Questions from a newbie

I was wondering if you can keep snails in the tank with axolotls? and if so what type. Also ive been told not to put other fish in with the axie, is this correct? and can you put plants in with them?
Ive just changed the corner filter to a hangover filter, is that a good solution? or will i have problems. One last thing ive been told if i get another axie to share the tank i should get one about the same size as the one i already have or the axies might chew on each other, is this true?? Ive heard they will chew on each other if they are hungry. Anyway if anyone can please offer me some advice it would be very much appreciated.

Cute Axie. I like the choice of substrate. It looks very natural and is all but impossible to ingest. Lots of nooks and crannies to hide uneated food though so be cautious with feeding and be prepared to occasionally remove the rocks to clean the tank well.

Plants are good. Be sure to quarantine your plants for 30 days before adding them to the tank as they can harbour all sorts of things just like fish.

Snails.. I am not a fan of snails because they either a. get too big and can pinch limbs when closing or b. reproduce like bunnies depending on the type of snail.

Fish... Fish are subjective. Some folks aviod them all togehter, some folks (myself included) like to add them selectively. It is ieasier to do without but if you choose to do it you need lots of space to minimize stress on the Axie and fish. Stress will lead to disease no matter how healthy you think everyone is. If you do fish you need to pick a species that will noit harm or pick at the axie and can tolerate the axie's water parameters. You should also be prepared to loose the fish as axies will eat any fish that fits in their mouth.

Good Luck

I agree with MRIGUY. One diff. I have a few mystery snails in with mine big enough they can't be eaten with no problems. I have also have ghost/glass shrimp in with mine they will get eaten it is fun to watch the axies chase them arround the tank.

Hey question for MURIGUY what kind of fish do you think would be good.

The hangover type filter is a very good choice, with one cautionary note. Be sure it doesn't produce a noticeable current in the tank - very important! If it does make a current, try reducing the flow rate, or put rocks or an island in place to disburse the outflow.

Before considering fish or snails, please take a look at this page:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/Mixing_disasters.shtml
You CAN have fish and/or snails, but it must be undertaken with care.

How large is your tank, FF? And how many axies in it? This is also a factor in whether you should consider adding any other animals.

In my experience snails dont last long too big to eat or not they dont last long. too small and they get eaten whole (risking impaction cause it can be hard to pass a shell) too big and the axie just grabs them whilst they are out (they can be very quick) does the same head jolting motion you expect from a terrier and tares the snail from its shell (this leaves you with a tank full of shells with rotting snail meat in the bottom.. its hard to tell if there is still a snail there or not and can turn your water bad) or the snail might shut its trap door on the axies toes (if apple snail or mystery snail) ramshorn and trumpet snails are the only ones I would consider or the little ones that are too small for the axies to take notice of (dont know what type they are I got them free with my plants). Additionally in my experience the smell of freshly ripped snail drives axies mad and they snap at anything this can cause problems in multi axie tanks( same with shrimps they get snap happy and end up latched onto a comrade). When axies are larger they are ok to house together if there are plent of hidy holes/ room/plants and conditions are favorable. If they fight normally there is something wrong that can be fixed to stop it but sometimes you just get an agressive axie that wants its own space.

I am a fan of white cloud minnows. They are very tolerant of temporate water, they are hardy and forgiving of fluctuations in water parameters, they tend not to get real stressed, and they breed like little bunnies. I am at the point now where I have new babbies every 3 weeks from the school I have in my T. granulosa tank. They are not invicible however and need decent conditions. Additionally, the presence of the fish can and will stress the newt if they are cramped.

Happy Sunday

I agree with Jennifer btw regarding the effluent from the hang-on filter. you can deflect some of it by glueing a sheet of acrylic to the outflow. Press it up onderneath so the effluent runs over it horizontally rather than down into the tank. If you glue strips of eight 1/4" square or thin strips of sheet acrylic to that they will act as speed bumps and drop all of the current out within 6". It is somewhat goofy looking but with some plastic plants glued to it it can be quite tolerable.

If you do get another axolotl companion, you will need to quarantine it for at least 30 days to ensure it is healthy and won't pass anything on to your current one. Don't go by the quarantine period the petshop has it in, if any, as they are not always there or are able to recognise when an axolotl is sick/stressed.

