Question: Newbie Axolotl owner needing help

[Misschocobo]

Hi there!
I have a ton of questions, so instead of posting one for each, i thought i'd post them in one go, here goes...

- Food. What is the best food to be feeding my Axolotl? For a couple of days he was content to eat a mealworm or two but now he doesn't seem interested, i've tried leaving them at the bottom of the tank, i've tried hand feeding them (which had worked before) but my little guy just doesn't seem interested. I had a read online and decided brine shrimp may be a little better, i brought some freeze dried cubes and he's even less intrested. He's quite happily swimming up and down his giant tank, i'm just worried about him not eating would he like frozen bloodworm maybe?

- Substrate. We got our Axolotls at work from our normal fish breeder and sadly he told us what seems like a bunch of crud about their care. One such lie being that normal gravel would be fine, everywhere i've read reccomends sand, large pebble like gravel or none at all. There is currently normal aquarrium gravel in the tank at the moment which i'm not happy about but i don't really know how best to remove it without stressing out my axie? Also would sand be a good substrate? Store brought aquarrium sand i mean, i'm not raiding any kids sand pits!! Also, how on earth would i clean it??

- Age. How would i tell how old my axie is? He's around 5inches i'd say, as far as i can see he doesn't have any coloured tips on his feet yet.

- white fungus?? I'm not 100% sure it is fungus but there are a few white specks on my little guys "tail" should i be worried??

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.xx

 

[animalloversfb]

For food - earthworms and frozen bloodworms are going to be your best bet. For the earthworms, get smaller ones or chop them up and soak them for a little bit to rinse them. Mealworms have too much chitin and should only be given as a rare treat(or never) and with the heads cut off. Brine shrimp are usually too tiny for the older ones to notice.

For substrate - yes, get rid of that gravel asap. Sand is best - regular aquarium sand(not reptile or cichlid sand) will work. Its been recommended to me to cut a large corner off it and set in the tank and let it be for at least an hour. Then when you go to pour it, most will stay on the bottom - only the tinier particles will float. This lets it settle faster. To clean it, use an aquarium gravel vac - it'll get up a little bit of the sand, but you can put that back after dumping the dirty water out and rinsing it.

For age - it depends on a lot of factors - if they're fed more frequently, they grow faster. I'd guess somewhere around 5-6 months old based on one i have, but again, it could be more if he was well fed, kept alone(no risk of nipping by others), or less if he was slightly underfed.

And for fungus - try to post a picture under the "Sick Axolotl" area - or search through there for pictures of fungus. If it is fungus, you can use salt baths - keep his water as clean as possible - better to get rid of it sooner before it spreads...

 

[Misschocobo]

thank you thats really awesome. No-one else i work with has a clue about them so i'm so glad i found this place! I shall go order my sand and get him some bloodworm this morning.
thanks again.xx

 

[Crysta]

Just want to let in why some of these things are bad options.


Food-
Earthworms as a staple because they are the more nutriciously rich, bloodworms are good occasionally, wax worms, daphnia and brineshrimp - all good to add some variety but not good for a staple as they do not give the required nutrients - but you do need variety in their diet.

Mealworms can cause impaction, they can also BITE BACK.

Substrate-
Gravel causes impaction if they have swallowed some it should pass easily due to the small size of normal gravel. Sand or a barebottom or large rocks (bigger than axie's head - not as big as) are best, most people don't like a barebottom because it is belived that without the grip the axies can stress, most people go for sand as a best option.
On sand, reptile or cichlid sand is known for being calcium, which is lovely for a reptile, but not for an axolotl. As animalloversfb has said aquarium sand is best.

to clean the sand, but it in a bucket and have a hose in there for a few hours (yep that long) until the water runs clear, really. sand needs a good rinse.

- Age all axies grow at different rates, most people don't rely on age but rather size This biology article will tell you all about maturity.

As for fungus, you will find this is usually a white FLUFFY substance around the gills, but post a picture and we'll see if we can figure out what it is.