Putting other fish in the tank with an axie?

Just wanting to get some advice on putting other fish in my axie's tank.
I have read mixed reviews on the subject. Would it be ok to get a top dwelling fish, since the axie is a bottom dweller?
Would something like a catfish (plecostamus) be ok since they spend all of their time sucking onto the side of the tank?
What about guppies? I have read that axie's like to eat them.

Any advice would be much appreciated

axies loves guppies, they are a good feeder fish. as for any other fish, weather it is stuck to the side or sticks to the top half of the tank, you will most likely find if it moves then your axie will eat it.

One of the large problems with housing fish with axolotls is that commonly available fish are tropical and require higher temperatures than temperate axolotls. It doesn't really matter if the fish is a surface dwelling or bottom dwelling fish as in the aquarium they will utilize all the space available. Plecostomus are a definite fish to avoid as they get huge and add a large amount to your tank's bioload. Smaller plecostomus and many other catfish are armed with defensive spines that can kill an axolotl that tries to eat them. Plecostomus are also known to suck on the sides of an axolotl and cause injury.

Most axies will eat guppies, so don't expect them to last long. White cloud mountain minnows will do well at axolotl temperatures and conditions, but they also will quickly be eaten.

Fish and axies do not really get along well.

magustrate said:

One of the large problems with housing fish with axolotls is that commonly available fish are tropical and require higher temperatures than temperate axolotls. It doesn't really matter if the fish is a surface dwelling or bottom dwelling fish as in the aquarium they will utilize all the space available. Plecostomus are a definite fish to avoid as they get huge and add a large amount to your tank's bioload. Smaller plecostomus and many other catfish are armed with defensive spines that can kill an axolotl that tries to eat them. Plecostomus are also known to suck on the sides of an axolotl and cause injury.

Most axies will eat guppies, so don't expect them to last long. White cloud mountain minnows will do well at axolotl temperatures and conditions, but they also will quickly be eaten.

Fish and axies do not really get along well.

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I used to keep month old goldfish as a snack for my axys in the same tank, some got eaten but the others got huge and i took them out.

I keep a small cory in the tank with the axys to look after the sand, and eat up all bio waste.

The axys leave the cory alone and the cory leaves them alone.

russell said:

I used to keep month old goldfish as a snack for my axys in the same tank, some got eaten but the others got huge and i took them out.

I keep a small cory in the tank with the axys to look after the sand, and eat up all bio waste.

The axys leave the cory alone and the cory leaves them alone.

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Goldfish are huge waste producers. Moving goldfish in and out of the tank can cause mini cycles and small spikes of ammonia and nitrite not to mention elevated nitrate if you don't change your water maintenance schedule. It's not a good idea to put goldfish in with axolotls as they are messy and they are not the healthiest feeder fish being very high in saturated fats.

You may have had luck with your cory so far, but other people have not. This isn't the only case where such a thing has happened. Your axolotl could try to eat your cory at some point and it could be a large problem.

Is it really worth it to risk the life of your axolotl when you could easily keep any of these fatal situations from happening?

Also, cory catfish do not eat up all the bio waste. This is a myth perpetuated by petshops. Corys and other bottom feeding fish eat a huge vareity of things off the bottom and much of the biological waste is not the waste at the bottom. These fish excrete waste so they are not a no waste addition themselves.

Hi Loki the general consensus is Don't.

As other people have mentioned there are extra waste issues. Personally I am a bit paranoid so if there is a chance I may harm our axies I don't do it what ever it is.

Other people will tell you that they have no hassles and have done it.

I err on the side of caution.

Good Luck

russell said:

I keep a small cory in the tank with the axys to look after the sand, and eat up all bio waste.

The axys leave the cory alone and the cory leaves them alone.

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I used to keep Corys with Oscar Cichlids until one of the Oscars decided to eat one, but Corys can erect their dorsal spines as a defence and they jammed into the roof of the Oscars mouth the Cory eventually escaped and the Oscar nearly died.

Thanks for all the advice.. looks like I won't be getting other fish in Reptar's tank!

Hi Loki,

You could always get another axie...

Just a thought

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Small fish etc have a tendancy to be eaten by the axolotls and larger fish may try to eat the axolotls. So my advice if you do wish to have another pet in the tank, your best choice would be another axolotl.

i put 16 mountain minnow in my tank with my small axys on saturday - I have 8 left!

ianclick said:

Hi Loki,

You could always get another axie...

Just a thought

Click

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I would love to get another axie, preferably a girlfriend for him. But the tank isn't big enough and I don't have anywhere to put a bigger tank.
I ended up getting 4 Zebra Danio's for him, knowing full well that they would probably get eaten.
He ate the first one (the smallest) within half hour. The next one disappeared after 2 days.
But the final two have been there more than 4 weeks now, they all seem to be living harmoniously.

My axie seems quite docile when it comes to food. He will only eat his pellets if they fall on top of his nose... then he reacts quickly and snaps them up. If the food falls away from his face it goes unnoticed. I tried to feed him a live worm from the garden, he was completely uninterested. He doesn't go for bloodworms either and doesn't care for fresh meat.

Best advice I have found on this matter is Don't do it. Some people will tell you they have done it and no hassles but there are many and varied risks.