Tank size?

[Ranger]

Hey there. I have two golden axies, a male and a female living in the same tank together. the female is 24 centimetres and has been that long for about 6 months now and the male is 21 centimetres. The tank is 25.5 centimetres wide, 45.5 centimetres long and 25 centimetres high. They have live together in this tank for about a year and a half and have gotten along fine, no nipping biting etc and have even bred twice. I live in NZ so the water dosnt really get that warm and they seem to be fine. I have seen some of the tank set ups and have noticed that they are way bigger and the axies have alot of room. My mum reckons that they dont need alot of room cause mine dont move much but i dunno.... i can get a pic of the tank and them in it soon but my parents nicked the camera tonight so yeah lol. also i have small gravel on the bottom and i think that they probably eat it and was thinking of switching to sand but i do have some questions about that. dosnt the sand get all mixed up when they move and wouldnt it clog the filter? If it makes the water cloudy wouldnt it irritate thier skin and when they breathe it in, that cant be good for them can it?
Any help would be highly apreciated

 

[blueberlin]

Hi Ranger,

Ah you've hit on a hot topic there. I would recommend twice the body length per axolotl for the aquarium - but that's just me. In labs axolotls are kept in containers in which they cannot even turn around. I reckon it's a question of whether you are keeping a pet or a specimen.

There are two points to consider, though. First, axolotls are nocturnal, so although they may just sit around all day, they do swim around quite a bit in the deep of the night. Secondly, axolotls produce a lot of waste (through their skin as well as the usual way), so that in keeping them in such small quarters, you will need to be absolutely vigilant about water quality / water changes.

Sand will not move around much as the axolotls creep and swim - in fact, I think one of the most charming thing about sand is looking at the footprints the axolotls leave.

Once it has settled, sand will not clog the filter. Also, a sand cloud in the aquarium will not bother the axolotls. They cannot breathe it in through their gills, so no worries there. A sound cloud is mainly just unaesthetic - but it will settle within a couple of days at most.

Gravel is, indeed, a threat to your axolotls' health.

Good luck to you,

-Eva

 

[Jacquie]

Hi Ranger,

That tank is far too small for two adult axolotls. Axolotls need a lot of floor space, the minimum recommended tank length space per axolotl is about 45cm - so for two adults you would be looking at about a three foot tank at least.

Gravel is dangerous, as when ingested it can be fatal to the axolotl as it causes blockage in the gut.

Sand is an ideal substrate, or bare bottom tank.

The best sand types for axolotls are childrens play sand, pool filter sand or fresh water aquarium sand sold at most aquariums. Play sand is the cheapest option, I purchased a 20kg bag for about $5.00 AUD. Sand purchased at aquariums tends to be more significantly expensive...

Whichever sand you use will need to be rinsed thoroughly before adding it to the tank, if not cleaned yes it will cloud the tank. I used the bucket method to clean mine, put sand in a bucket, add water, swish the sand around, pour water out - the first few times the water run off will be cloudy - when water runs clear add the cleaned sand to the tank.

The beauty of sand is that when ingested, the axolotl can pass this with ease and it does not discomfort them. The sand if swallowed can also be expelled through the gills which looks strange but does not harm the axolotl.

Sand and bare bottom tanks are also the easiest substrate to keep clean.

Sand will not clog the filter, unless the filter is an undergravel filter which really is not a good filter to use with axolotls as muck accumulates under the surface and creates water quality issues - very bad news to the axolotls.

 

[Ranger]

Ok well im definately keeping pets not specimens also do you think that water temperature will affect how much they move? being in a cooler country maybe do i need a heater?ok so the tank i have would suit only 1? i have another tank exactly the same size with a 15 centimetre golden axie in it, also with gravel, but i definately think i will be changing the gravel to sand ive had bare bottem before but i think it stressed them out a bit will try to post some pics tonight.

 

[Kaysie]

Actually, axolotls are fairly active (and MUCH healthier) when it's cool. They are from glacier-fed lakes.

 

[blueberlin]

Your axolotls most definitely do NOT need a heater. Originally they came from a glacier lake - cold, cold, cold. If the water is warmer, they are more likely to get sick, not to move more.

Don't expect them to be too active during the daytime, though; axolotls are nocturnal. Although they can be quite friendly during the day (as that is the time in which you will most likely be feeding them, and they will surely do almost anything for a worm), that has nothing to compare with what they do at night. (They dance at night, I swear! It's quite lovely. You just have to sneak in and watch them in the dark...)

If your gravel is larger than 2-3 mm grain (or what they call it in English), then definitely change it to sand. I agree with what you wrote: I find bare-bottom tanks stressful for axolotls, although others have different experiences with them.

-Eva

 

[Ranger]

Ok i went down to the pet shop and the biggest tank they had was 60cm long, 30cm width and 30 cm high. will this be big enough? this is the biggest i can go on account of my tanks being in my room, my dad or brother will have to make a cabnet for one this big to go on. The 3 pics are of the tank now, with both of them in it, there are no plants etc because i have just removed them with hundreds of eggs attached lol. The extreme close up is of nameless my male who ah dosnt have a name so suggestions would be appreciate lol. sorry about the poor quality photos, the didgital camera isnt very good.
Thanks

 

[blueberlin]

I would recommend buying an aquarium from somewhere other than the pet shop - ebay is always good for a bargain if you are patient, and you can check classified ads in newspapers, etc. Often the tank already comes with a cabinet, too.

A 60x30x30 cm aquarium is, in my opinion, too small for two axolotls. I suppose you could keep one in there, but you will need to watch the water quality always.

Th setup you have right now does not have enough places for the axolotls to hide, and the gravel is a danger. On the up side, those are beautiful axolotls!

-Eva

 

[Ranger]

there are a couple of logs that are normally in thier which provide hidey holes but they had eggs attatched so i had to take them out. I would love to buy one from ebay but my parents are against using credit cards online, we do use trademe though, but once again i have the space issue I had asked at the petshop where i work and my boss is going to order some sand, yeuss!!! so soon the gravel will be removed. ive been cleaning my axi tanks out every two weeks even if they arnt dirty, use water conditioner etc. is this ok to do? it hasnt stressed them out before and ive been doing it for over a year and a half. If what im doing is wrong please tell me because i want them to be as happy as possible and if cleaning the water is hurting them i will stop right away.
Thanks

 

[blueberlin]

My parents are against purchasing online, too. Weird people.

I clean my aquaria every week, but mainly because it's easier for me to remember - weekend = cleaning. If I were to do it evey second week, I'd need a calendar. Cleaning does not stress them, really - although some of mine resent the disturbance, they get over it quickly. In the sense of water quality, I figure it's never a bad thing.

What kind of whater conditioner are you using? Is it a dechlorinator or is it starter bacteria?

Your axolotls are over a year and a half old?

-Eva

 

[Ranger]

Yup my female is coming up two years and im not sure about my male but they have lived in the same tank for about a year and a half, so he is at least that old and still no name, maybe shorty, hes not very long. I use a mixture, the water conditioner is called Aqua One and it has a stress reducer in it and it dechlorinates the water. You can also use it to repain the slime coating on fish and small injuries. The good bacteria is called Cycle and it comes in a little white bottle. If i dont have aqua one i use one called stress coat which removes chlorine and has aloe vera in it.