Question: Tank size: How many litres per adult

[MearWolf]

Hi, I have a few tanks laying around that were previously used to house tropical fish. And I'm wondering whether they'd be suitable for Axolotls

From what I've read on axolotl.org 30+ litres per adult is what they recommend.
Is this correct or would it be safe to have a bit less?

Would a 2 x 1 x 1 foot tank be adequate for a pair?

 

[EmbryH]

Read this article for advice. (It's not very long, but has great info)

The most relevant bit here is

...Even when a tank doesn’t look crowded, it may have more animals than the carrying capacity of the water allows. As an example, a 10-gallon tank can support about 12 inches of animal (three 4-inch newts, for example), and a 15-20 gallon tank can easily support about 16 inches of animal. These figures assume that the tank is at least 2/3rds full of water. Any fish or other animals in the tank also count toward the total. Any animals beyond this could result in overcrowding...

It's a good place to start; Hope this helps!

 

[kiathepooch]

Hi, I have a few tanks laying around that were previously used to house tropical fish. And I'm wondering whether they'd be suitable for Axolotls

From what I've read on axolotl.org 30+ litres per adult is what they recommend.
Is this correct or would it be safe to have a bit less?

Would a 2 x 1 x 1 foot tank be adequate for a pair?

It would be ok whilst they were small but you'd find once they grew,the tank would look quite cramped.
I would go for a 3ft,purely for space for them to swim/walk around.


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[Asuka]

I think like it does with fish keeping, smaller tanks can be used, however they will not thrive, when people recommend a size it is not acceptable but well fitted for the animal to be comfortable.

E.G people who are passionate recommend at least a 5 gallon for a single betta fish, can it be placed in a 1,2,3g? Yes, will it thrive? Rarely. So if they recommend a 5g, get a +5g if you can

So I would keep this logic in mind "The bigger the better" plus the more room the have wide to walk around the more entertaining they are for you in the end Also bigger means easier to maintain.

And remember some lotls can grow to be jumbo sized. Easily 30cm.

so yes, if you wish to harbor 2 axies that will eventually be adults a 60L tank is right. Which is 20g.

 

[EmbryH]

My betta has a 5g >.>

 

[Asuka]

My betta has a 5g >.>

read again:


people who are passionate recommend at least a 5 gallon for a single betta fish, can it be placed in a 1,2,3g? Yes, will it thrive? Rarely. So if they recommend a 5g, get a +5g if you can

I meant that you can get a 5, if you can get bigger great I'm not saying 5g is bad.My bettas have around 10g-3g

 

[EmbryH]

x) No, no, the shifty eyes were to reference that I'm one of those people :3

 

[jane1187]

It would be ok whilst they were small but you'd find once they grew,the tank would look quite cramped.
I would go for a 3ft,purely for space for them to swim/walk around.


Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

I agree with this post. With fish, it is more about length of animal per number of litres (I'm British so it's litres, not gallons I'm afraid).

With axolotls, yes litres is important, but area to move around and get away from each other (even the most friendly axolotl's have off days) is even more so. If you consider that an adult axolotl can reach 30cm in length, with a pair you need a lot of room to move. By making allowances for room to move you automatically give yourself more than sufficient litres of water for each adult.