Lotle little ones rescue

Hello to all the axolotl lovers out there. I am new to this forum and would like some help please. at this moment i am not a lover of axolotls, but as explained in another thread, I bought some fish tanks and when emptying them to remove I discovered hundreds of spawn that turn out to be axolotl. the lady who sold the tanks to me said she could not advise me as it was the x husband who kept them. any how, I put the spawn into a small plastic tank using the water that they were in. I added an air pump and a small box filter(nothing powerfull)as not to suck up the young. a couple of days later I noticed that some had hatched, so I added to the water a lot, and I mean a lot, of daphnia, all different sizes in the hope that the young would find something to eat.
The little tank is not great so I hope today to be able to set up another tank, and I was wondering what would be the best way to do this, should I use gravel? how do I get the water conditions right? as I have no heater in at the moment,would it harm them to be transfered into a tank with a heater? any advise would be great as normally I would do my homework first and then purchase, but as this was like a rescue, and I am lacking the relevant know how, I am hoping you axolotl lovers will help me out. WHO KNOWS, THEY MAY GROW ON ME. cheers all. from myself and the lotllittleones.

do not use gravel, you axies are likely to swallow it even though they are small. just stick with sand or nothing at the bottom. water conditions - you dont need a heater. axies get stressed in temps above 24.

keep the tank a bare bottom for young, you will need to seperate them by size as they grow cause youngins snack on their siblings if they can.

water changes will need to be done daily. no heater required, they dont like heat too much!

daphnia is a great food, once they have absorbed their egg sack they should start to eat, make sure they have food available 24/7 while theyre under say 5cm. baby brine shrimp are also great but because theyre salt water they die if not eaten. daphnia would probably be easiest for ya!

once you have gotten rid of any young you cant keep (best to keep them in BB (bare bottom) tanks- easier to keep clean with lots of young) you can move your remaining pets into a tank with sand, slate, large river rocks or nothing for the bottom. have a look around the housing part of www.caudata.org for lots more info!

congrats on looking into more care for your new babies! its guna be tough work raising young (ive been keeping axies for a few years now and still dont want to attempt to raise some!!) they require so much time and effort but its very rewarding to watch them grow and see them go to loving homes. might want to start lining up some places for them now btw, dont wana be stuck with heaps of axies aye?

thanks for the info, thanks sharn as you have answered both of the forums i have set up. when i ask about water conditions, i mean can i move them into a tank with just fresh tap water or will this shock and kill them. the tank they are in now is to small and in a bit of a mess. it was the only thing to hand when i was trying to save them from being washed down the drain. have now got them a nice tank and wish to move them into it as they hatch, but it needs to be filled with tap water. the only other water option i have is water from a water butt that i have in the garden. can i have some suggestions please.
I dont think i wish to keep any of them as i am a fish keeper myself, but while i have them i want to look after them the best i can. cheers

Like fish, these guys are susceptible to overcrowding, with potentially deadly results. As they grow, they become more and more crowded. You may need a whole fleet of plastic tubs. I raise them in plastic tubs, they are really the best as they are easy to clean out. Prepare yourself to do massive water changes - by the time they are big enough to sell, you may like them, or you may hate them due to all the water you will have to siphon and carry

If you're using tap water make sure you use water conditioner/dechlorinator. I'd probably also suggest that you "store" the water in a bucket/tub etc before the water changes so they're at similar temperature as well

Good luck!

Hello jennifer/charlie.I have a water butt in the garden that collects rain water, would i be better to use this water as it will have been stood standing for some time. hoping to be able to do this today but waiting for some valuable answers. cheers.
ps, is it better to only have a half filled tank or full, keeping in mind they are only days old.

it would be very soft then, axolotls prefer harder water so i would probably pass on it. adding heaps of shells or bird grit in a stocking might get it up a bit but you would then need to check your gh and kh to see if its working.

id fill it enough to cover them twice, easier for them to find food and less hassle

If you are keeping them in simple setups (tubs), i'd say shallow water. When you start feeeding you may need to do 100% water changes (less water to haul if it's shallow). Shallow water also allows oxygen to diffuse in more easily than in deep water.

If your tap water is harder than the rainwater, then it would be better to use dechlorinated tap water.

will try that today as theres loads that have hatched and need moving, the water getting a bit manky now. cheers