What kind of fish can you keep with axolotls?

[oceanblue]

Even a topical treatment like formalin is not enough to remove risk. Hexamita and Tetrahymena are parasites which can live relatively harmlessly in the gut then become major trouble if the fish are stressed. This gives the potential to get through a short quarantine.

I think putting fish in with axolotls is usually a stupid idea. Both these parasites probably have the potential to colonise and harm amphibians.

 

[ted22]

Guppies breed so easily you dont even have to do anything they just keep popping out babies! If they are from your own tanks and are raised from fry you will be safe but store bought fish always carry a certain amount of risk, just breed your own guppies, its fun and when you have too many just pop some in with your axie! Thats what I do, same with cherry shrimp! Yum!

 

[morphyrichards]

I would personally recommend getting one of those low cost plastic 20 litre tanks.Add some substrate. Place this tank on a window ledge and if its particularly sunny there then put some paper behind the tank to add a bit of shade to stop the temperature getting too high. (Might also be worth getting one of those cheap sticker type thermometers).

Go to a particularly well known online auction website and look for 'red cherry shrimp'. Buy about 12 shrimp, add to tank (along with some elodea which is low maintenance aquarium plant) and within 12 weeks your 12 shrimp will have become 120.

Scoop out 100 or so, add to axlotl tank and leave the rest to replenish the population. Your axl will eat loads of them and a few will manage to survive in the tank with the axl and will do a fantastic job as housekeepers, cleaning up everywhere. You can also trim the elodea from your shrimp tank as it will grow like wildfire if it's exposed to sunlight and add this to your axl tank every now and then to replenish your plants that slowly die off in the lower light conditions in there... And raising cherry shrimp is fun in it's own right too.

 

[ted22]

Go to a particularly well known online auction website and look for 'red cherry shrimp'. Buy about 12 shrimp, add to tank (along with some elodea which is low maintenance aquarium plant) and within 12 weeks your 12 shrimp will have become 120.

Scoop out 100 or so, add to axlotl tank and leave the rest to replenish the population. Your axl will eat loads of them and a few will manage to survive in the tank with the axl and will do a fantastic job as housekeepers, cleaning up everywhere. You can also trim the elodea from your shrimp tank as it will grow like wildfire if it's exposed to sunlight and add this to your axl tank every now and then to replenish your plants that slowly die off in the lower light conditions in there... And raising cherry shrimp is fun in it's own right too.

Thats a good tip, if I wasnt doing it already I'd definately take that advice!

 

[xblind2itallx]

Iv kept axolotl for a long time and you guys all stress over the tempture and what to keep in your tank ect ect, But iv done this for years. SOME fish can live with axolotl its not always a good idea. Sometimes it does infact work. Pleco's are a good match as long as they are the same size as each other .They get on very well and roigthly grow at the same rate depending on which pleco you have. When it comes down to the tempture axolotls can live in a range of 5 - 25 C and be fine. As long as they have space it should just be all good.

 

[ted22]

Iv kept axolotl for a long time and you guys all stress over the tempture and what to keep in your tank ect ect, But iv done this for years. SOME fish can live with axolotl its not always a good idea. Sometimes it does infact work. Pleco's are a good match as long as they are the same size as each other .They get on very well and roigthly grow at the same rate depending on which pleco you have. When it comes down to the tempture axolotls can live in a range of 5 - 25 C and be fine. As long as they have space it should just be all good.

Mate you are right some fish can live with axolotls but plecos are not one of them they can cause some horrific injurys to axolotls (bad enough to kill an axie)! and yeah they may be able to survive at 25deg but at that temp they are at a high risk of illness/disease and stress, personally I wouldnt want my little guys any hotter than 22deg max for any period of time as thats when the infections/fungus and eating problems all start to happen!

I think the only good bit of advie you gave there was that they need plenty of space!

On another note, while blasting through another forum i found these little guys, Astyanax mexicanus the mexican tetra or the blind cave fish what ever you wanna call it! grows up to 12cm so probably to big to be eaten and others on this other forum have had great success keeping it with axies! What is everyone elses views? could this be a fish safe to live with axies that isnt classed as food? its a little freeky with no eyes tho, I think il stick to my minnows and guppies!

 

[tianh]

Mate you are right some fish can live with axolotls but plecos are not one of them they can cause some horrific injurys to axolotls (bad enough to kill an axie)! and yeah they may be able to survive at 25deg but at that temp they are at a high risk of illness/disease and stress, personally I wouldnt want my little guys any hotter than 22deg max for any period of time as thats when the infections/fungus and eating problems all start to happen!

I think the only good bit of advie you gave there was that they need plenty of space!

On another note, while blasting through another forum i found these little guys, Astyanax mexicanus the mexican tetra or the blind cave fish what ever you wanna call it! grows up to 12cm so probably to big to be eaten and others on this other forum have had great success keeping it with axies! What is everyone elses views? could this be a fish safe to live with axies that isnt classed as food? its a little freeky with no eyes tho, I think il stick to my minnows and guppies!

Where can you buy those? They seem interesting!

 

[ted22]

Where can you buy those? They seem interesting!

I have no idea where to get them! just came across a few threads on another forum saying they have kept them with axies with no problems. I just like the fact that one is A. mexicanum and the other is A. mexicanus, too big and agile to be eaten by axies 9-12cm peaceful and dont go anywhere near axies or their gills (im trying to dig through the threads to find it again it might have more info!) apparently these blind cave fish are very popular aquarium fish however ive never seen them over here in the uk but you might be able to get them in the u.s. To be honest if gomez cant eat it im not intrested haha! I'd be weary tho as its unknown territory but I guess mollies can grow to near that size and people have also reported sucess with them and axies

See what the others say!

