Beginners questions

Hello,
I'd welcome some help regarding keeping axolotls if possible. I have a tropical fish aquarium and regularly drag my boyfriend with me to the petshop. Every time we go he ends up staring at the axolotls while I do my fish stuff. I'm considering getting him a small tank and a gift voucher for the actual critter for Christmas. I've read up on them a fair bit but still have some questions.

1. How hard are they to keep alive? I bought him a cactus for his birthday which lasted almost 4 months so I do have my concerns. I'll keep an eye on it but I'd like to know just to be on the safe side.

2. The axolotls at the pet shop I go to are priced at £20 each. Is this a decent price or should I look else where?

3. I don't want to spend too much money on the tank if possible. I think one critter would keep my boyfriend satisfactorily enthralled but he may want to get another one in future. Would the 28l tank here http://www.aquaone.co.uk/aquarium_aquaStart.php be suitable? If not could you please suggest another suitable tank from Aqua One?

4. Theres a spot just by the desk in his study that would be perfect for a tank. It's quiet and away from direct sunlight. It is next to a radiator though. Would this raise the temperature of the tank too high?

5. I use an under gravel filter on my tank which has coarse gravel. I've read that you have to use pebbles not gravel so the axolotls don't swallow it. Does this work alright with an under gravel filter?

I think that's everything I'm worried about, but any extra advice would be appreciated. Oh and don't worry, if my boyfriend decides he doesn't like it after Christmas, I'll be happy to adopt it!
Thanks in advance,
Hayley

Hi there. Lets see if I can answer your questions.

1. They are very easy to keep alive, its keeping the water alive that is the biggest job. You may think it is strange to say 'keep the water alive' but it is all the good bacteria in the water which keep nasties in check and help protect your axolotl. The main thing first off is getting your tank up and running. You can do this with your axolotl in the tank, it just means you have to be diligent with water changes and spot cleaning.

2. How old are the axolotls you have seen? If they are unsure of the age ask them to measure them. Then you can post your measurements here and we can help give an estimation of age. Age also plays a part in how much you pay. Younger axolotls tend to be cheaper. I paid £12 for mine when she was aged 3 months. £20 isn't too bad, although I personally would'nt want to pay any more then that. It wouldn't hurt to shop around although don't nessarily go for the cheapest. Look at the condition the axolotls are kept in. Are they over crowded? things like that.

3. Tank wise, you need to be looking at something around the 2ft size (24 inches)...I feel the one you have picked out will be too small. Bear in mind an axolotl can reach 14 inches and sometimes more. That small one would be ok for a few months but why spend out twice when you can get set up properly first time round.

4. The radiator may affect your tank temperature. It may be best to locate some other corner or spot in your house to keep your axolotl in. My axolotl is kept in my bedroom. Its quiet, kept in a degree of darkness and she seems much happier then when she was downstairs.

5. I personally don't use an under gravel filter so can't really advise you on that one, although 'some' keepers do advise against using under gravel filters as axolotls are rather messy creatures and all the waste trapped in the filter may affect your water quality. I use a fluval 2+ in my tank.

In a nutshell they aren't hard to keep, are fascinating to watch. You can feed them for practically nothing. I dig up worms from my wormery, she loves those. I carry out water changes (small ones) once or twice a week. I feed her every other day. She had a health issue just over a month ago but she is now recovering well. Like a lot of things if you put the time in you will get back your reward. I hope this has helped and good luck.

Welcome to the forum! Fish keeping and axolotl keeping are two hobbies that are very close to each other. You should pick up on this stuff really quickly.

1. I don't have personal experience with axolotls, but they are not significantly different than keeping large, predatory fish. They produce a lot of waste but as long as you maintain good water quality, they are quite simple.

3. Going to have to agree with Becky here. A tank that is two feet in length is probably best. The tank should have as large a footprint as you can accomodate but the tank does not need to be too tall, only 12" or so. The aquariums you linked to are a bit too tall. The bigger aquarium you buy the easier it will be to maintain good water quality and therefore have a healthy axolotl. You should know that a healthy axolotl can live a good decade or more.

4. If the radiator is there it will probably get too warm for the axolotl. If you want to test this take a thermometer and leave it there and check the temperature periodically. Then leave the thermometer around the house in other good locations. If none of them are at or less than 21C you may have problems. Axolotls are temperate and do best under 21C.

5. I'm personally not a fan of undergravel filters. These types of filter will pull uneaten food, waste and other detritus under the plates. This material will continue to rot and pollute the water. Eventually this can reach a level where you need to break down the aquarium, remove the plates and clean out the aquarium. This is a lot of work and causes you to disrupt the nitrifying bacteria in your tank. There are other excellent low tech filtration systems out there like box filters and sponge filters. You could use the same air pump (or powerhead) that the undergravel uses but without the drawbacks. Sponge filters are just mechanical/biological filtration while the box filter can be chemical on top of the others. There is also a range of filters such as the hang on backs, canisters and internal filters.

If I were you I would avoid one of the kits like you were pointing out above. A low tech filtration method like I mentioned, a simple rectangular aquarium and a screen top are really all you need. Heaters are unneccesary and actually harmful while lights are not appreciated by axolotls and add unwanted heat. Screen tops allow evaporation of water and therefore help keep the water cool.

Another thing to keep in mind is the substrate. Gravel/small pebbles is a bad choice as you noted because they can be ingested and cause impaction. The best substrates would be either bare bottomed or sand with a second being large rocks. Large rocks have the downside of trapping debris and being harder to clean. Sand takes a while to clean up and causes some cloudiness problems for a day or two when it is first added. If you choose send make sure it is an inert sand like play sand or, my preference, pool and spa filter sand. Sands designed for salt water aquariums actually dissolve slowly in water throwing off your water chemistry and possibly leading to problems.

Thanks for the replies, very very useful!
The pet shop I go to only stocks Aqua One tanks or gigantic tanks. I've stuck with my Aqua One and don't really know how to go about picking out all the bits to put together. Do you think I will be able to get everything together for around £100?
Thanks again for the help

Have you thought about a second hand tank? Thats how I started, in fact I purchased mine from my local aquatic fish store. They were selling some old shop tanks and I picked up a 2ft tank for £8. Ok so it didn't come with a stand, but I didn't need one. All in all including the price of axolotl I spent no more then £60 to set up from scratch . It can be done but you need to make sure you only buy what you need not what your pet store thinks you might need.

Have you thought about a second hand tank. I bought a shop used one for £8 and there was nothing wrong with it.But if you want a display tank that looks nice with a nice stand then you might need to use your negotiating skills. My second 'display' tank cost me £150 with cabinet underneath. Its a 3ft tank with hood. I got that knocked down from just over £200, so you can get a better deal if you try.

Where in the uk are you if you don't mind me asking, as I may be able to help you source a tank.

Thanks for all your help and advice but after searching ebay (and unknowingly bidding against my sister), trawling factory shops and digging through classified adds for tanks my boyfriend has declared that all he wants for Christmas is a new keyboard! I'm defiantly going to keep axolotls in mind, but next time I'm going to ask him first.
Thank you again.

Just one question: Will a keyboard fit in a ten-gallon tank? :rofl:

Good for you for getting info first - and changing your plan instead of foisting the animal and the keeper on each other. Merry Christmas to both of you!

-Eva