New to Axoloti

[TGarcia]

I have been reading and learning as much as I can about axoloti. And finally today ordered my 2 babies. One is a golden albino, and the other is a leucistic. They will not be shipped until tuesday of next week. I have had the tank up and cycling and need to add a few more hides and plants but pretty much ready for them. My main concern is water temp and how to keep it down. I live in a southern state and it gets warm here. The tank has been at a constant 68 degrees without any cooling device. I will buy one if I need it. Or if recommended. Fan or water chiller??? Any experience with either would be appreciated. Also would like to know what brand foods or what foods you feed your axoloti. Does and don'ts from an owner point of view as reading and videos all offer different aspects. They will be going in a 40 gallon tank when they get here so that should be fine for a while since they are only 4 inches long. Any input will be greatly appreciated. I have had cichlids for a long time and have them in a 100 gallon, and know this is totally different. Not even a comparison as far as tank issues. So fire away with any and all suggestions you can give me.

 

[TheAngel1270]

I use two clip on fans from Walmart over my 55 gallon tank. We keep the house at 72 and their tank is at 62 with the fans running on low. As far as food, my tiny ones still mostly like bloodworms or brine shrimp but they are getting to the point they will accept an earthworm that I raise out of my worm farm I got off a site... that I'm not sure if we're allowed to say site names so I won't say it..but anyway I bought two worm farms and always have a supply of earthworms on hand as I hear that's the most nutritious for them.

 

[AMurry24537]

Chillers get really expensive, so I would recommend a combination of fans and air conditioning. Also, if you live in a humid area, I would HIGHLY recommend getting dehumidifiers of some kind as drier air makes the fans' work of water evaporation much more efficient. As mentioned above, SOME types of worms (ideally european nightcrawlers, but I use Canadian nightcrawlers and red wigglers--it all depends on your axolotls' taste preferences) are the best source of food, but you'll likely need to cut them in smaller pieces for a while. When they are young, bloodworms are fine, but they're kind of the potato chips of the axolotl world. Avoid worms that are very fatty. To avoid my axolotl getting too picky, I usually alternate food types back and forth so he doesn't get to used to one. My go-to (other than worms) is Invert Aquatics' axolotl pellets, which you can buy on Amazon.