Temperature?

J

jaquiscorpio

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JaXx
Hi i am new to the world of axolotls.

i have a stick on digital thermometer on outside of glass tank and i am really struggling to keep the water temp bellow 20-21oC as my house is quite a warm house and the water temp can go to 23oC.

Any tips please will be much appreciated.

I have been removing a small amount of water and topping it up with cold water.
the tank is 3ft. And the axolotls are juveniles 1"- 2" in size and the tank has an interpet internal power filter.

Jaqui:confused:
 
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20 is fine, due to a poorly insulated student house and lack of money for central heating I actually have to heat my axi tank from <10c to 18. Lot's of people try putting frozen water bottles in to cool the water down.
 
fans work pretty well too. I'd give that a try
 
To elaborate on what Carson said, you can drop the temperature of your tank several degrees by using fans and evaporative cooling.

Also: keep the tank lower to the ground, near an open window (until it gets warm outside), and insulate the sides of the tank (blankets work well!).
 
If you're going to make ice cubes to cool your tank, I really recommend using tank water to make the ice cubes.

Also keep in mind that wild swings in temperature can be more stressful to your axolotl than a slightly-above-average temperature. If you're using ice, you'll have to add it constantly to keep the tank from warming up, then cooling off when you add more, and warming up when it melts, and then cooling off, etc.
 
jaquiscorpio said:
mine are about the size of yours in your pic
<<<<<<
how old r they about?:confused:​
Click to expand...
The lecuistic's probably about 6 months. I have a wildtype larvae thats probably 3-4 months
 
What is the top of your tank like? You might want to consider a screen covering. That can sometimes help lower temperature. Adding an airstone can help too. There was a great website with a bunch of techniques... I'll try to find it. :)
 
well i have a very cheeky cat who has eaten goldfish in past and didnt want her to do the same with my axies so i have covered the top of the tank with glass from a vivarium to stop her getting in and there is a 2" gap at 1 end to let air in
 
i have noticed that there gills look to change colour from same colour as body more or less to a nice pinky colour is this anything to do with mood or temp of water do u think?
 
Gill color is linked to blood flow: they're brighter when your axolotl is active, and paler when it's resting.

You should consider switching to a screen-top. This will help cool the tank at least a couple degrees.
 
A screen lid is a lid that has a metal frame, and the interior is metal mesh. This increases air flow, and thus evaporation, in your tank. Evaporation = cooling!

If you know how long x wide your tank is, your local fish shop (LFS) should be able to point you in the right direction.
 
I have the standard plastic aquarium lids on my tanks, which I open during the day, but I have them under shelving, so I'm a bit paranoid about something falling into the top tank, which is the 1 being used at the moment (I'm in the process of setting up the bottom 1 for my golden boy though) - I've removed anything immediately toxic, so it's just ornaments + DVDs, but really don't want anything falling in, so need a lid of some sort.
I heard about the idea of a mesh lid last week, so I'll let you know if I find anything suitable :happy:
My tanks are 3ft x 1ft..
 
That would be a screen lid. You can find them MUCH cheaper! I think the most expensive lid I have was for the 55 gallon (4 ft x 1 ft), and that was only $15 or so.
 
Kaysie said:
That would be a screen lid. You can find them MUCH cheaper! I think the most expensive lid I have was for the 55 gallon (4 ft x 1 ft), and that was only $15 or so.
Click to expand...

I found mine at Petsmart. I live in a pretty small town and we don't usually have many things. I just went in the reptile department and got one there. Fits great! I did have to cut out a part for my filter though. I think it was like 12 bucks. If I can find one here, you can for sure find one!
 
We have a chain store (PetsAtHome not too far away) + I think we still have an aquatics shop in a nearby small town (strangely enough, the Stoke of Stoke-on-Trent, but Hanley, the town centre is bigger - Stoke itself is mainly a series of inter-connecting roads!). I usually go to a different pace called Glovers though. None of them are particularly easy to get to for someone who doesn't drive though - all require 2 bus journeys each way. Then again, I could always phone them :p
Also might be worth asking at my local rep shop (+ while I'm there, ask if the owner wants any of my axie eggs, if they're fertile - he used to keep axies himself + was a valuable source of info for us when we 1st got them, even though he recommended tiny black crickets as a food + no mention of earthworms. I think he was just trying to recommend some live food to accompany the frozen + it's what he had available. He didn't recommend mealworms though, thankfully!)
 
i have now purchased an air pump and large airstone along with other items that i felt after reading and posting on here were needed.

I will post pictures shortly and i would like advice or thoughts on the set up if i need to adjust anything etc

JaXx:love:
 
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