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Hi! New here and new to axolotls!

snuffaluffagus

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Hi, I'm Jennifer. I'm 25, from Melbourne and ever since I can remember I've been facinated by axolotls. (THey are the only newts/salamanders etc I've ever seen outside the zoo; I read here that axies are the only species Australians are allowed to keep).

Even though I've always loved them we hadnt bought any. (I wasnt allowed to).

But recently a large fish tank and cabinet came into my possession and I knew that it would be perfect for an axie or two.

I did alot of reading on website like this and visited the local pet store every day chatting to the workers to learn all I could about the little critters before I brought them home.

Now that they're here - there is so much more to find out!

I bought two - one black (Flotsam) and one spotted olive (Jetsam). I had originally wanted a golden albino but now wouldnt be parted with Flotsam.

We set the tank up with large river pebbles, lots of fake plants, a 'half pipe' type log and a hollow log. The first week was very stressful!

The first day Jetsam spent the entire day in a 'cave' i'd placed in the tank - he didnt budge - I eventually had to shake him out of it because I was terrified he was stuck inside.

The second day - Flotsam's rear end started to float. Which after a bit of googling - I'd decided must be lack of oxygen in the water - they were making regular trips to the surface. So off to the pet store again to buy a bubble wall - which does look rather pretty. No floating behinds so far!

On the third day Flotsam swam from one end of the tank to the other, up and down the sides over and over again. After some more googling and a frantic call to the pet store, I covered the tank with a blanket - Apparently axolotls get stressed!

And dont get me started! Feeding! My axies wont go for a bloodworm block on a squewer - they swim away! Luckily they are both happily eating pellets. *shakes head* Which I have to drop in the correct spot in the water so It will sink right in front of their noses or they both leave it. Who knew axies didnt forage??? Nobody told me.

Anyway- we bought them a few small feeder fish (Neons were recommended because the cold water should shock them into swimming slower for the axies to catch). Well it's been about three weeks and theyre still alive! (Well some of them are - we've misplaced four. So we have our fingers crossed that our axolotls have consumed them. :)

We've got a bit of trouble with whitish water - im told that a bacteria bloom is common with a newly set up tank. (I thought that being a second hand tank it wouldnt need to be cycled as long - silly me!)

But the axies came home on the 18th of March and I think theyre settling in OK. Theyre both eating well (sometimes 10 pellets a day... is that enough/too much?) Everyone in the family wants to feed them!

We've got the tank set up in the kitchen and its almost hypnotic to be eating your dinner and being able to stare at the tank and its inhabitants.

Anyway - Without further ado - here are Flotsam (Under Log) and Jetsam (In Log)
J.
 

blueberlin

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Hi Jennifer (love the Snuffaluffagus nickname),

In case you haven't discovered it yet, the Caudata Culture site has lots of very useful articles, including one on cycling and several on foods.

I have a few tips based on your post. First, keep an eye on the water quality - watch for ammonia and nitrite, as these are toxins. They build up when an animal is added to an aquarium and can be deadly to your axolotl ("new tank syndrome"). Second, bacteria are good (more info in the article on cycling). The whitish water may just be dust from the stones; if so, it will settle and the water will clear within a day or so.

You will find that muck and gunk collects between the pebbles. At some point you may want to switch to sand (children's play sand or pool filter sand is inexpensive and suitable for an axolotl tank). Right now, judging by the photos, the pebbles look large enough to be safe; if the axolotls are small, though, then by the time they get larger, there may be a danger of them swallowing the stones (search the "sick axolotl" forum for "impaction" or "floating" if you wnt more information about the problems arising from swallowing gravel/pebbles).

Lastly, feeding:

10 pellets are way too much. I don't know how big your axolotls are (or how big the pellets are), but 3-4 pellets a day for each axolotl is quite enough. Pellets are extremely high in nutritional value, which means they an quickly lead to obesity.

Feeder fish - as tropical fish, the neons indeed prefer warmer water. As you have noted, they have every chance of living awhile before the axolotls are hungry enough to hunt them (particularly if they are getting 10 pellets a day! haha). To avoid cruelty to animals, you might consider using fish that are comfortable in coldwater. Guppies are the most common choice. Nice thing about guppies is that they also breed like rabbits (well, like guppies) and so if you have a small tank on the side, you can breed your own. You should have a small quarantine tank anyway, as feeder fish should be quarantined for 30 days to make sure they are not sick before feeding them to your axolotls.

Frozen foods should be defrosted before feeding. You should also give them a quick rinse with fresh water to get rid of the meltwater. Note that defrosted foods are quite messy. A good way to feed them is to fill a teacup or small jar, etc., with tankwater, add the defrosted food, and then gently place the jar onto the floor of the tank. The axolotls will quickly learn where to find their food, and cleanup is a snap.

Sorry for the long post - your tank looks beautiful and so do Flotsam and Jetsam!

Welcome to the Forum,

-Eva
 

women158

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Love the names first of all!
Feel totally in the same boat as you at the minute - we've had our tiny baby Chantico for a week now and we worry and fuss over her constantly! Not helped by our local pet store being rather misinformed and giving us a bit of bad info on tank set up - we're changing our gravel for large pebbles this week to avoid impaction.
Your two look gorgeous! Best of luck with your new babies :D
 

2os4sds

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Hi,very nice axolotls.With your water tests,when your ammonia is 0,and your nitrite is 0 but you have a low nitrate reading your tank is cycled and healthy.This could take some weeks though.I would do water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite down till then.:happy:
 
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