Pond?

Hiya

In the shop where I buy mice for my snake, they recently got in a bunch of Axolotls- and I kinda fell in love on first sight. We don't have much house room for tanks left, between the tropical fish tank and the snake's viv... The man in the shop told me that their natural habitat is ponds and that they can live in a garden pond quite happily. Is this true (as it looks like everyone here is talking about tanks) ? I have an about 1.5m x 3m x 60cm at largest points garden pond, which I am developing largely as a nature pond (layers of soil/sand/gravel on the base and shelves, sloping ledges leading up to a bog garden area at one end, planting into the base layer covering rather than baskets). Is this, as the man in the shop assured me, a suitable habitat?

Advice:

1. Read: http://www.axolotl.org/

2. Find another shop.

From the frequently asked questions on the afore mentioned site:
"That really depends on the climate of your country. As long as the temperature during the spring, summer and autumn doesn't go below 10-12 °C or above 24 °C and the pond doesn't freeze solid in the winter, it should be fine. Unless you have an abundant source of food in the pond, you'll still have to feed your axolotl(s). "

OK, sorry I missed that little bit in the FAQ before I posted the question. Does anyone have any advice for ponds though, as that is all I can find? Is there anything else on the site I'm missing? I think the temperature here falls in those regions, but- will the water quality be good enough (have hard water round here but currently rebalancing the pond to get rid of blanket weed), is it a problem in terms of water flow that I have a waterfall/fountain pump that I switch on occasionally to aerate the pond, do the warnings about other inhabitants apply to larger areas the same as smaller tanks, will the natural soil/sand/small gravel bottom be OK, and is there any other stuff I need to know but don't know I do? lol

I've kept axolotls in outdoor ponds purely for rearing purposes and i found them to be fine though you'll need a large pond that wont freeze solid or trap in heat in the summer. Also, you'll never see them.
Another problem is that they'll probably eat native newts and frogs....i suspect it's illegal to release these animals into your pond though.
And regarding the water quality....Lincoln has the worst water i've ever come across so you may need to work hard getting the water right.