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Garurumon

Garurumon

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Hey there! I'm a student majoring in English and minoring in biology, hoping to apply to medical school after a year of post-baccalaureate studies in St. Louis. I'm currently a cat owner and an axolotl enthusiast, and have been seriously considering owning a nice cute lucy. I think it'll make a great apartment roommate. :D For now I'm diligently looking into facts and advice from great people on here before I order.

As my avatar implies, I'm a Pokemon and manga/anime fan, so I'd love to chat with anyone who shares the same interests. Speaking of anime, names I've been thinking for a potential axolotl are Hakumen, Hakuryuu, Hakuei, or Galatea (all favorite anime characters of mine). All the names have "white" in them, and leucistic axolotls are white, so there you go.

Anyways, I look forward to learning a lot and having fun on this site!
 
Welcome to the forum, and welcome in advance to St. Louis! I've lived in St. Louis my entire life, but I'm moving to Wisconsin in June. You thinking SLU or Wash U?

Make sure you read all you can about axolotls before you get one. Once everything is set up properly, they're pretty straightforward. However, the initial setup is NOT straightforward. Read all you can about the nitrogen cycle (you can search "cycle" in the search bar thing in the top right of this forum), temperature and how to keep your tank cold, what to feed them, what you can and cannot put in their tank, etc. There's a lot to know. They're a really fun pet, but a lot of new owners (let's face it, pretty much ALL new owners) screw at least one thing up. haha. So make sure it's only a minor thing that you didn't know rather than a major thing.

Cold water (preferably low 60's F), no gravel, make sure your tank is fully cycled (preferably before you even get the axolotl), check your water parameters AT LEAST once a week even after the cycle is fully established (ammonia, nitrite, niTRATE, pH, water hardness, and chlorine; liquid test kits are the best option--API freshwater testing kit. Test strips are ok for a quick check but they do not provide very accurate results and don't measure ammonia at all, which is one of the most important parameters to check), use a filter and block the outlet water flow if it produces a current or a waterfall into the tank (you can use a loofah or a sponge if your filter doesn't have a spray bar). ETC ETC. Research as much as you can. You can search for anything on this forum with keywords and stuff. Or you can Google stuff and often the first result will be something on Caudata anyway. And ask questions! :)
 
NaterPotater said:
Welcome to the forum, and welcome in advance to St. Louis! I've lived in St. Louis my entire life, but I'm moving to Wisconsin in June. You thinking SLU or Wash U?

Make sure you read all you can about axolotls before you get one. Once everything is set up properly, they're pretty straightforward. However, the initial setup is NOT straightforward. Read all you can about the nitrogen cycle (you can search "cycle" in the search bar thing in the top right of this forum), temperature and how to keep your tank cold, what to feed them, what you can and cannot put in their tank, etc. There's a lot to know. They're a really fun pet, but a lot of new owners (let's face it, pretty much ALL new owners) screw at least one thing up. haha. So make sure it's only a minor thing that you didn't know rather than a major thing.

Cold water (preferably low 60's F), no gravel, make sure your tank is fully cycled (preferably before you even get the axolotl), check your water parameters AT LEAST once a week even after the cycle is fully established (ammonia, nitrite, niTRATE, pH, water hardness, and chlorine; liquid test kits are the best option--API freshwater testing kit. Test strips are ok for a quick check but they do not provide very accurate results and don't measure ammonia at all, which is one of the most important parameters to check), use a filter and block the outlet water flow if it produces a current or a waterfall into the tank (you can use a loofah or a sponge if your filter doesn't have a spray bar). ETC ETC. Research as much as you can. You can search for anything on this forum with keywords and stuff. Or you can Google stuff and often the first result will be something on Caudata anyway. And ask questions! :)
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Hi, nice to meet you! I'll be at Wash U in an off-campus apartment. Maybe I can message you to learn more about getting around and living in St. Louis; I've only been up there once.

Yeah, I will certainly take precautions into account. I've heard many times that gravel and including other fish are big no-nos, but it never hurts to get more reminders. I forgot to mention that I have owned a big tank of African cichlids before (feisty little things :p), but tropical fish are a different beast from cold-water amphibians, I reckon. It's been a while since I last looked over the nitrogen cycle, since glycolysis and aerobic respiration get much more emphasis in classes I've taken, but I'll certainly look more into it.

Thanks a lot for the info you've given me! I don't move to St. Louis in a couple more months, so that gives me plenty of time to do research on axolotls.
 
Oh ok, nice. I'm graduating from St. Louis College of Pharmacy, close by to Wash U, in May. Yeah, any questions about St. Louis, just ask :) I've loved living here and am sad that I have to leave for a job.

Nice! I have 3 African cichlids. They're pretty fun and so pretty. Yeah, the nitrogen cycle is a little more passive with most fish. With axolotls, they seem to be more sensitive to water parameters, so a well-established cycle is more important. With fish I've never worried too much about it.

You're welcome! Like I said, any questions (about axolotls for anyone or about St. Louis for me), don't hesitate to ask!
 
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  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
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  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
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  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
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    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
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