A friend for my axolotl

Hello all i'm new to the forum but have used the site a few times in the past for help with my axolotl, Archamedies.

I believe he is a male, although not cetain, and is about 10 months old, in that time he has grown to about 7 1/2 inches although he is not very fat.

I have considered geting him a friend for a long time but I am aware that if I do this I need quite a large tank and the other axolotl needs to be of a similar size. Hence lies the problem as I am finding it hard to find a pet shop that sells anything but very young axotols.

The pet shop where I get my guppies from told me they are getting some 4 or 5 inch long axolotls tomorrow and I was wondering if you think this would still be to small?

Also is there any problem having different colour axolotls in the same tank? I belive mine is a golden albino (yellowish with shiny eyes).

Otherwise does anyone know of a breeder around Manchester that might have bigger axolotls? And is it true that they should be ept apart for a period of time? How long do you recommed?

Any help with this would be greatly appriciated,

Vikki

Hello Vikki,

It is absolutely fine to keep axolotls of different colours together although axolotls do not really require company. They are not gregarious creatures and definitely do not feel lonely.

It is advisable to keep axolotls of the same size together. If the other axie is too small, cannibalistic tendencies can result in injury.

Quarantine your newly acquired axie for at least 30 days in a separate tank before introducing to your main tank to keep diseases out.

Cheers

Resist the temptation to anthropomorphize too much.

Your little guy probably does not need or want a friend. Not to say that you should not do this, but don't be doing it for Archimedes.

- John

Oh I want another for myself really, but when I've seen them in aquariums they seem to like lying near each other so I assumed they may like the comapny... he seems rather quite content chasing guppies though

vikki7 said:

I believe he is a male, although not cetain, and is about 10 months old, in that time he has grown to about 7 1/2 inches although he is not very fat.

I have considered geting him a friend for a long time but I am aware that if I do this I need quite a large tank and the other axolotl needs to be of a similar size. Hence lies the problem as I am finding it hard to find a pet shop that sells anything but very young axotols.

The pet shop where I get my guppies from told me they are getting some 4 or 5 inch long axolotls tomorrow and I was wondering if you think this would still be to small?

Click to expand...

Hi Vikki,

In a months time (quarantine period) the 4 or 5 inch axolotl will have grown quite a bit during this time so may be fine to put in with the 7 1/2 inch axie once at the end of the quarantine period of 30 days.

If the axie is still too small however, you can use a divider to keep them seperate from one another, but together in the same tank. Once the axie has grown to a good size, you can remove the divider.

For two axies it's recommended to have at least a three foot tank. As a rough guide, each axolotl should have about 18 inches floor length each.

I've found that wildtype axies tend to be more 'assertive' than the other axolotl types. All axolotl types however will lunge and snap at anything that moves, and in their enthusiasm to get what they perceive may be food, may bite their tankmates by mistake instead.