The one that frustrated me yesterday (and prompted this) was another chain store type place (not pets paradise, who I've found to be ok)That had a little Golden Axie on his own in a tank. Well, almost alone except the dozen or more tetras in there that (after watching a few mins) were nibbling on his gills! Plus he was being kept on gravel. Because he looked quite skinny (not too long either) I asked what he was being fed - axolotl pellets (not the IU kind, just a locally made one that I haven't found that easy to get mine to eat, although I'd say he was munching the odd fish, which could have been a struggle given his size) So, he was underweight, on gravel and being attacked.... And the most disturbing thing - Its where my Julio was bought from. When I went in there my girlf said that last time there was about a 8-10 of them in the tank and she chose julio because he was the smallest. (I now feel like she's saved him by doing that!)
Given the advise she got from various pet stores I can see how she ended up with such wrong information, and I ended up with a tank I'm having to change.
"Axolotls should have gravel, they do eat it, but they'll eat more sand, so get him gravel" - say no more. I'm getting sand today!
"This tank will be perfect for one axolotl, and the filter is just right too" The tank is about right, but the filter is way too strong. Its not adjustable so I've jury rigged it to make it manageable. A "taller" tank of the same kind would have been perfect. oh, and they recommended a nice bright built in light too...
"Just use tubifex worm cubes - you just float them on the surface" - wtf?
And my own advice received since - "These fish ($4 each) won't attack your axie and they'llbe quick enough to keep away from him." Bought 2. within 30 secs of putting them in with him, there were 1. The other went the following day.
That said, yesterday I went to pets paradise in the Centrepoint mall (sydney aust) and the girl in there knew loads. Was really helpful, and had kept some axies herself in the past. Gave me some great advice and had a couple of great looking Melanoid (I think) axies in the tank (on their own,) not the best substrate, but it was a gentle filter and they looked like happy axies, well fed etc. At $40 a bit pricey but a world different to the sorry looking specimen described before.
I'm going back there today for some products.
The tiny local pet store is pretty good too. He's just an old fashioned eccentric hippy animal lover. And his prices beat any of the big stores (fish, tank ornaments etc)