Water Temp

hi, I have had my axy's for nearly 2 weeks and I live in a pretty warm part of the country,the room the tank is in is air condtioned and is usually about 22C but the tank water is all ways at 25.I know this supposed to be too high but the little guys seem pretty happy healthy, I asked at the pet store where I bought them and they said they were bred locally and the breeder keeps all his at room temp. Should I worry?

Ron - That is not good for them. Try adding a fan to the top of the tank that will blow across the water. You need to get the temp down to 20C max.

you could also freeze water in some 2lrt bottle's?
you should freeze at least 3 of these or else the "used" one's wont refreeze in time to change them over and the temp will rise and fall(not good at all!!)
i had this problem a month or so ago but the weathers cooled down now here in the uk so its not a problem any more (till next year )

oh, dont hope next summer will be too warm !!

axies cant buy icecream hehe lol..
but yeah, use some frozen bottles or something like that..

there's always the option of buying a chiller. If you have the money though, which nearly nobody has. chillers are good but expensive to the max.

dam cheap thermometers, I really couldn't figure out how the water could be so warm even when I turned the Air Con down to 18, so I tried another thermometer in the tank 20C OK so I need to wear a jacket indoors in summer but the little guys are happy

well its good that you got it down to 20 at least. You should try to get it down even more but its fine where it is i guess.

well, I took the thermometer back to the shop and told them it was inaccurate and they gave me a new one, it reads 26C. So I went next door and borrowed a digital thermometer from the nurse who lives there, it tells me my water is 18.9 C. I would recommend staying well away "Boyu" brand thermometers they are worthless!

if your water was at 26 that would be terrible! 18.9 though is a good temperature. I will definitely stay away from "boyu" brand thermometers, thanks.

I was in a petshop today, looking for a plastic thermometer, and the shop assistant wouldn't sell me one because "you don't need a thermometer for an axolotl because they like warm temperatures.

So far, that's two people who have informed me that they have bred axolotls in their backyard ponds, where the water temperature would get up to 30 degrees celcius. They told me their axolotls lived for about 20 years and they never had any problems.

They all use the same line of reasoning - that axolotls come from Mexico, which can be very hot in summer.

I wanted to buy a chiller because I'm not at home enough to make sure that the temperature doesn't fluctuate, but in Australia chillers are about $500+ which I can't really afford.

My temperature is at about 26c/82f and I read that it was better to maintain a stable high temperature rather than a fluctuating temperature, which is sometimes low.

What should I do? What proof is there that axolotls prefer cold temperatures?

"Above 24 °C, axolotls become stressed, and such warm conditions will usually result in disease if sustained for a several days. Temperature fluctuations of more than a few degrees Celsius in a 12 hour period (between night and day) can also be stressful. It's a good idea to keep the temperature stable on a day-to-day basis, even if it varies over the year with the seasons." Thats from www.axolotl.org, so i would believe that site rather than 2 people you heard from.

Casey - Cold water isn't a "preference" it is necessary for them to maintain their health.
You need to find a way to lower the temperature.

26C is 78.8F which is too warm, at 82F I don't think axolotls could live very long without fungus infections or other health problems.

Have you tried using a fan to blow across the surface of the water? Even something as simple as that can lower the temperature by several degrees.

You would believe pet shop workers before you would believe scientists and researchers?

From the Indiana University axolotl colony:
http://www.indiana.edu/%7Eaxolotl/axolotls/shortguide/guide.html#temp

Temperature
Axolotls thrive at cool temperatures. We keep our axolotls at 15-18°C (60-65°F). They should never be kept above about 22°C (72°F). Too warm temperatures are dangerous for axolotls. To prevent overheating never house them where they are exposed to direct sun.

The Indiana University Axolotl Colony was founded in 1957 by Rufus R. Humphrey, who brought his small research colony to Bloomington when he retired from teaching at the University of Buffalo . The small colony gradually grew and became a genetic resource center as Humphrey pursued his research interests in mutant genes of the axolotl. Since 1969 the colony has been supported by the National Science Foundation as a living stock center to provide research material for research and instruction to laboratories and schools throughout the United States.

