New Habitat

Hi, I was recently given an adult (I think, its about 8 inches long) axie. I have just got a 12 gallon tank, water filter, and river gravel. Could anyone tell me should I use real plant life or fake and is there any advantage in either. It seems much happier in the tank than in its previous bowl.

It seems to stay away from the side of the tank that the filter runs into. I have the filter running on low but the water falls about 3 inches to the surface of the tank water and causes some turbulence to a depth of about 5 inches. I read that water flow can be a stressor for axie and am wondering if I should run the water down a plastic pipe to reduce the turbulence or am I being paranoid.

Also it spends alot of time staring out the front of the tank which is really cool for my kids and their friends. I assume that if he wanted some alone time he would go behind the rock and hide. Its colouration is a sort of olive colour speckled with black dots and red gills. Looks really cool but in the absense of a photo and on this limited description can anyone tell me what kind it may be and how do I tell if its male or female so I can stop calling it it.

Do axie like companionship or do they prefer to be alone.

I am new to all this so any and all advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance

Ian

This is in the wrong section, it should be in the axolotl section. I've moved it.

Sounds like a wildtype axolotl. You can get many variations of wildtype. We have the very dark brown/almost black ones and ones with pale grey sides and speckled tails.

Axies are okay on their own. They don't need companions, it's the owners that feel they need companions - we have 11 adults, 5 axie larvae!

If you do get another axolotl, you have to keep it separate/quarantine it from your axolotl for 30 days to ensure it is healthy and won't make your one sick. Also, try and get one as close in size as possible to your axie, that's if you do get another!

Just wondering what are your tank measurements? That size is probably too small for two axolotls anyway.

My husband made some adjustments, by making homemade spraybars, to the filter outlets on ours to disperse the flow back towards the glass rather than directly into the water.

Filter flow adjustments

Kia Ora and thanks again. I have made such an adaption to the filter outflow it appears to have reduced the turbulence in the tank dramatically.

Cheers

Ian

Thanks John

Kia ora John, My apologies for posting in the wrong area it seems to really bug you. I am new to all this but very keen to do the right thing by our new axolotl. I have found this site to not be the easiest navigation wise and am still coming to terms with it so forgive me if my questions seem mundane and I post them in the wrong place.

One is led to wonder why if you have the time to move it and to advise of that, why you don't not answer the questions at the same time. You have a vast knowledge in this area how about sharing. I don't know to much about the culture where you live, In New Zealand we find that sarcasm and abruptness don't work as well as positivity as communication styles. I am not a research scientist, I am a musician maybe thats the trouble. But I could write you a lovely song.

Hers a quote form my mother. "If you have nothing nice to say, Say Nothing"

Thanks for moving it anyway "Kia pai to Ra" have a nice day

Regards

Ian

Hi Ian I can help You,
Nice to see a fellow kiwi here.

With plants you can use either or a mix of both.
Real plants release oxygen into the water,and make your tank look lush.
Fake plants wont die and break or loose leaves.
I have a mixture of both in my tank.

About your filter..Does it have a spraybar?..Its an attatchment that sprays the filtered water onto the surface,With these you can turn the spray bar so it sprays onto the wall of the tank not causing much water flow.

For his "alone time" d you have like a tunnel or "fake log" where he can go hide in, you can get theses from pet stores but bare in mind that he will grow up to 30cm so make sure its big enough for him.

Axies prefer to be alone but companinship dosent bother them as long as its only with another/other axies. If youd like to get your axie a companion make sure there is no chance of overcrowding in your tank and there are enough hiding spaces for them.

Now about colouration...
He may be a wildtype which are olive in clouration..and can vary from light to dark.

To sex him/her you look at ther cloaca area,which is behind their hind legs and at the base of the tail, a mature male will have a swollen mor prominent cloaca an female has hardly anything there.
But you can only tell when he gets mature, his figertips may become a light colour if hes dark or a dark clour if hes light when this happens hes mature

See ya around love to see pics sometime

Sinead

Ian, my mother passed that snippet on to me as well but added "...at all" on the end.

John wasn't being sarcastic just advising why and where it was being moved to make it easier for you to get help from people that visit this part of the forum - as many of the axolotl owners don't visit other parts of the forum so your thread may have been missed.

I've been visiting this forum since November 2005 and find the amount of knowledge/advice, not only from John, but many other members and moderators have helped us in raising and caring for our axolotl brood.

Have you visited: www.axolotl.org ?

Thanks

Thanks Kapo and Sinead.

Yes I have been to www.axolotl.org. Found it a big help.