Question: New to Axolotls...12 gallon tank?

[kathstew]

Hello!
I am planning on getting an axolotl in the near future (the next few months). I am planning on buying a 12 gallon tank, this one to be specific: Eclipse System
once it is back in stock and I have the money.

How many axolotls could I keep in this tank, I'm guessing one or two, correct?
I've been doing a lot of research on them so far, and I have a few questions..
What food would you reccomend as the staple diet, pellets or live foods?
Do you reccomend plastic or live plants?
Which colors of axolotls are generally more rare/expensive?
Anyone in the GTA or Durham area that knows of stores that sell axolotls?
If I got a male and female, what are the chances of them breeding? (I don't want baby axolotls on my hands if I'm not prepared for that).

Thank you for the help, I really appreciate it!

 

[Raziela]

I personally wouldn't keep even 1 fully grown axolotl in that tank. It's only 12" long and axolotls can reach that length quite easily...

 

[mewsie]

Did you link us to the right tank, Kath? That one says it's 3 gal.

Edit: Ahhh, I see the options now! 21" is ok, yup, but you might find you want to upgrade to give your axie more swimmy space - ours do love a good ol' swim sometimes.

 

[kathstew]

Sorry guys. I assumed that if I chose the option I wanted for the tank, the link would change to corospond to the tank I chose.
Here are the dimensions for the 12 gallon tank:
Dimensions
21" x 11.5" x 17.5"

The thing is, I am entered into a contest, and am currently in 3rd right now. If I stay in 3rd for the end of the contest, I win a $100.00 e-gift card for Big Als. That 12 gallon tank is the biggest tank they have available online, so it would be the biggest tank I can get.

Axolotl.org said that the minimum tank length for one axolotl is 18 inches, and this tank is 21 inches.

The thing is with me, is I get obsessed, so I'll probably end up upgrading fairly quickly to a much larger tank for more axolotls. I always do.. (Example: I started with betta fish in a one gallon bowl, I now have three betta tanks ranging from 10 gallons to 2.5 gallons, as well as a gourami tank LOL all in about three months). I'd rather start out fairly small so that I can learn the basics, with one axolotl, before upgrading to more than one.

 

[cml]

Hi there,
I will try to answer your questions:

You can house one axolotl in that tank size, although the bigger tank the better. You will find that the majority of posters here on the boards think that 10G is too small a tank (including me), but it will probably be fine at least until your axolotl gets bigger. I would opt for a bigger tank straight away, if you dont want to buy a new tank later on.

The best diet for axolotls are earth worms. Other alternatives are pellets, blood worms etc, but really, earthworms are the best way to go. When the axolotl is young, you may need to chop bigger worms into pieces though.

Personally I use plastic plants, because axolotls tend to move things around, but there are plenty of good examples here on the forums of people with live plants.

I dont think any type should be more expensive than another, but I guess it depends on the area and how common they are there.

Oh, and if you do get a boy and girl later on, they will breed ^^ (though with your tank size you should only go for maximum 1 axolotl anyway).

Cheers,
CML

 

[kathstew]

Thanks cml, and the others, for answering!

What size tank do you reccomend for one axolotl?
Do you go out and find the earthworms around your house, or buy them from the store? I'd be worried about the earthworms eating or getting into something they shouldn't have if I caught them wild, like pesticides and stuff.


Thank you so much for your informative answers, I really appreciate it!

Oh, and should I cycle the tank BEFORE I add the axolotl, or are they hardy enough to survive the cycling process?

 

[Robin]

Dechlorinate the water and it should be fine. Tank is small as you will be breading them soon and want 3 to 4(they different in colour you know..). Bye second hand tank.. I had mine for £40 for all that needed.
P.S.. If you have a Moth flying in your house.. Take the wings off and give it to Axi.. Easy diet.

 

[Robin]

Mine loves beef . Stake strip about an inch... fresh or defrosted No problems..

 

[cml]

Mine loves beef . Stake strip about an inch... fresh or defrosted No problems..

Actually beef is not an approriate diet for axolotls. It can be okay to use as a treat, but no more!

 

[iChris]

get the biggest tank that your budget and space constraints will allow, you'll be glad you did, because you'll find you will probably want more axies down the track, it is also easier to keep a stable aquarium with a larger volume of water, with that in mind, a tank that size will allow you to just keep one adult axie.

as for food, live earthworms are the staple, with bloodworm and occasional axie pellets. most axies will eat just about anything, but mine won't touch pellets.

I use a mixture of live and plastic plants, when it comes to live ones, keep in mind that axies hate bright light so this limits your selection. varieties like java fern and java moss should be fine.

axies will breed fairly easily in the right conditions, once they have matured. but with that in mind, your chosen tank is not big enough for 2.

 

[Boo Penguin]

Go big!!! One you get one you'll want more for sure... I've got my girl in a 33.5 inch (or 85cm) long tank... its 28 gallons (or 105 litres). I only just got it and I'm thrilled with how big it is. I think it will easily fit 3 axi's in the future... but for now it will be the home of 1 axi alone.

As everyone else says earthworms are the best food... and axi's love them... they're all wriggly and nice

 

[Raziela]

Heh, as far as "getting a bigger tank" was concerned, I managed to get a real bargain from a person local to me, a 3ft tank with 2.5fthigh cupboard and loads accessories, filters, bubble stones etc (all from Fluval) and only the tank had been used so everything else was still brand new in packaging (all worth around £1500) for £75.

Only things I've had to buy since are axie friendly things like Java Fern and some ornaments as the ones I got with the tank were all sharp and a bit more suited to my mum's tropical fish tank

 

[Boo Penguin]

Heh, as far as "getting a bigger tank" was concerned, I managed to get a real bargain from a person local to me, a 3ft tank with 2.5fthigh cupboard and loads accessories, filters, bubble stones etc (all from Fluval) and only the tank had been used so everything else was still brand new in packaging (all worth around £1500) for £75.

Only things I've had to buy since are axie friendly things like Java Fern and some ornaments as the ones I got with the tank were all sharp and a bit more suited to my mum's tropical fish tank

Ooooh lucky... but I can't complain... my custom tank only cost $125 and I got my ehiem filter for a steal at $60 off ebay.

I was pretty stoked

 

[cml]

Thanks cml, and the others, for answering!

What size tank do you reccomend for one axolotl?
Do you go out and find the earthworms around your house, or buy them from the store? I'd be worried about the earthworms eating or getting into something they shouldn't have if I caught them wild, like pesticides and stuff.

Thank you so much for your informative answers, I really appreciate it!

Oh, and should I cycle the tank BEFORE I add the axolotl, or are they hardy enough to survive the cycling process?

A 20G long tank is good for 1 axolotl, but as people have said, you will probably want another one so a 3ft tank or something like that might not be a bad idea. It all depends on what you have room for and how big your budget is. You can always buy second hand, its what I did and Ive got a ~3ft tank at 30G with all equipment and a stand for about 100$.

You are right with the earthworms, if you catch them yourself, make sure there are no pesticides. Me, I just buy mine in a fishermans equipment store.

Also, as long as you are keeping a close eye on the cycling process, you can use an axolotl to start it. If you dont want to do that, it doesnt hurt to start cycling the tank before you get your little axolotl.