im after a pet for my daughter and we both like axolotls. so im after as much info as poss regarding care, feeding, compatability etc etc pretty much everything to be honest.....
Axolotl
- Thread starter mattlee
- Start date
dipsydoodlenoodle
Fish Gatherer
Axolotls can grow up to 12" in length; minimum recommended tank size is 24" - they can be cannabalistic when younger. Best food is earth worms. They are cold water.
caudata.org in my footer is a site dedicated to newts/salamanders/axolotls/amphibians. You'll get the best help on there
caudata.org in my footer is a site dedicated to newts/salamanders/axolotls/amphibians. You'll get the best help on there
fishnovice
Fish Herder
Yes caudata.org is the best site by far for Axolotl info. They have a forum too. Cheapest way to get one is to buy axo eggs on Ebay and hatch them. Most eggs will hatch and they can be easily posted. You will also need to buy a brine shrimp kit on Ebay to feed newly hatched axo babies. Any spare bbaies cna be sold on when they are about 5cm so you will effectively end up getting 1 or 2 axolotls free this way. Otherwise expect to pay £35 for an adult from a pet shop.Axolotls can grow up to 12" in length; minimum recommended tank size is 24" - they can be cannabalistic when younger. Best food is earth worms. They are cold water.
caudata.org in my footer is a site dedicated to newts/salamanders/axolotls/amphibians. You'll get the best help on there
Please note axolotls are coldwater ie room temp not freezing outdoor ponds. Also need good water quality, with frequent changes and good filtration. Thy e must be kept alone or with another axo the same size as they are cannibals. Also do NOT keep witfish as fish will eat the poor axo's gills mistakigngthem for worms!
RE feeding, I feed mine earthworms which I grow in my organic compost bin , supplemented with a mixture of JMC pellets and freeze dried bloodworm pellets. They also love prawns and mussels once theyreach 5cm. Babies grow fast and you can expect your axo to reach 10in in its first year.
They make great pets and live 10+ years too. I love mine!
fishguy2727
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Great option. Here is what I consider to be most important for them:
-Room temp: no more than about 73F.
-Sand substrate: bare bottom stressed them out because they have nothign to grip and can develop sores on their toes. Gravel can be ingested and cause impaction.
-Pelleted food: The best food is a high quality pellet. I feed mine New Life Spectrum Thera+A and they are doing amazing, their growth matched that of the breeder's.
-Aeration: always a good ide to keep the tank well aerated, with axolotls it can make or break them if the temp gets higher than ideal.
-Tankmates: if the tank is large enough you can have them with fancy goldfish. This is the only fish I have found to be a safe tankmate with axolotls. They are to slow to nip at their gills without getting nipped back and are too big for the axolotls to eat. This combination has worked very well for me and is the only option for fish and only if they tank is large enough and well cared for enough.
-Room temp: no more than about 73F.
-Sand substrate: bare bottom stressed them out because they have nothign to grip and can develop sores on their toes. Gravel can be ingested and cause impaction.
-Pelleted food: The best food is a high quality pellet. I feed mine New Life Spectrum Thera+A and they are doing amazing, their growth matched that of the breeder's.
-Aeration: always a good ide to keep the tank well aerated, with axolotls it can make or break them if the temp gets higher than ideal.
-Tankmates: if the tank is large enough you can have them with fancy goldfish. This is the only fish I have found to be a safe tankmate with axolotls. They are to slow to nip at their gills without getting nipped back and are too big for the axolotls to eat. This combination has worked very well for me and is the only option for fish and only if they tank is large enough and well cared for enough.
Mine aren't exactly the same, they are waterdogs, but care is pretty much the same. They do have a tendency to eat eachothe and small fish. Our two were raised on worms, and won't tough fish, so we have 3 cichlids and an angelfish in the tank with them... we had some issues with temp, but got that fixed. Unfortunately, it caused some major fin rot we are now treating... I am excited to see mine change... they are fairly easy to take care of when aquatic, once you get it all figured out! Good luck. They are so much fun to watch. =)
fishguy2727
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Why are they with tropical fish? What species of 'waterdog' are you keeping?
We were told they are Tiger Salamanders. They are not with other fish right now... We had some issues with the tank {not because of the fish} and the fish got moved to the bigger tank... They all seem to be doing well.
I guess my "dogs" are spoiled... They will ONLY eat worms... We've tried pellets, and they were at the pet shop with about 6 feeder guppies that they wouldn't touch... The same guppies were in there for a week before we took the dogs home.
Amazingly, my one lone shrimp has still survived the big tank with a baby turtle {who is also spoiled and only eats dried shrimp}, and some other fish who are "known" to eat shrimp...
fishguy2727
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Try not feeding worms for a few days. If you keep a kid full on ice cream it he will never eat veggies. Get him a little hungry and all of a sudden veggies are amazing. It is good that they are eating well, but a diet of only worms is not complete or balanced, which will lead to problems long term. What pellets do you have?
micko
drive it like you stole it.
These are becomming more and more popular here in Northern Ireland. Seen a few in LFS's recently. One I seen today was roughly 6 inches and a real pink colour. He was £25. Another shop I go to has them but smaller and more darker colour (I don't know whether they go pink as they get older) and he charges £7.50 for them.
Our boys love them and want one in their room. Have said they can if they read up on them and stop beating eachother senseless.
Here's hoping!
Our boys love them and want one in their room. Have said they can if they read up on them and stop beating eachother senseless.
Here's hoping!
micko
drive it like you stole it.
These are becomming more and more popular here in Northern Ireland. Seen a few in LFS's recently. One I seen today was roughly 6 inches and a real pink colour. He was £25. Another shop I go to has them but smaller and more darker colour (I don't know whether they go pink as they get older) and he charges £7.50 for them.
Our boys love them and want one in their room. Have said they can if they read up on them and stop beating eachother senseless.
Here's hoping!
Our boys love them and want one in their room. Have said they can if they read up on them and stop beating eachother senseless.
Here's hoping!
fishnovice
Fish Herder
Axolotls don't change colour as they grow older, what you buy as a baby is what you get.The dark ones are wild type. Breeders have produced several colour morphs -pink (leucistic), golden albino, black
They grow very quickly and can reach 10in in a year so save your money and get a smaller one , a 4in one is fine.
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