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My first Axolotl!

L

laura

Guest
I just got home from the pet shop and popped him in the tank.

I’m a bit worried tho, I have never had one before but he seems ok to me, apart from the weird "dry parts" on his tailfins and gills.

Also the pet shop lady told me that the water should be at 0 deg
Everywhere I read it says that they should be between 14-18 deg so 0 is way to low! But what if he was bread in cold water (she said the guy who breeds them told her) and if I increase the water he might get hot? Does it matter where you live?
I’m in Newcastle, Australia and most of the time we have lovely weather or really hot.

I’m yet to give him a name, if he is going to be stuck with it for 10 years (they live that long right) then I need to think on it.

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M

matthew

Guest
Hehe aww he looks alot like my little Gaara - who also has those white markings on his tail area mostly, and a little on his belly - even on the stalk of a gill - im hoping its not an ammonia burn or something that he got during his brief stay at the pet shop.
 
J

joan

Guest
Laura, you'll learn that 99% of pet shops don't know what they're talking about. 14-22C is appropriate temperatures.

I'm not sure what 'dry' parts you're talking about? It looks fine to me.
 

kapo

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They can live longer than 10 years if you look after them. I read on a fish forum that this guy had 3 from when he was 10 and one of them died recently aged 17years!

If ur talking about the white bits, that is colour pigmentation.

Did you cycle your tank. If not please see this http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

Also, check out www.axolotl.org and if in doubt ask here, there is always someone on the forum that may be able to help.

The gravel in your tank isn't a good idea, axies suck in when they eat food (bit like a vacuum cleaner!) and inadvertently swallow gravel. It can block them up.

Axies prefer cooler temps so anything from 5 deg. cel to 22 deg. cel. If you can keep the temp below 20 deg, thats good, esp. with your aussie summers coming up! Higher temps stress them which can lead to fungus or sickness. (no need to put a heater - have seen a few posts where people have done that as advised by petshop!)

(Message edited by kapo on October 05, 2006)
 
L

laura

Guest
thanks for you advice
still not eating but then again he might not be hungry

also he has a name now "wattle" or wot for short
 
J

joan

Guest
Laura, it takes them a few days to settle in and want food. What are you offering?
 
C

cori

Guest
How cute!
your new axie looks similiar to my lil one pumpkin, I agree with last few posts, give him/her a little more time to settle in and relax... ask what the pet shop was feeding them and try that as i found it a little difficult to get my most recent addition pepper to go from dried food cubes to fresh red meat which all my axie's eat as well as a few danio's and white clouds which i add to the tank regularly.

Another thing when pumpkin got really sick he didn't eat for over 6 weeks. So a few days even a week i personally wouldn't stress too much. But still pay close attention to water quality, light and water movement. While i like to keep my axie's on the cooler side i think 0 degrees is a little extremem. I do know increase in water volume and decrease in temps stimulates breeding in axolotl's. Also the addition of a stress product one with aloe vera at half strength might give your lil axie the boost it needs to settle in... All the best

Regards Eastern_axle
 
L

laura

Guest
The cube blood worms, its what they were feeding them at the pet store. I'm now going to have to take him out of the tank and replace the gravel with stones and change the water as its gone really cloudy and I just found out that out filter doesn’t have any active charcoal in it... bf only just told me.
 
C

cori

Guest
oh!
That could be a majour problem.... charcol takes out alot of impurities in water, i saw a rather inexpensive filter in big w which seemed to be quiet good quality, just an idea if you need a "quick fix".... try using bottled spring water when you do tank change, my axie's glow when i add it to my tank.

Regards Eastern_axle
 
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