Update on my axolotls

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Reptileguy2727

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Here are a few pics of the axolotls. The largest is now at least 10". There are 4. They are in the 40breeder with 6 assorted fancy goldfish, a platy, some feeder guppies, 6 assorted mystery snails, and some live plants. There are actually some hydra growing in the tank tank. Hydra are very small (1-3mm long) filter feeding invertebrates related to jellies and anemones. There is a Whisper 60 and an AquaClear 110 on there. I am probably going to replace the Whisper with a Fluval with a spray bar. There are more pics on my PhotoBucket page. I got them in May at about 2".
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Nice pics but don't the goldfish bother the axies/vice versa? I didn't think they were that compatible. Cute though!
 
Nice pics but I do not think that it's a good idea to mix goldfish with axolotls - sooner or later they will try to nibble on the axolotls gills, stressing and maybe harming them.

Additionally your tank looks a little full with animaly - what size and/or volume does it have?
 
also the fins on the fantail in the bottom picture look very badly eaten away - maybe the axies are nipping him :(
 
It is a 40breeder. Nitrates are always under 20ppm.. I do weekly 80% water changes. It is heavily stocked but they are all doing quite well.

The tail in the pic looks bad, but it was just at a funny angle to the camera. They are all fine. They all do quite well together actually. I had more platies but they were eaten. This happened at night when they were sleeping on the bottom and the axolotls were up and active. The goldfish are actually fine about the axolotls. I have never once seen them nip at them nor seen any marks on them that says it happened and I didn't see it. Every once in a while an axolotl will lunge at a goldfish, but the goldfish stay out of their way.

All I feed is New Life Spectrum. A pellet only diet helps keep aggression down.
 
Nice looking axies, I agree with the tank and fish issues though- I wouldn't mix them myself..... the axolotls gills seem to be pointing forward too- which is a sign of stress. Hmmmm
 
That has come up before, but every time I get a pic with their gills leaning forward, they are right in the flow of the filters, facing away from them. So it is the flow from the filters pushing them forward, not stress. The tank is fully stocked and they will need more room as everyone gets even bigger, but for now it is fine. With the filtration and water change schedule the water is fine and everyone is doing very well. I wouldn't suggest most people have this high of a stocking level though, it does take proper maintenance. I added the goldfish after the axolotls were about 4". And I only have very slow, laid back goldfish. I wouldn't have faster or more 'aggressive' goldfish in with them at all. I know everyone on this forum seems to keep and recommend keeping axolotls by themselves. This is the extra safe route. But I have found that if the right fish are chosen and carefully observed for any problems there are some options for tankmates.
 
I love the look of those white pipes. I guess they're plumbing bits and pieces? I might go buy some myself - your axies certainly seem to be enjoying them!
 
the fish will take up alot of the air under the water
 
They love the PVC connectors, as do most fish. That is where the axolotls and the snails spend most of the daylight hours.

Actually even without an air pump (which I plan on adding soon) no one in there ever seems to have any problems getting enough oxygen. I never see any gasping at the surface or anything.
 
I have to admit that I have my reservations with this "carefully observed for any problems".

I have seen axolotls whose gills have almost been eaten away by "friendly and lazy fishes" in one night and you won't be able to watch them 24/7. It's your decision after all...

I have to put my question with the tank size again because I don't know what a "40breeder" is. :eek:
 
What kind of fish were those? It was of some concern, but these fish have never shown any interest in the axolotls. The only reaction to them is to slowly move away as they approach. And as these axolotls get even bigger, I think the risk of damage to them is getting smaller. These fish don't even mess with the plants, something most goldfish are glad to do.

A 40breeder is 36x18x17.
 
Well I do feel that you are definately overstocked there. I keep fantailed goldfish too, I have 2 in a 125 litre tank, and that is all you should have to allow full growth. I'd imagaine your tank volume is around 180 litres, which is enough for 3 or 4 fully-grown adult fantails. That many goldfish, feeder fish and axies must be massively polluting that tank - it really can't be a good environment for the fish in there and they don't look that healthy tbh. Couldn't you house them separately?
 
They all look very good and are growing quite well. With the filtration and water change schedule (remember it is about 80% at least once a week) it is fine, for now. I will be able to add more tanks (possibly small indoor ponds) within 2-3 months. If I had to keep them the way they are now I would not have near as many as I do. But since I can upgrade and they are all doing very well so far it is still good. The feeders are maybe a dozen feeder guppies, not much of a bioload there. The only other thing is a platy, still not much bioload. Right now the largest goldfish is maybe 4" body length, so they aren't full grown yet.
 
Hi reptile guy, I'm not going to say anything about the fish enough said already bout that albeit sound advise.

I jsut wanted to say great looking axies and habitat.
 
DO NOT IMITATE THIS SETUP! From the description given, I do think that Reptileguy has a handle on what he's doing, and things will work OK for the most part. BUT I would really hate for other people to see these photos and decide to do the same things.

Keeping a setup with this many animals is risky. A lot of people set up tanks and are diligent with them for the first few months, but then slack off (or "life issues" arise and they suddenly have less time for their hobby). With the sheer number of animals in this tank, there isn't any room for error; they are TOTALLY DEPENDENT on those large weekly water changes. Most people (including me) would have an impossible time keeping up with this long-term. I prefer to keep tanks in which I can rely on the biofiltration to do most of the work.

I like the plumbing pipe hides. For anyone obsessed with aesthetics, I would also mention that these pipes are available in black color, or they can be coated with pebbles + aquarium sealant to make them less obviously looking like plumbing.

One other risk factor that has not been mentioned are the snails. The 5th photo on this page illustrates the risk more clearly than I can describe in words.
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Mixing_disasters.shtml

tkromer said:
40 breeder is 36" x 18" x 18"
Click to expand...
That would be 90 x 45 x 45 cm for most of the world;)
 
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