Getting a second axolotl

[drea]

Hello,
I was hoping I could get some opinions from experienced axie owners out there.
I have a 5 year old GFP Leucistic axolotl who I'm fairly certain is male. He is a smaller guy - just barely 8 inches in length, and has been quite healthy despite not living in an 'ideal' set up. I got him at ~2" from someone who impulse-bought a couple at a reptile convention and later regretted the decision. He seems to ba a hardy little guy and has survived me quite well despite not having a chiller or a/c in my apartment; he eats axie pellets only, and the most I've seen is some temporary tail curling during the hotter summer months.
Anyhow, I am finally upgrading his 15g bare-bottom tank to a 20g long planted set up, and am looking into getting him a companion. I have several questions about this before I take the plunge.

-Is a tank-mate ill-advised given that he has been living on his own for 5 years?
-Would the tank-mate need to be in the 7-9" length range only? From what I can tell finding an adult isn't an easy task.
-Would a female be ok? I would love one, but do not want her to be over-stressed or constantly stimulated to breed. Wouldn't she need very specific environmental conditions to trigger breeding (essentially, would breeding only be a concern if I intervened to make it happen)?
-Given that I don't intensively monitor water parameters, is it a fluke that my axie is doing well? Would a new axie most likely do poorly?
-How should I go about introducing the new axie, if it isn't a terrible idea?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Wysper]

Welcome to the forum! I'm sure you will find all sorts of useful information here on many different axolotl related topics. I am not an "experienced" keeper yet, but I have some suggestions and opinions that you may find helpful.

As to your specific questions:

-Is a tank-mate ill-advised given that he has been living on his own for 5 years? This would have to heavily depend on the temperament of both axolotls that you want to introduce. Yours may become aggressive towards a newcomer if the tank isn't an ideal environment and he may think he is being "displaced" or "forced out" of his home. This next bit may be read wrong, but I sincerely mean it with the best of intentions possible! I would maybe look for a rescue that comes from an overcrowded situation, or was perhaps picked on by previous tank mates. This could help the newcomer not be aggressive as their situation will have greatly improved and they will have more room, even sharing the tank with your current boy.

The idea of a planted set up would be good, as it would provide lots of hiding places for both axolotls and they would be able to break "line of sight" and not aggravate each other continuously. I would suggest a larger tank though, 20g long is usually acceptable for two axolotls, but more floor space is always better.


-Would the tank-mate need to be in the 7-9" length range only? From what I can tell finding an adult isn't an easy task. Unfortunately, yes. It is well advise to keep axolotls of the same general size together. A larger one could well decide to eat a younger one if they get aggravated or hungry, or just a bit territorial. Especially if the smaller one would be "invading" the larger ones territory.

-Would a female be ok? I would love one, but do not want her to be over-stressed or constantly stimulated to breed. Wouldn't she need very specific environmental conditions to trigger breeding (essentially, would breeding only be a concern if I intervened to make it happen)? Unfortunately, no. Axolotls breed very easily in captivity, without any encouragement from us. If the water parameters are acceptable to an axolotl, they will likely breed in it. I would not suggest looking for a female unless you are well willing and able to take care of any eggs that are a result. Additionally, a female should NOT be bred continuously, so you would have to separate them into different tanks anyway to prevent further breeding. I would suggest finding another small male if you seriously want a second one in a 20g long tank.

-Given that I don't intensively monitor water parameters, is it a fluke that my axie is doing well? Would a new axie most likely do poorly? It is not necessarily a "fluke" that he is doing well. Do you know your water parameters in general? Do you keep up on water changes weekly, clean up the poop and uneaten food regularly?

-How should I go about introducing the new axie, if it isn't a terrible idea? In my opinion, if you really want to introduce a new axolotl I would ideally do it when you put your current boy in the new tank. This way they are both introduced to the new environment at the same time. New places to explore, and neither one will have set up an established "home" sense.


Hopefully more people will chime in with experience of introducing a 5 year old axolotl to a newcomer.

 

[Holly12]

I personally wouldn't put 2 in a 20 gallon long. It just really isn't big enough. I have an 8" axie in a 20 long and he's still growing. It seems hardly big enough for him now.
I wouldn't suggest a female as they will breed constantly and it's stressful for her.
A second axie would need to be about the same size as the current axie to avoid being eaten. Even so, problems may still arise. You would need a large enough tank with many many hiding spots and I would suggest adding earthworms to the diet to keep everyone well fed.