Gday again,
My axie is on his own at the moment he is in a 1 1/2FT x 2FT tank ( it holds around 100 litres of water). When i got him he was in a tiny tank with gravel, i read enough to know his tank was too small so i got a new one and rather than put gravel in the bottom i used river rock, because there is no way he can ingest it.

If i buy fish do i quarantine them like the plants?, and how do i do it ? do i set up another tank with the same conditions as he is in? please let me know.

Thanks for the advice on the filter, im going slow the current as was suggested by other members, as for putting fishes in with him i dont mind if they get eaten as long as they dont nibble on him......

Does anyone know what type of axie he is?? when i first got him i thought he had a fungal disease, till i found this site and saw he was meant to look like he does.

Also i was told by the aquarium that axolotls are now bred so they dont morph, is this true?

Thankyou so much for all you help, and for passing links on, it really does help.... Im off to modify the filter... Almost forgot. . . how do i use the fridge to keep my axie cool, without him getting too cold? It was suggested to me on another thread

THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE

Yes quarantine the fish and plants In another tank. He looks like a wild type to me. Don't listen to pet shops ask here first. No the morphimg thing is not true. It just dose not happen vary often. And when they do they only live a few years I think it is vary stressful to them to change. Some times you can get some sort of shot to force them to change. I think you ned to give them the shot for the rest of short life. Get a cup water put it in the fridge I think 5 minutes, them check the temp.

Ive found pet shops and even some aquariums have little knowledge on the axolotl, i will always ask here first no matter how silly the question may seem, because if you dont ask you dont learn.
I dont want my little fella to morph, i was curious as to whether they did or not, as when i was growing up in New Zealand my uncle had two that morphed.
How long do axies live for??

They can live for 10-15 years, tho I have heard that morphed axolotls have a much shorter lifespan.

One of the many friends I've made, since we bought our first axolotls, has two 18 year old axies, not a breeding pair. They were his first axolotls and still look pretty good/healthy for their age.

FATTY FISH said:

Also i was told by the aquarium that axolotls are now bred so they dont morph, is this true?

Click to expand...

ROFL. This is a classic. An axolotl (the kind in the wild) is a type of tiger salamander that evolved to not go through metamorphosis. During the "domestication" of the axolotl, they were interbred with regular tiger salamanders. Thus, the kind of axolotl we keep in captivity may actually be slightly MORE likely to metamorphose than the "natural" ones are. The lack of metamorphosis is a natural trait for axolotls. It came about through evolution, not breeding.

I think your axolotl is a wild-type.

snails in tank

Considering getting an axie, and wondering then seeing as snails seem to be sometimes OK and sometimes not. Have a tank with lots of very small snails, that I don't want. Also some live plants (which are struggling due to the snails appetites), filter, bubbler and would need different gravel. The biggest of the snails would be only about 7mm diameter and mostly they're much smaller. Would a new Axie think it was in heaven moving into the tank? Only planning on one, as tank isn't big enough for more. Or should I try and eliminate snails first?

Snails are definitely sometimes OK sometimes not. The warnings earlier in this thread may apply to your tank. If the largest snail is smaller than the diameter of droppings of the axie then there is not much risk of choking or intestinal blockage. An axie may think it is in heaven! Snails of up to 4mm diameter (a ramshorn planorbis species) form a major part of my juveniles' diet. I'd hesitate before putting a a small axolotl, say less than 18cm long, in with snails of 7mm diameter. Many snail killer preparations are copper based and kill off invertebrates (such as shrimps)are not tested on amphibians. Trying to eliminate snails is often a hopeless task: axolotls are a very good control. I'd sort out the gravel and make sure the tank is cycling properly with low levels of ammonia and nitrite, hand remove larger snails to a jar to feed crushed to the axie later, then let it loose on the smaller ones in the tank. The risks of small snails are small and probably worth taking rather than going on a chemical warfare campaign in a tank which is cycled and working.

Questions Answered & decisions made

Gday, after all the information i recieved on keeping fish or snails with my axie i have decided against both, the photo of the axie with a snail stuck in its mouth put an end to the SNAIL IDEA, and ive also decided against feeder fish as i dont want him to get nibbled on.....but i have found a compromise . . . . i bought two fighting fish another unplanned addition to the family...(no they arent in the tank with the axie) , when i move in a few weeks im going to buy another axie for my axie tank.... thanks heaps for all the information and links that were posted .... A++++++