Axolotls are found in mexico, which can be warm, but they fail to take into account that axolotls are found in a high altitude in mountain-fed lakes. It's quite cool.

Cynthia, It's not about me believing pet-shop workers, it's just that I'm having trouble buying equipment from them b/c they are adamant that axolotls thrive in warm temperatures and their know-it-all attitudes are starting to annoy me.

I just wanted to know what arguments I can use to rebut what the pet-shop workers are saying. B/c yesterday I had no reply, but now, Joan has given me an explanation and I can have an answer for them.

I'm just getting sick of these people telling me that I don't know anything about axolotls b/c I haven't bred them for 30 years like they did, and that I can't believe everything I read. They think that b/c they have an aquarium t-shirt on, they know everything. They use the reasoning that axolotls wouldn't be breeding if they were stressed - I almost said to them "That doesn't make sense - humans still reproduce despite being stressed, in fact, it's often a way of relieving stress!"

I did have a fan blowing across the top, but it's not hitting the water directly, and isn't going to get the temperature down far enough. It's only spring in Australia, and already the water temperature is at 82f. In summer it will get even hotter. I will have to buy a chiller.

My results have just shown a drop in ammonia and a rise in nitrites, so at least the tank is cycling well, probably the warm temperature is speeding the process up. How much longer does it usually take after these sort of results? I just want to know how long I've got to save up for a chiller?

well its good that your tank is cycling well. Yea if you can't bring the temperature down with anything else you have to resort to buying the chiller.

Casey - Sorry about my misunderstanding of your post.

Here is another reference for you to give the pet shop personnel.

Axolotls live at temperatures of 14-20°C (54-68°F), preferably 17-18°C (62-64°F). Lower temperatures slow down their metabolism, although temperatures around 10 C (50 F) are a panacea when it comes to treating disease. Higher temperatures can lead to stress and increased appetite; use of a cooling aggregate is strongly recommended. In the wild, the water temperature in Xochimilco rarely rises above 20°C (68°F), though it may fall to 6 or 7°C (43°F) in the winter, and perhaps lower. From http://www.answers.com/topic/axolotl

If you use google and type in "Lake Xochimilco" "water temperature" (using the quotes) it brings back quite a few pages using the same range of temperatures for Xochimilco.

As far as your tank cycling goes, the other cycles usually take about the same length of time as the ammonia did, but there is no way to really say how long it will take.

You would think the pet shop would be happy to sell an item as expensive as a chiller, perhaps you should shop around online?

Cynthia - thanks for those references.

The pet shops say they don't sell chillers b/c no-one buys them b/c they are so expensive. I've been monitoring ebay very closely, but there aren't that many chillers for sale in Australia.

One of the pet shop workers also told me that you don't need to provide hidey holes for axolotls b/c they don't need them. Yeah right!

They have rocks and plants in their tanks and the axolotls are always hiding behind them! When I put martini on hold, I went back to pick her up the next day and no-one could find her b/c she was hiding in the plants - they had to put their hands in and move the plants before she appeared. It seems like they don't want to make any money!

I feel like getting a job there just so I can give people the right information!

Casey, don't let it get to you. Just be smug in knowing that your axolotl has a much better life now that it lives with you. Feel sorry for the axolotls that still live there.

I've had a fan blowing directly onto the top of the water, and it decreased the temperature quite a bit. After your tank cycles, you may want to experiment on it before putting Martini in. You can try blowing a fan directly onto the water (you should see ripples!), frozen water bottles (I like the 1 liter size, not too big, not too small), keeping the tank away from direct light sources, and keeping it closer to the ground.

Also, you may want to explore different 'DIY' chillers involving mini-refrigerators and such. Some of these may be cheaper than buying a chiller (depending on the size of your tank, you may need a rather large chiller).

Good for you Casey! you should get a job there to help them with truthfully understanding axolotls.

I've been to several Pet/Aquarium stores in Sydney and you won't find a water chiller for sale, except maybe in the middle of Summer.

The only pet store I found with anyone who knew anything about the axolotls was in Byron Bay.

Casey: if a chiller turns up on EBay at a reasonable price jump on it (because that's what I'll be doing!)