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Axolotl Temperature and Tankmates


Will Connelly
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Hello, I’m considering getting an axolotl in the future, but I wanted to have an idea of what getting one would include. In particular I wanted advice from people who have had axolotls.
First, in terms of temperature, do you believe that a room temperature of 70-72F would be too high? That is a relatively normal room temperature for me. If not, how big of an impact do you think having a sponge filter, an open lid, and possibly insulation would have? These seem to be the easiest means to bring the temperature down a bit without resorting to a chiller or ice. 
 

In of tankmates, I understand that there is some risk for having fish, snails, or shrimps with an axolotl, but I’m curious how real this is. I’m primarily interested in cherry shrimp or small cleaner fish. 
 

I appreciate any thoughts. Thanks!

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I've found my axolotls did best when the temperature was under 68°F. I ended up covering 3 sides of the tank (besides the front panel) with reflective foil insulation and then using a small USB fan to blow across the water surface as evaporative cooling. Very effective, but you sometimes need to top off the water if it gets too low. 

I never kept any tank mates with my axolotl, but I believe @Sol added some white cloud mountain minnows a while ago so you could ask her about her experiences and how they did. Good luck with your research phase!

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I did have white clouds in there. They eventually got eaten over the course of a couple months, but the axolotl was just fine and didn't have any issues with gill nipping or anything like that. I imagine if my tank was more densely decorated/planted, there would have been a better survival rate.

I second the use of a fan to keep the tank cool, I've found that my axo is happier with lower temps in the 60s. I've kept him at room temp before, and his gills decreased in size and he didn't seem as active.

 

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On 12/17/2020 at 7:23 AM, Will Connelly said:

Thank you! Do you have any idea of what the temperature was/is with the fan compared to without it? 

Without a fan, it averaged 69-74 F (depending on the ambient room temps...in the summer it could get pretty warm). With a fan, it stays consistently at 62-64. I don't have any insulation, but run a sponge filter and there is no lid on the tank, so there is quite a bit of surface agitation and evaporation. 🙂

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I've put cherry shrimp in with my axolotls and they survived a surprisingly long time. I was finding a few here and there for about 6 months or better and tank was not conducive to their survival necessarily. If your tank is big and there is area above where the axolotls hang out you might be able to get them to cohabitate. I wouldn't buy shrimp strictly for that purpose, though. If you can, get a colony going in another tank and then you can seed your axolotl tank to see if it works. Otherwise it could be an expensive mistake. 

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I'm here to support the fan method as well. I had axolotls as a very poor grad student, I lived in Miami, Fl (quite hot!) and kept the tank uncovered, using a fan to lower the temp. I am an A/C hog so ambient temp in the apartment was normal. I did have to top it off weekly as a good portion would evaporate. I didn't have any tank mates, and I would expect cherry shrimp to get gobbled up immediately. I was surprised that @JPF kept them in there successfully for any amount of time.)

You might  be able to get away with quick species like danios, but... I would not be optimistic. Because then if you're not worried about the fish, you should worry about the fish nibbling on those delicate, worm-looking axolotl gills.

I hope you enjoy your axie(s)! They are great animal, super cute and just so cool!

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On 12/18/2020 at 10:28 PM, Sol said:

Without a fan, it averaged 69-74 F (depending on the ambient room temps...in the summer it could get pretty warm). With a fan, it stays consistently at 62-64. I don't have any insulation, but run a sponge filter and there is no lid on the tank, so there is quite a bit of surface agitation and evaporation. 🙂

I've run a fan on top of my axolotl tank and had similar results. They work quite well. 

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  • 5 months later...
On 12/16/2020 at 10:36 AM, Will Connelly said:

Hello, I’m considering getting an axolotl in the future, but I wanted to have an idea of what getting one would include. In particular I wanted advice from people who have had axolotls.
First, in terms of temperature, do you believe that a room temperature of 70-72F would be too high? That is a relatively normal room temperature for me. If not, how big of an impact do you think having a sponge filter, an open lid, and possibly insulation would have? These seem to be the easiest means to bring the temperature down a bit without resorting to a chiller or ice. 
 

In of tankmates, I understand that there is some risk for having fish, snails, or shrimps with an axolotl, but I’m curious how real this is. I’m primarily interested in cherry shrimp or small cleaner fish. 
 

I appreciate any thoughts. Thanks!

I know I’m late but I say do it 

room temp doesn’t matter it’s tank temp of below 70 but above 60 if you can’t get that with out other things Ice is the way to go but it a pain in the you know what in the long one you should look in to a diy one 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Just came here to research Axolotls. My daughter would like one when we move. We're moving to a part of the country that uses AC, but I think we'll probably not drop the house down past 72 when we are using it  regularly. Do you think a fan is effective enough to drop the temp in those conditions?

 

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On 7/25/2021 at 11:26 PM, GoldenGardner said:

Just came here to research Axolotls. My daughter would like one when we move. We're moving to a part of the country that uses AC, but I think we'll probably not drop the house down past 72 when we are using it  regularly. Do you think a fan is effective enough to drop the temp in those conditions?

 

I have two adult females in a 40 gallon breeder tank in Michigan.  I have them on the bottom shelf of a rack made out of 2x4s and keep them in the coolest part of my house.  I made a top out of appropriate sized powder coated wire shelving material so I can use a fan on the surface, and keep the cats from meddling with them.😅

Unexpectedly someone made a good offer for our house so we will be moving.  The house we found has a basement living space so the Axolotl tank and the fancy goldfish we keep on the top level of the rack will go to the cooler basement space in the new house.

Placement in a house can make a difference.  I also considered a cold water drip system to keep temps cooler but so far they have been fine with cool water top offs (evaporation is a thing!)

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