 

[xblind2itallx]

I just recon most people over react. I mean think about it they come from mexico its gets boiling hot there and the water is bound to get pritty warm for most of the summer.
Also its been proven by mexcan scientists that pleco and axolotls get on great. They have been doing it for 20years breeding them in same tanks. Discovery channel oh yes mate.

 

[ted22]

I just recon most people over react. I mean think about it they come from mexico its gets boiling hot there and the water is bound to get pritty warm for most of the summer.

Your right mexico does get boiling hot but where axies live (well whats left of it) is high altitude lakes so its cold and the lake is glacia fed so is always cold all year round, google says "The water temperature in Xochimilco rarely rises above 20 °C (68 °F), though it may fall to 6 or 7 °C (45 °F) in the winter, and perhaps lower". Wild axies wont ever experience tropical temperatures and I sont think captive bread axies should be either! With the plecos ive read loads about them being successful with axies but ive also read just as much regarding axie injuries and death from plecos, to me its just not worth the risk and I certainly wouldnt reccommend it to anyone (just read they require a temperature between 23 and 27 deg, which is too warm for axies so one or the other or both creatures wont be kept in their optimum living conditions which doesnt seem right to me) anyways plecs can grow to 2ft so should not be kept in anything but the largest of aquariums and seems most axies are kept in 3-4ft tanks there just wouldnt be space!

 

[melfly]

I just recon most people over react. I mean think about it they come from mexico its gets boiling hot there and the water is bound to get pritty warm for most of the summer.
Also its been proven by mexcan scientists that pleco and axolotls get on great. They have been doing it for 20years breeding them in same tanks. Discovery channel oh yes mate.

I dont believe people over react. Its a case of better safe than sorry.
If everyone on here started saying 'yeah mix with plecos' people would be coming back with dying axolotls and advice on here would be worthless.
However people here have personal experience with axolotls and I have seen the damage done by plecos as posted by forum members.
I have seen the damage done by some fish (not sure of the type) to my own axolotls a pet shop keeper thought would be a good idea to add. (even though he was told not to keep any fish with them)

I'm not saying that all mixes will be unsuccessful but I care about my axolotls enough not to take the risk.

Mel

 

[xblind2itallx]

I can see both your points i have infact seperated them since this convosation.
And i can say i wont be mixing fish with axolotls agein since i found that if the fish do not have anythin to eat they pick on the axolotl. There for i was wronge and dont do it ,it just doesnt work. Thanks for the info guys great help.

 

[ted22]

Oh thats great news! Ive been trying to hunt down some axie plec injury photos to show you but I guess you can just imagine what it would look like if a plec gets hold of an axie, tis just a big hole where flesh used to be, very disturbing!

Good on ya for separating them very good move! I would have hated to be the one to tell you "i told you so"!

 

[tmorgan]

Oh this is all great info! I think I will order some red cherry shrimp today! I have a couple spare tanks I could use.
On that note, does anyone know of a good and reliable seller in the U.S.? I'm perusing eBay for plants and shrimp... Hehe.

Sorry for hijacking this post! >_<

Does anyone know where to find some elodea? I couldn't locate any on eBay...

 

[ted22]

Oh this is all great info! I think I will order some red cherry shrimp today! I have a couple spare tanks I could use.
On that note, does anyone know of a good and reliable seller in the U.S.? I'm perusing eBay for plants and shrimp... Hehe.

Sorry for hijacking this post! >_<

Does anyone know where to find some elodea? I couldn't locate any on eBay...

Yeah ebay is good for shrimp in my local shop they are sooo expensive Ebay is alot cheaper (maybe some loverly person on here could send you a few to get you started, all these people on here are helpful like that!)

As for elodea as far as I know its just pond weed (know anyone with a pond?) failing that any aquatics shop that deals with ponds should have some (its usually outside with the pond stuff rather than indoors with the tropical plants!) its probably best to get some from a shop as postage is probably going to be alot more than the plant is worth! As for other plants they are £2.50 per plant in my local and Ive seen that you can get a bundle of a fair few plants for not alot more on ebay so it is probably your best bet, however it might be worth getting them from a shop so you can see the condition of the plants before you buy them, if ebaying them you will never be sure of what you are getting untill it arrives (might not be quite what you expect, you may get cuttings rather than an actual plant in a pot!) but its not alot of money really so might be worth ebaying you may be pleasantly suprised, if not oh well its only a couple of your american bucks!

hope this helps you!

Take it easy

Ed

 

[Shizeric]

On aquabid you can buy red/blue/yellow and shrimp color you want and they are all pretty much different variations of Red Cherry Shrimp...just different colors.

 

[tmorgan]

Thank you guys for all the great info! I actually just ordered 30+5 red cherry shrimp from aquabid.com. They have some decent deals on there. I know that seems like a lot, but I have so many tanks and a lot of fishies. I think I will start a set up when I get home tonight. ^_^
Oh and I had no idea that they came in different colors! That's amazing! Hmm.... mixing blue and red shrimp= purple shrimp? Hehe that would be cool. It's crazy how people can create variations in the breeds to get different colors.

Thank you again!

 

[1Noahooty]

Re: can I keep my axolotl in same tank with pea puffers?

Can I keep my axolotl in a tank that has my pea puffers?

 

[DSaxolotl]

Re: can I keep my axolotl in same tank with pea puffers?

Can I keep my axolotl in a tank that has my pea puffers?

No.

They required tropical temperatures , while axolotls required temperatures below that, way down. And are AGGRESSIVE.

Makes me want to doubt do you even know what kind of environment axolotls require, at all?