Question: Temp.

I have my lovely axolotl, our cottage in the UK is cold .if I do not have the heater on in the aquarium, the temp will drop to 14c . With heater I cannot get one to be lower than 20c what should I do? Please help me

twinkle

Dear Twinkle,

Fret not! Axolotls love cold water and I can assure you they will likely be fine at 14 degrees. One of our fine French breeders on here had his baby axolotls in a frozen pond and they survived, so 14 degrees should be no bad thing.

John Clare states on his website that 'the optimum temperature for axolotls is between about 16 °C and 18 °C (60-64 °F). Lower temperatures lead to sluggish behaviour, slower metabolism, and decreased appetite. Axolotls do not hibernate, so it is not helpful to cool them below 10 °C, although they shouldn't suffer unduly if kept at these lower temperatures.' With this in mind, while your temp might not be in the 'ideal' range, the axolotl will be fine.

Your axolotl is a lucky duck. I'm trying to buy a chiller so that my axolotls can have the benefit of 18 degree water

PS I am in Cornwall so I feel your pain in the winter, although the room gets cold for us, the tank seems to stay warm >.<

Thanks petersgirl , my knight to the rescue ! I have only had my axolotl for 2 days , at this moment in time he is in 19.4 , should I drop the temp slowly , and switch off the heater? As I say it will drop low or keep it at just over 19 ? He has been kept in a school for a term , so he has been messed around a bit , he doesn't seem stressed , but apparently he is a bit overweight ! Only to feed him every other day on blood worms and shrimps , what do you think ?? I would send a photo but being of the older generation I haven't worked it out yet !!

twinkle

Re: Temp

Dear Twinkle,
No problem on the help. I'm on here to give and get help in the hobby, so it's all good.

It's up to you which way you'd like to go. 19 degrees is closer to the ideal and shouldn't stress your axolotl at all (temps of 24 degrees upwards can be stressful, but yours isn't nearly that high), so you will probably be fine with that, but you can also let it drop to 14 degrees if you're concerned. If you do go down to 14 degrees, just be sure to lower it slowly so they don't go into shock. Once a temp is chosen, the key is consistency. They can stay at 19 degrees as long as it isn't constantly fluctuating.

Axolotls should have tummies as wide as their heads. If it's bigger, then the axxie may be a tad plump. Feeding every other day is a good strategy, especially lower fat foods such as bloodworm. I like to feed mail-order dendrobaena earthworms as a staple, but I'm not sure how fatty they are so I can't say if they'll suit your axxie's diet plans.

If you have an iPad or iPhone you can take pictures with the device, then select the 'attach files' option from 'advanced options' when you compose a reply. If it's a camera you may need to attach a USB, then take the pictures off. You can then follow the same idea using the 'attach files' option. Hope this isn't patronising, but I'm not sure how much experience you have with technology so it's easier to detail all the steps.

Hope this helps!

Dear petersgirl
Thank you for your prompt reply ,I really appreciate it , I will leave well alone unless it gets higher , I will be checking every day , as for his weight I think he might be slightly over weight ! But so long as he isn't stressed we will sort it out , I felt temp was more important . Thank you for helping me with the "photos" I have a kindle fire, ( is that an iPad ? ) it has a camera so , watch this space !!!! Thank you

twinkle

Since you have only just got your Axolotls, have you cycled your tank?

What are the test results for ammonia, nitrite, nitrAte, and PH?

Thanks Axolotlchris!

Dear Twinkle,

The Kindle Fire is similar to an iPad but is of a different make (Apple makes iPads and Amazon makes Kindles). I should imagine that the process is very similar, however.

Axolotlchris has made a good point. When you get a new tank, it needs to go through a cycling process to ensure it's safe for axxies to live in. Here's some information about cycling:

Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling

In short, you're trying to make sure your natural filtration works by ensuring the natural bacteria within your tank can turn ammonia into nitrate safely, which means it's less dangerous for your axolotl to live in (sorry if you know all this).

If you want to know your results for the chemicals in your water (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH) you can either take a sample to your local fish shop (they usually test for free) or you can do it yourself with home test kits, like this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Freshwater...07974&sr=8-2&keywords=API+freshwater+test+kit

Let us know if your tank isn't cycled (ammonia should be 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm and nitrate less than 20ppm. PH can be between 6.0 to around 7.0). We can help you get it cycled if it isn't ready.

Hello to my new friends ,
I have had my axolotl for a week, and to be honest it has been quite worrying ! Coming home with my " first born " was easier ! My temp is at 14c / 14. 5 , I feel he is happier at this temp, it was 19c I brought the temp down slowly over a couple of days . I did my first water test yesterday, ph= 7_8 nitrite. 02 =0 ammonia NH3=0 nitrate NoN =10( not good) alkalinity K3H =6 General hardness= 8 . My next worry is I was told he was overweight because he was in a school , so feed on blood worms and brine shrimps ever other day which I have done over the week but I did introduce an earthworm such was eaten with relish . He has refused food since, and he looks fit to burst, I am worried lncase he has a load of sand on his tum . He hasn't pooped since he arrived , or at least I can't find any , and he tends to have bis nose on the ground and the rest up in the air , I am trying to send you some pics but I am still having problems ! Sorry about the A4 post ! Can you advice me please? Thank you

twinkle

twinkle said:

I have my lovely axolotl, our cottage in the UK is cold .if I do not have the heater on in the aquarium, the temp will drop to 14c . With heater I cannot get one to be lower than 20c what should I do? Please help me

twinkle

Click to expand...

twinkle

Not sure how I managed to send this photo, you can just see his tum !,

twinkle

Dear Twinkle,

He looks absolutely fine. As for your parameters, they seem fine too - you're supposed to have nitrate in the water, as it shows that the natural filter is working (as long as it's not higher than 20ppm, you're fine). Your PH is maybe a little high but they seem quite tolerant of higher PHs and I wouldn't worry about it too much. If your NitRITE is 0.2 that needs to come down, though. Do a 50% water change every day and test until it is 0, then it should be fine. It sounds to me like your tank is mid-cycle.

Sounds also like he may be a bit constipated. Offer him regular meals and give him a little time, and he'll likely sort it out himself. Don't worry about him starving - they can survive eight weeks without any food at all as long as they're well fed. He'll eat again when he's ready and if there's fine sand, he'll likely poop it out.

Hopefully this helps!

Thank you so much, Petersgirl, your reply has made my day, if ever you come up country to Dartmouth , let me know and I'll put the kettle on !!!

twinkle

Dear Twinkle,

That's no problem at all. He could be a twin for my Golden axxie, Gally.

I got my chiller yesterday and now my axxies are sitting pretty at 16 degrees for the first time ever! Happy little lotls.

:thumbup:

twinkle