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new to the site and axolotl's....

zeldor

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hey, im new to the site and just set up my axolotl tank and stuff, but hes been settled for 2 days and is not eating. ive offered little axolotl pellets and earthworms. i think he is fully grown, or near fully grown, is there something wrong with him or do i give him more time? i plan on getting a better, bigger tank and eventually breeding them. i should take i picture of my setup sometime to show if its suitible for the one axolotl or not. can someone tell me if theres something wrong with him? or is this usuall.
 

Darkmaverick

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Hello Zeldor,

It would be a good idea to post some photos of your axie and the setup as they provide a lot of vital clues.

There are many reasons why an axie is inappetant. Firstly we need to determine if the axie is inappetant or is actually normal. Full grown adult axies do not need to be fed as frequently as juveniles or larvae. If you have an adult axie, it may just have its normal 'not eating everyday' appetite.

Stress can cause an axie to become inappetant. If you just acquired your axie, the new tank environment can stress it and cause it to not feed. However, give it some time to adjust and very soon it would feed normally once it has accustomed to its surroundings.

It is also important at this point to ensure the tank set up you have is not contributing to stress. Most importantly, monitor the water parameters, temperature and current.

The water should ideally be cool around 16-18 degree celsius. Anything above 22 i would consider stressful especially if prolonged. If this is the case, you would need to try cool down your tank. Here are some methods. http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml

There should not be excessive water current flow in the tank. If you have a filter or airstone ensure that the water is not too turbulent by diffusing the filter outlet source against the tank glass or use a spray bar etc. You can also turn down your air pump settings or 'loosely' kink the tubing.

Invest in a colourimetric solution test kit if you have not done so. This is one of the most important thing you need in axie care. You would need to perform regular water chemistry checks. Your water should read 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites and <60 nitrates if your tank is fully cycled, and provided you perform 20% water changes regularly. pH is less critical but neutral around 7 is always safer. Use clean dechlorinated water for water changes. You can get a dechlorinator from most pet shops. Dechlorinators get rid of chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals in the water in general, making it safe for axies and for beneficial bacteria in your tank to thrive. You can read up on cycling and water chemistry here.

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/waterquality.shtml

Check that your tank has suitable hiding places like pipes, logs, pots, caves etc. Ideally 2 hiding places per axie. You can keep axolotls with other axies of similar size and can also use suitable feeder fish like guppies, minnows, platys etc. after a 60 day quarantine. Otherwise, you should not keep your axie with other species such as aggressive fish that can harm your axie. Axies suit bare bottomed tanks or using freshwater sand as substrate. Gravel or pebbles are not suitable as axies can swallow them and cause an impaction, which will cause illness or death.

Monitor your axie for other signs of illness or stress. Check for things like forward facing gills, curled tail tip, wounds, sores or growths on the skin and gills and odd behavior like darting about.
Hopefully you don't see any of those signs!.

Cheers
 

zeldor

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ok. my camera is outa battery so i should have some photos up by tonight. your in australia to? just wondering what are your methods of cooling him down? cause its summer and its hot as where i am. that would be the problem woudnt it? ill get a underwater thermometor today, and probably put him in my air conditioned room.
 

kira

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OOO your in Bundy I see! I feel your pain, I'm in Hervey Bay.

Here's what I do.
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58964&highlight=styrofoam
"I have had a lot of problems cooling my tanks lately. Fans just don't cut it where I live because it is to hot! However, I have taken a few ideas from everyone to do something that is (currently, ask again in a few weeks - LOL) working for me.
I found out recently that the thermometer in one of my tanks was wrong by about 2-4C under what it should have been. So I bought another and that was reading wrong also (about 5-6C more), which caused me a lot of panic! I use ice bricks to cool my tank and I find that I am better off using larger bricks (ie. 2lts) because it allows me to keep the tank cooler for longer without much flactuation. Then with the heat wave we have had lately (I am in Central Queensland) and with my second thermometer reading wrong, I was getting prepared to sell my kidney on the black market to fund a chiller (lol that is a joke which someone on the forum came up with). Anyway, I have now gone and bought a digital thermometer (which is apparently correct to 0.1C) and I have cut styrofoam (sorry if I can't spell) and placed it underneath and on the back and sides on the tank. I also cut a piece so that it fits snuggly on top in place of the lid, so it acts like an esky. I replaced my filter (which was a internal powerhead) with a on the side waterfall filter thingy. My tank now sits at a regular 17 - 19C (I was able to bring the temp down by at least 7C). All up, it didn't cost too much
2 x Styrofoam boxes (incl. lids) from the seafood store $1.50 each
5 x 2litre 'fill yourself' ice bricks $2.99 each
digital thermometer $12.95
waterfall filter $29.99
"

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=59598
"I am able to keep my tank at 18C with about 3 ice bottle changes in 24hrs. I have a tank that holds 186lts and I use two 2ltr bottles each rotation. I fill the bottles 3/4 full and add 2tbsp of salt to the water and seal the bottle well to insure that there is no leakage. The salt helps the water in the bottle stay frozen for longer. "

Hope this helps a bit...
 
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  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
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  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
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    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
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    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
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