Tank

Hi

I'm looking to get a single axolotl this summer and have been looking around for tanks. I remember reading on here that approximately 10 gallons are needed for a single axolotl, as a student this puts the set up of a glass tank completely out of my budget. However, I came across the Marchioro Aquazoo plastic tanks for very reasonable prices on exotic pets. My question is would one of these be appropriate for housing an axolotl?

http://www.exotic-pets.co.uk/marchioro-aquazoo-plastic-tanks.html

Thanks for the help. (Cleaning and daily water changes wouldn't be an issue, as a student I'm always around, have housemates who can help occassionally etc. and loads of free time)

Hi Tenoch,

10 Gallons is the minimum for one axolotl, the tank needs to be at least about 18 inches long (48cm) - axies wander around the base of the tank - you need to have enough room for them to 'blunder through'.

The link you've attached - you would need the Aquazoo 6 - 48x31x31cm @ £18.34 / You may get away with the Aquazoo 5 - 43x31x31cm @ £11.68.

Axolotls can grow to any size from 7-14 inches long and unlike fish they cannot control how big they get.

Have you considered plastic tubs? They can look quite impressive and are very cheap - I've attached a thread to give you an idea what I mean:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49415

Cheers Jacq.

Just as a comment on fish being able to control their growth - I disagree with that. Fish in restricted areas may not reach full size, but they usually develop bone and tissue deformities in the process and have a much shorter lifespan. The average goldfish has the capacity to live up to 30 years and exceed 2 feet in length, but you don't see that happening too often in a small tank. Although this is an axolotl forum, I'd hate to see misinformation given about another type of animal

JPDeed said:

Just as a comment on fish being able to control their growth - I disagree with that. Fish in restricted areas may not reach full size, but they usually develop bone and tissue deformities in the process and have a much shorter lifespan.

Click to expand...

My point was that a fish can control its rate of growth in accordance with the water volume available to it and food sources available to it. Both these elements act in tandem to dictate how big a fish will grow.

An axolotl can not control what size it will grow to.

JPDeed said:

The average goldfish has the capacity to live up to 30 years and exceed 2 feet in length, but you don't see that happening too often in a small tank.

Click to expand...

Well no you wont see it happen at all in a small tank. To reach two feet in length, the fish needs a lot of water volume and will only grow to the size its environment allows it.

JPDeed said:

Although this is an axolotl forum, I'd hate to see misinformation given about another type of animal

Click to expand...

Oh, I quite agree.

Havelock said:

Have you considered plastic tubs? They can look quite impressive and are very cheap - I've attached a thread to give you an idea what I mean:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=49415

Cheers Jacq.

Click to expand...

Why didn't I think of that.. That looks so much more convenient compared to glass tanks...

Havelock said:

My point was that a fish can control its rate of growth in accordance with the water volume available to it and food sources available to it. Both these elements act in tandem to dictate how big a fish will grow.

An axolotl can not control what size it will grow to.

Click to expand...

This sounds like the long-standing still-repeated myth that a fish will only grow to the size of its tank or that a fish will stay small if kept in a small tank. I doubt that a fish has any "control" over its growth. When it cannot swim properly due to lack of space, it becomes stressed and stunted, but I don't think the fish's body is somehow perceiving the size of its environment and controlling its size.

A fish (or axie) is likely to have various stresses and other life-threatening problems when the tank is too small, and thus is unlikely to reach full size.

I was only reading an article called the specific growth rate and the level of energy metabolism in the ontogeny of axolotls. I'll share the absract because it was interesting:*




Jay.

JPDeed said:

Although this is an axolotl forum, I'd hate to see misinformation given about another type of animal

Click to expand...

Ok, I am certainly willing to conceed I may be wrong and I really do agree with you 100% on the misinformation score.

Jennewt said:

This sounds like the long-standing still-repeated myth that a fish will only grow to the size of its tank or that a fish will stay small if kept in a small tank. I doubt that a fish has any "control" over its growth.

Click to expand...

Yes, I am sorry - I was probably dealing with an erroneous data source and I wasn't aware of the 'long standing still repeated myth' - although after looking it up on a search on the internet - Oh my goodness.

I have one group of five fish in an internal aquarium (100 litres) and these fish are about 4cm long (including tail!) and half a year old. I also have two fish that are in a pond outside (it's an old millers vat converted into a pond 500-600 litres) and they are about 25cm long (it took them only a couple of months to shoot to that size).

Both groups of fish are fed the same fish food and I was willing to accept the fast growth of the external fish to be contributed to the water volume as has been theorised...but it was probably the lovely mosquitos they are feasting on and algae...

There is so much information out there on the internet regarding the care of goldfish, it's difficult to ascertain though what is a load of codswallap and what is fact.

If anyone has a reliable source of information on the growth rate of fish and does not mind PM'ing me the article I'd love to read it.

Apologies Tenoch for hijacking your thread.

Cheers Jacq.