Useful tips for axolotls

[Chiclid addict]

I want to get and axolotl I currently have a bare bottom 10g with a couple hides cycling  and was wondering what are some useful tips for caring for them 

[Lifeisgood]

You can start babies in a ten gallon.  What age/size are the ones you are getting?

I started with three and kept the two females and have them in a forty breeder bare bottom tank.  I painted the underside of the tank so they wouldn’t see shadows under them.

Mine are just about a year old now.  I use an Aqua Clear HOB with sponges and Purigen that I divert the filtered water to the opposite end of the tank and extended the intake tube to near the bottom so it will create a mild current to send the debris to the uptake tube.  This seems to help, they do produce poop!

They have an anubias attached to a rock in a pot of rocks and a vase for a hide.  I also float hornwort to help with water quality.  I made a lid for the tank out of ready made wire shelving and attached it to pvc moulding that I cut to fit.  I have curious cats and I can mount a fan on the lid if the summer weather gets to hot for them for evaporative cooling.

They get two red wiggles worms every day or two.  One is learning to tell me she is hungry by getting excited when she sees me walk by.  She will also swim up to take her worm from the planting tweezers that I use to feed them.   I don’t fill the tank all the way up to make it easier to reach them for feeding.

At first I wanted to come up with a natural looking set up.  But when I saw how much waste they produce I simplified it.  And I didn’t want anything sharp in there to scratch them.  People keep them different ways, but it seems like the ones who have kept them longest keep it simple.  Did you see Irene’s video on them?  What other questions do you have?  I hope this helps some.

[Chiclid addict]

Than

10 minutes ago, Lifeisgood said:

You can start babies in a ten gallon.  What age/size are the ones you are getting?

I started with three and kept the two females and have them in a forty breeder bare bottom tank.  I painted the underside of the tank so they wouldn’t see shadows under them.

Mine are just about a year old now.  I use an Aqua Clear HOB with sponges and Purigen that I divert the filtered water to the opposite end of the tank and extended the intake tube to near the bottom so it will create a mild current to send the debris to the uptake tube.  This seems to help, they do produce poop!

They have an anubias attached to a rock in a pot of rocks and a vase for a hide.  I also float hornwort to help with water quality.  I made a lid for the tank out of ready made wire shelving and attached it to pvc moulding that I cut to fit.  I have curious cats and I can mount a fan on the lid if the summer weather gets to hot for them for evaporative cooling.

They get two red wiggles worms every day or two.  One is learning to tell me she is hungry by getting excited when she sees me walk by.  She will also swim up to take her worm from the planting tweezers that I use to feed them.   I don’t fill the tank all the way up to make it easier to reach them for feeding.

At first I wanted to come up with a natural looking set up.  But when I saw how much waste they produce I simplified it.  And I didn’t want anything sharp in there to scratch them.  People keep them different ways, but it seems like the ones who have kept them longest keep it simple.  Did you see Irene’s video on them?  What other questions do you have?  I hope this helps some.

Thanks! I am planing to get babies 

[Lifeisgood]

Great!  Well, just find out what the breeder has been feeding (usually blood worms.). And get them used to eating soft pellet food for Axolotls too, in case worms are hard to find sometimes.

I would love to see pictures of them when you get them.😊

[Chiclid addict]

1 hour ago, Lifeisgood said:

Great!  Well, just find out what the breeder has been feeding (usually blood worms.). And get them used to eating soft pellet food for Axolotls too, in case worms are hard to find sometimes.

I would love to see pictures of them when you get them.😊

I will make sure to post them and tag you😊

[Chiclid addict]

@Lifeisgood this is the axolotl I should be picking up this week I will post more pics when I pick him up also do you see any problems with him/her 

[Lifeisgood]

1 hour ago, Angelfishlover said:

@Lifeisgood this is the axolotl I should be picking up this week I will post more pics when I pick him up also do you see any problems with him/her 

Looks great!  Nice fluffy gills too.  All mine were rescued from a guy who had too many in one container and they were missing all of their legs.☹️
 

I took pictures of them as they grew them back.  Axolotls are amazing creatures.  I will enjoy seeing more of your posts along the way.  They grow pretty fast.

[Chiclid addict]

11 minutes ago, Lifeisgood said:

Looks great!  Nice fluffy gills too.  All mine were rescued from a guy who had too many in one container and they were missing all of their legs.☹️
 

I took pictures of them as they grew them back.  Axolotls are amazing creatures.  I will enjoy seeing more of your posts along the way.  They grow pretty fast.

Yep my friend have purchased from these people before to so it gives me that pice of mind 

[Chiclid addict]

On 3/6/2021 at 10:15 PM, Lifeisgood said:

Great!  Well, just find out what the breeder has been feeding (usually blood worms.). And get them used to eating soft pellet food for Axolotls too, in case worms are hard to find sometimes.

 

So I bought him some worms but I can’t find axolotl pellets locally I’ve heard it people feeding them turtle pellets is that ok?

[Lifeisgood]

16 minutes ago, Angelfishlover said:

So I bought him some worms but I can’t find axolotl pellets locally I’ve heard it people feeding them turtle pellets is that ok?

What were they feeding him before you got him home?  Was he still on blood worms or has he graduated on to worm size meals already?

I imagine the turtle pellets would be Ok ingredient wise, but I am not sure about texture.  It seems like the pellets made for amphibians are soft.  I do know that the labs that kept and studied them fed them salmon pellets made for fish farms.  Attached is a picture of the ones I ordered off Amazon and my Axolotls took to them pretty well.  But if your little one can eat worms just feed those until you can find the ones you want to train him (or her) to eat.  I feed worms mostly.  I made a worm farm out of buckets that I keep in my basement.

[Chiclid addict]

8 minutes ago, Lifeisgood said:

What were they feeding him before you got him home?  Was he still on blood worms or has he graduated on to worm size meals already?

I imagine the turtle pellets would be Ok ingredient wise, but I am not sure about texture.  It seems like the pellets made for amphibians are soft.  I do know that the labs that kept and studied them fed them salmon pellets made for fish farms.  Attached is a picture of the ones I ordered off Amazon and my Axolotls took to them pretty well.  But if your little one can eat worms just feed those until you can find the ones you want to train him (or her) to eat.  I feed worms mostly.  I made a worm farm out of buckets that I keep in my basement.

Thanks!

[Lifeisgood]

10 hours ago, Angelfishlover said:

Thanks!

Just in case you want to build a worm farm/compost bin, a good diy link is below.  I used empty kitty litter buckets of which I have too many.   I started out with lots of dampened newspaper strips a shovel full of dirt from outside, worms and food.  So far it has worked well.