount and any leftovers should be removed with a turkey baster. Once a day is the general rule until they reach adulthood (around 1 yr.). Then, every 2 days as Lea mentioned.

Lea brought up a good point about looking skinny though. Look down at yours from the top, his body should be the width of his head, if wider - cut back a little; if narrower - feed a little more until he plumps back up a bit. Juveniles grow quickly so you will be adjusting the amount of food a lot!

Note: You can use the turkey baster for spot cleaning the wastes too. Waste left in a tank will knock off the chemistry quickly.

@lea - still waiting for you to cave and get your second one! lol

 

[wendyatk]

hehehehehe everyone who has one axie always ends up with another one dont they lol.:kill::happy:

 

[lea]

shannon@ i went to the petshop to get another one but they one had one left and it was abbys sister and im not sure about the interbreeding thing.......i didnt think it would be a good thing.....what do you think????
lea

 

[Tea]

Thanks for all your help! I can already tell they are addictive little monsters