Space size for axolotls

[rheann]

There is a lot of debate on this topic. I'm going to put in my two cense

lol. This is my honest opinion.

10 gallons for two axolotls I think is adequate. Axolotls do not move around a lot and always end up piling up on each other in corners or hiding under aquarium objects. I think after 10 gallons, 5 gallons should be provided after that for each axolotl, but there should also be a limit to this so that there is not over crowding. one must not become an obsessive axolotl collector and know their limits to this

I have a 60 gallon tank, and it is huge. I have 7 axolotls. They are always either piled up in one corner or hiding behind plants or under decorations. They rarely spread out and do not use all the space to swim.

The dimensions of my tank are 4 feet long, 1 foot wide, 21 1/2 inches tall. Big tank lol.

I wonder sometimes if I over killed it getting such a big tank.

But I'm also glad too because it's very beautiful

Though space is an issue, I don't think it is that much with the axolotl personally. What they do require however is a clean healthy environment with plenty of food and sand substrate rather than gravel.

I have never felt I had a lack of space. I have plenty of space and feel that most of that space isn't used 3/4 of the time they are active.

Please use this thread to discuss your personal experience and opinions with your tanks and your axolotls. Please do not use it to make arguments because this is just for opinions on the matter of space, not debate.

Thanks

 

[joan]

They usually 'pile up' because the space is either a good place to watch for food, or a good hiding place. This isn't because they want to be next to each other.

And with only 5 gallons of water per axolotl, it's much harder to maintain stable water quality. The 10 gallon rule is a buffer against wild swings in water quality.

Tall tanks are usually not the best choice because axolotls are bottom dwellers and do not live in the water column. They would not use most of the water column as 'living space', as they tend to sit on the bottom.

 

[skylar]

Mine always pile up seemingly not caring where in the tank lol - they often do it out in the open. If one moves away the rest follow it

 

[skylar]

Oh and I have 2 axolotls in a 2'x1'x18" tank and 2 in a 3' tank. I'm going to move them into a 4' tank soon though. I've never had problems with water quality with having 2 in a 2' tank - i even had 3 in there at one point with no problems.

 

[lexie]

I'm planning on putting 2 axies in a (Just measured) 70 cm long tank...

Being new to this, and not knowing what gallons are in terms of litres lol, is this ok?

 

[stipe]

I had 2 small 15cm ones in a 2 foot tank and by looking at it i could of have 4. I understand aobut the water quality but that can be controleld with various filteration methods.

 

[sharn]

filtration methods will probably not cut it in small tanks that are heavily stocked, unless you want to use funky stuff to absorb your nitrates, water changes are the best and would need to be more frequent like any other heavily stocked tank. because of their end size i like to have at least 30x30cm of floor space each. yeah they pile up sometimes but they are out and about alot. also there is less chance of agression in larger tanks, it takes more to bump into one another

the way i think of it is- 10 humans can live in a 10x10m room but theyre not gunna be happy, the same goes with axies and i think they appreciate the extra room.

to lexie, times gallons by four to give you the approx literage, divide by 4 to make into litres.

 

[stipe]

LOl sharm thats the same example i used but i said 'you' in a 2x3m room with 5-10 babies, lol, poo everythere. A simple sump and simmer will do you wonders and a Refugium will get the nitites down, but who goes through all that trouble.

 

[sherrisixxx]

I have 2 axolotls in 50g tank. Axelina is very active and energetic, so she often takes advantage of the whole tank, swimming, jogging, playing, gliding, dancing on bag legs etc. She actually sulks when I put tank divider in, cos she doesn't have enough space to glide from the airpump bubbles for ages.Hihi,silly,lovely girl. Whereas Rosie is not very active, so he would do perfectly fine in a smaller tank.Hmm, so it really depends on your axies!!!But am sure the more space they have, the happier they are, as they can have some space to themselves if they want to, and there is more things to keep them occupied.And yes, it's also easier to keep the water conditions better. One can also alter the decorations once in a while, or the place of them in the tank. That seems to give axies something interesting to do, trying to figure out what's going on.

 

[roo]

I thought I would mention somthing although I've never kept an axollotls I have been interested in them for some time thus I've read this forum from time to time. I have heard lots of difirent opinions on room some of them I'm sure are well grounded some maybe not. One thing I have noticed is that five gallons of water per axolotle seems to be nearly universal although if you look at the Indiana University Axolotl Colony it has some interesting guidlines. they do say that in an aquarium they recomend five gallons however they say thier breeding stocks is kept in gallon bowls with I believe twice daily water changes. One has to keep ion mind when reading the page that it isn't just opinion its a laboratory breeding methods so how the stock is kept will be proper. Of course nobody realy wants to change water twice a day so its kind of a moot piont but one deos have to keep in mind that the more frequently the water is changed and the better it is filtered than the smaller the space per axolotle can be.

THe links below it been a long time since I've read it but if you read the "housing" section and the "Feeding and Routine Care" section it should have thier methods in it. (I'd read the rest of the site to its interesting)

http://bigapple.uky.edu/~axolotl/axolotls/shortguide/guide.html

(Message approved by jennewt)

 

[anna]

I agree with Sharn on this one. They probably do appreciate the extra room. After all, its not like they are so confined in the wild. If we are going to cage them, we may as well do what we can to make it as comfortable as possible. Healthy doesnt necessarily mean happy. Im like that with all of my pets tho. Eases my guilt at caging them. Lol.

 

[yvette]

i have been reading this and it is helping a great deal i was told that my tank was a 21 gallon and i have 2 4.5" axies in it but doing a calculation i have found that it is 11 gallon i was a bit worried bout the size of tank for my axies, axal dont seem to move about much just hide most of the time but angel seems to be more active, to me it seems like they have plenty of room but i have been told this is too small for them
i looked on a site which also says 10 gallons for 2 axies then 5 gallons after that for each axie you put in

 

[joan]

Your better bet, rather than volume, is to go by length and width. A 12 inch wide tank should have at least 12 inches of length per axolotl. So 2 axolotls would be in a 24 inch tank, 3 in a 36 inch tank, so on.

Using this guide also usually means you'll have plenty of volume of water per axolotl to buffer against water quality issues.

 

[michael]

Foot print (Length and width) is important but volume and type of filter is most important. You can squeeze an adult pair in a 10 gallon tank with the right type of filtration. I do it occasionally for short periods of time. I keep a couple extra tanks for moving things around for breeding and quarantine. The real question is what size tank is necessary to maintain good water quality? Water quality is the biggest concern with axolotls. Twice daily water changes isn't a very practical way for most hobbyists. On and and on and on.