Calling all Brisbanites!!!! (australia)

Hello all,

My name is Christelle and I have wanted an axolotl since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Unfortunately my mother can't stand the look of them. Personally, I think they are adorable!!!! Anywho, I'm finally on my way to getting a pair of my own and I would like to hear from any other Brisbane dwellers who have axies as well.

The reason being that it can get quite warm here in queensland during summer. I did see one Brisbane dweller on here, Stacy I believe it is, so yeh please get in contact!

Christelle.

Hey Christelle, Welcome to the Forume! Since most of us I think aren't from Brisbane, if you come online frequently and post questions upon the forums here, people will be happy to help with any questions you might have, or look at pictures you might have to share of your new Axololts when you get them! Here is Caudata's sister site. It is full of info! www.axolotls.org
I hope this helps, and good luck!

Hi Christelle,
I live here on the Gold Coast and have recently purchased two axolotls (very cute). I am lucky as i work at a school in a large building which is air-conditioned in summer, so i don't have a problem of them getting too hot.
You will need to keep the water temp between 14-20degC (no higher than 24!), so it will depend if you have a cool area in your house, or air-con.
I have heard of people filling old milk cartons with water, freezing them and then floating them in the tank to keep the water cool, but i think you would have to constantly monitor them.

Anyway i hope this helps

I use frozen water bottles, but I will be getting a cooling system for my tank. I have no idea where you can get them in Australia. Cooling systems keep the water at a constant temperature. They work wonders, but are, or can get expensive. I just use soda bottles and water bottles, and I constantly have to change them as it gets so hot here, but for the past weeks my Axies haven't been in the fridge, and they won't go in until it gets much cooler as I have found it very difficult to monitor frozen bottles with my busy lifestyle. I have to leave the appartment sometimes, or do house work, so if you can invest in a cooling system, it is worth it if you can find a good one.

Hi Christelle, I haven't had too much trouble with summer here. Our house is quite open, airy and cool. I tend to do extra water changes to freshen the water for them. I also use the frozen water bottle. In a 4ft tank it seems to work quite well.

hello christelle, i live in cairns and as you probably already know it gets very hot here. in summer my axies tank is always around 26 degrees, i have put her tank in the bedroom and i always keep the curtains closed, i take the top off the tank and let a pedestal fan blow air across the top, these help alot. my axie copes just fine but i keep a very close eye on the water quality and check my axie everyday for any signs of stress or infection cause the higher temperatures can encourage problems.

Thanks for the info guys, the water bottle method will be good while i am around and i do have an air conditioner. If Denise's axies can survive summer in cairns I think I'll be fine.

However I have another question.....for Rheann.

You keep your axies in the fridge??? Can you explain this more for me?

Also will an airstone help oxygen intake during the summer months???

The reason I am asking about cooling methods is because I have to go to melbourne for ten days in summer.

Hi Christelle Keeping Axolotls in the fridge is just fine. Axolotls don't need air stones while they are in the fridge. The cold water provides more Oxegon intake. They just just need their water changed while they are in the fridge. I went on vacation for one solid week. I kept them in the fridge the whole time, they weren't fed. I had my husband's brother watch them for me and do water changes for them. I kept an extra bucket of declorinated water in the fridge with them for the water changes because the water had to be the same temp or they would get water shock. I kept them in Gallon ice cream buckets. Here is an example.
When they aren't in the fridge in the buckets, they are sitting on my table. It is totally fine to keep them in the fridge, so don't worry. Also, if your Axolotls get sick, they need go go into the fridge to help the healing process. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask I will gladly offer any help that I can. If you possibly can get someone to watch your Axolotl for you while you are gone, this will help. They don't need to be fed, but keeping them in the fridge with water changes will help. Always make sure the change water is the same temperature of water that they are sitting in, or they will get water shock.

Hey all!

We're not looking forward to summer in Brisbane either, because it will be little Egon's first time in the heat, and I don't want him to turn into axolotl soup. We thought we'd transfer him to underneath our house during summer which would be a lot cooler for him, but we wouldn't see him as much! He's too sweet to be apart from, so we'll have to work something out when the time comes too.

We'll all brainstorm together in a few months...
Leah

Hi all

I just bought my first mexican walking fish just yesterday and he is going great. Of course i named him after the great roosters player freddy fittler. I have a set up in the corner of my room where he will not get the sun in summer. I have been so far been feeding him once a day with frozen beef squares.

Is there any other information you guys could supply to me.

Get him off the frozen beef squares, and only feed them as a treat. Axolotls do not digest the mammal meat very well. You should try switching to a staple of earthworms. My axie doesn't like earthworms so she gets live crickets but earthworms are ideal.

Hi,

Is your tank cycled?
check outhttp://http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml
and www.axolotl.org for lots of axie info.

(Message edited by waltona on July 24, 2005)

http://www.axolotl.org should supply you with most of the information you need for your axolotl.

p.s afl is better

Oh so Anne-Marie had to get in before me and make my message not make sense

Yeah, well Natasha got in b4 me and made my post sound a bit silly.

(Message edited by waltona on July 24, 2005)

Hi again guys,

So with the fridge idea, does the fridge need to be set at a certain level??? Can it get too cold for them? How long can you keep them in there?

Is there some sort of information sheet I can get or that anyone knows of?

Just keep the fridge temp on normal. Axies can stay in the fridge for a while, I kept mine in the fridge for a week i went on a trip. I had someone watch them. I didn't have him feed them, so they didn't eat while they were in the fridge, and also he would do water changes for them by keeping a bucket of change water in the fridge so that it was the same temp when he changed the water so they wouldn't get water shock. Axolotls like cold water, the cold from the Fridge won't hurt them, as long as it isn't over done i would think

Christelle, I live in WA and it is extremly hot here in the summer, and despite what everyone says about high temps, there is not a lot you can do about it. My tank sits on about 24 all summer that is in a room out of the sunlight curtains closed and air con running 24/7. Expect some big power bills!! mine go up around $150 over summer, I spoil her and my goldfish are in the same room. I haven't had any problems with illnesses through summer.

Hey Cristelle!!
I live on the mid-north coast, and used to live near Brisbane. While it does get hot, and the water can easily get up to 26 degrees in my tank in summer, none of my 5 axies have had temperature related problems. Most pet stores have the water at too high a temperature anyway, and Australian born axies seem to be more than able to cope with slightly higher than normal temperatures, due to natural selection( sorry, I'm a bit of a science freak). I use esky blocks in my tank during summer, but this isn't always effective, when I have to go to school, but it at least keeps the water below 30!!! You can't buy a cooling system in Australia, and I don't really know why. You'd have to get one imported from America if you wanted one.
Hope your axies go well!!!

Hi guys,
I'm new to having axies too and I live in Brisbane. I've had Gonzo and Carlos for about 2 months and they seem to be going fine.

I've tried to register with this site but I havnt been sent an "activivation key" or something so I might have figure that out....

I'm worried about my axies in summer because my unit isn't a/c. I have a perfect area to keep them in a little room in the garage that is nice and cool in the summer but there is no power supply.... Obviosly this leads to problems with the filter. Does anyone have any solutions for this? Is there some kind of battery operated filter - ha ha - sounds silly but I dunno....

I'm a bit worried I might have to send them off to a better home for the summer -