Few Questions!

:angel:

As a newbie i have a few 'burning' questions!

Firstly i was recommended to use quite large gravel and definetly not sand, but i have seen several photos in the gallery of tanks with sand in, so is it ok to use?


My tank is a 3ft, which use to house my tropical fish. However its empty now, as they have been moved into a bigger home! It has a thermometer,heater and a light, but i am lead to believe i dont need to use the heater, and also with the axie liking the dark can i use the light or not?

Also i was curious to what people feed their Axie and how often they are feed, ie alternating food, so they have a change every day! And what people recommend ? I know alot of people use worms!


Is there anything that Axies really dont like in their tank, such as tunnels and caves, plants etc?
I want to do everything right!

I Can't think of anything else to add, but will do when i think of them!!

Thanks Amy

Hi aim840,

in answer to your questions:

-Sand is fine for axolotls. Just wash it out first and just keep up with cleaning it. Every week or so just move it around a bit so any trapped waste can be cleaned. Gravel should only be used if it is very very fine or too big to fit in your axolotl's mouth. Anyway, even large gravel is a pain as it is harder to clean than sand. You can also opt for no substrate but many people say this is not aesthetically pleasing!

-You won't need a heater or a light. Axolotls should be kept in temperatures under 20C ideally and never over 24C so unless you live somewhere really cold a heater is unnecessary. Also axolotls are nocturnal so don't need light. Too much light can stress them out so don't keep the tank in a sunny spot uncovered.

-As you have mentioned, worms are a good idea for food. I feed my axolotl frozen blood worms and brine shrimp, soft salmon pellets and feeder fish (guppies). The first three I would recommend but feeder fish have some issues (which I will go into if you were planning to use live food, otherwise nevermind ). Anyway, I feed every two to three days and alternate between the above foods.

-Tunnels and caves are a good idea as you will need to provide somewhere for your axolotl to hide. Don't get anything pointy~~ Plants can be used but often don't live for long due to the fact you have to keep your tank fairly dark.

Anyway, seeing as you haven't got your axolotl yet, I would start setting up the tank now so it can be cycled by the time you get one

Yell out if you have more questions!
-Sarah

Hi Sarah, thanks for all the fab info. the tank has cycled, as ive been thinking about an axolotl for a while, just cant seem to find the one i want!lol

daft question, but if you dont use artifical light how can you see your axie? Could you use quite a dim light? where my tank is positioned it is quite dark, so have always relied on the light from the tank to see in!!
My house doesnt seem to get cold, so maintaining a steady temperture without a heater will be no problem.

I Used to use sand in my tanks, but it never worked for me!lol I have had bear bottomed tanks too due to when i was breeding tropicals and cold water.
I have a medium size gravel at the moment. Ive got a few smooth caves and tunnels around, especially bogwood as they were a real bargain! So i think i have the basics sorted! (all bar the axolotl!)

I think i read somewhere to use a filter but have it on a low flow?is that correct? I used to do this with my Bettas as they dont like much of a current.

Ive read so much info i cant remember whats what!!!

Hi Amy, Welcome, as for light I use it in the evening and my axies do just fine with it. I have duckweed and java moss in the tank that like the light and disfuses the light so the axies do not seem to act any different at all with it on. Meduim sized gravel I would be careful with they may ingest some while eating and cause all kinds of problems with their digestive tracts.

Right so i need to change the gravel for either sand, something bigger or somethng really fine.

Decisions decisions!!!

Duck weed is a fab idea, i never thought of that! Ill have to invest in some!

Thanks for all the info x

Amy as long as you provide places your axolotl can use to hide from the light it is fine to use lights.
Just be careful to check the intensity of the bulb/s as too bright a light will cause them discomfort (they dont have eyelids so cant blink or shut them) and your axie will just hide away. I have added plants to my tank that have a fairly large leaf which act like little parasols and they seem to like sitting under these. But axolotls are like any creature they all have different ways, my older axie is more light shy and will come out more often during the day when I keep the lights off,but the other isnt at all bothered by light and comes and goes all day long .

I found keeping no sand and no gravel works really well too. I feed my axies Bloodworms. Since there is no sand, the blood worms have no place to hide. They will crawl around the bottom of it's tank and try to get away. My axies seem to like this, it gives them a chance to 'hunt' i guess. They will crawl around and eat'em all up. So, long story short..haha...sometimes it's not a bad idea to have no sand or gravel

Hi Amy. My axies tank has large pebbles in a single layer over bare tank floor. It gives him something to clamber about on, but is easy to clean with a siphon weekly when I do his water change. I feed him earthworms, frozen bloodworm cubes and axolotl pellets on a rotating basis, every two days at present as it's warm here (his tank is about 20c all the time). My filter is turned down very low so the current isn't a problem. I have a light I use sparingly mainly to look at him and try and keep my java fern alive, and he doesn't seem to mind it but I think some are more reclusive than others. Good luck.

How Much Food?

Hi
Everyone seems to say they feed their axolotl every 2 or 3 days, but how much do you feed it? My axolotl, GROMEZ, is about 6" long and wants to eat all the time! Incidentally, can you guess how old they are by their size? The shop didn't know how old it is, but they'd had it for 7 months?
Any help appreciated

I have juvies who are around this size. I feed once a day with either axolotl pellets or earthworms cut up so they are able to swallow them without much trouble. Once they get to around adult size I think the feeding is supposed to be cut back to about once every 2-3 days.

Just add that mine are around 6 months old.

It depends on what the shop has been feeding it and how good the conditions it has been keep in as to how old your axolotl is if they have had it for 7 months. My eldest axolotl is 9 months old and 10 inches long.

Gromez, you only need to post your question once and people will see it Try to avoid posting the same thing in multiple threads in future.

Cheers Sarah
I'm also a bit concerned about GROMEZ's inactivity. I've only had him 2 days but he doesn't seem to move about much? How much sleep do they have? I never put the tank light on and he's in the shade. He eats fine tho

Axolotls aren't the most active of creatures, especially adults. I wouldn't be too concerned, especially if your axolotl is showing no other signs of stress and is eating properly.

Thanks for the advice everyone! I didn't think I'd be frettin so much but I am! I was up til 1.30 last night watchin him and I keep skivin off from work to go home and have a look. I don't think GROMEZ is stressed but I deffo am!!!
Will