Axie colony

OK here goes,
my tank is 7 ft long 3ft deep and 2 foot wide ? 175 gallons
full under gravel filter 4 powerheads, 2 250gph biowheels, chiller, heaters ect.....
8 6ft full spectrum t-8 bulbs live plants rocks ect....
How many axies should I be looking for ? 7 or more not sure had Tiger salamanders and was breeding cichlids but new to axies

Mines 6 foot, 18inch wide, 2 foot deep & I got 5 in there (planning one 1 more maybe 2 I dunno depends if I fall in love with more hehe) but I'm starting to notice even though they got huge amounts of space they all clump together and sleep together more like a pack of rodents then what you would expect for axolotls. I find it cute but then I think to myself well I've go this huge tank & you all clump together?? I dunno but 7 I thinks a good number

before you get any axolotls i suggest you read up on set ups. from what you describe it is just about everything people suggest you dont have. lol
sorry but under gravel filters just harbour waste and cause major water issues.
axies dont like the light they prefer dark places so plenty of hidey holes.
they also prefer cold water, below 20 degrees, so you have no need of a heater, on the contrary you will most likely find you need the chiller as over heating seems to be a major issue in your country.
axies also prefer minimum water flow as they become stressed ina srong flow.
sorry to go on but i think you need to research carefully so as when you do get them they will remain healthy.
by the way with that size tank you could have 5-6 i would say. 18 inches per adult is what most recommend. and dont forget to make sure they are all approx the same size, also if you get them at differant times and places make sure you quarrentine them for 30 days before introducing them to the others, this will give you time to see if they are healthy.
i hope i dont sound like a nag
good luck and hope you have as much pleasure from yours as ido from mine.

so how many can fit in a 4ft tank? sorry totaly useless with math and meaurements

at the most i would have 3 adults some might say four, but really does depend on their size.
i have 3 adults in 5 ft tank, they measure 14 inches 13 inches and 11 inches, was considering a fourth but these three have been together for 5 years so did not think it fair.
this is only an opinion mind you, others not might agree.

I'm with you on that Frances. I think you see a much happier creature when given space to move and enjoy a fair amount of freedom in the tank. I would much rather see 2 healthy animals in a large tank then a tank full crammed in just for the owners pleasure and not the welfare of the animal. Plus i should imagine (although I could be wrong) that injury through biting would be more common in a tank that may be verging on overcrowded.

OK,
I understand the need for research, I have done some and
1. as to undergravel filters hoarding waste yes thats very true if you don't have an active bio-bed underneath. I happen to, so my under gravel filter is active. My water cycles through 2x-4x an hour at full bio load I get 15ppm with spikes to 18 max. Tested with American Cichlids some of the messiest fish I've ever kept.
2. Lighting, while I agree with you all, dark hidey holes ect.. I have all my lighting on timers for cycled days and nights, with seasonal intensity taken into account, so this set-up is actually very natural. I work graveyards so I get to enjoy the nocturnal activity all the more.
3. It gets to below zero here in the winter and over 100 in the summer, I need this set-up to keep water temps between the ideals.
4. I have my flow out puts placed so I have different rates at different levels almost none at the bottom, Highest at the top to keep the surface moving for o2 transfer. I am tring to create a more natural environment since I have the room. They can pick and chose their preference.

catzklawz said:

How many axies should I be looking for ? 7 or more not sure had Tiger salamanders and was breeding cichlids but new to axies

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That's quite the tank!

I don't see why 10 adults couldn't live comfortably in a tank that size (that's one animal per 17.5 gallons of water).
As for how many you should be looking for? That's entirely up to you, but the more you have the more attention you'll need to pay to the water quality.

DantezGirl said:

so how many can fit in a 4ft tank? sorry totaly useless with math and meaurements

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Well, assuming the 4 foot tank in question is a 55 gallon tank, you could literally fit a couple million larvae, or a couple hundred adults in it (that's only assuming you put about a centimeter of water in it, and fill the rest of the way with axolotls.
On the other hand, you could 'comfortably' fit 5-7 adults in it if you have proper filtration, and do water changes religiously.

digger said:

sorry but under gravel filters just harbour waste and cause major water issues.

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I've been using under gravel filters in most of my tanks for 3 years with most of my adult axolotls, but I've never noticed these "major water issures". It all depends on how well you maintain the tank. If you never do water changes and never do spot cleaning, then sure, water quality issues could occur. You definitely need to let the tank cycle for a couple months before keeping axolotls in it.

................hahahahahaha I like this Guy ^^^^^^^^^^^ Could you please PM me im New to this and i have loads of questions and would like to talk to somone that seems like they know what there talking about ..
Thanks
Ryan & Tash

Yes so throw in a handful of axolotls, they all got space , lovely.
For a start you have said you are new to axolotls. Try starting with just one or two and see how that goes.
Have you got enough space to fridge 7 axolotls if they all get sick?
I would love to have more then the 2 I have but the only thing stopping me is time.
I would give yourself the time to learn about these creatures, observing them.

gr33neyes said:

Have you got enough space to fridge 7 axolotls if they all get sick?

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If someone keeps 7 axolotls in one tank and they all get sick, there is something seriously wrong. If you do your research, and keep them properly (i.e. temperature, water quality, proper nutrition) they very rarely get sick.

gr33neyes said:

I would love to have more then the 2 I have but the only thing stopping me is time.
I would give yourself the time to learn about these creatures, observing them.

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Just because someone is new to axolotls doesn't necessarily mean they are incapable of keeping them. I started out with 36 axolotl juveniles, and I still have 33 of them and they're all 8-12 inches long. I was new to axolotls when I had that many juvies. Now i have about 50 adults and a few hundred larvae, along with plenty of other amphibians, work full time, and I still get plenty of time to observe each tank for a while each day. It all depends on how determined you are to keep them healthy, how much research you've done, and what else you've got going on in life right now.

Study axolotl.org.

Hmm I appear to have worded myself wrongly in my last post, thankyou for pointing that out axolotl Jake and It wasn't my intention to accuse anyone of being unfit to care for and keep axolotls so I apologise if my words have offended anyone.
Happy Axolotl keeping