New owner of axolotls, advice?

Hello,
i have recently (4 days ago) purchesed my first axolotls, 2 i believe they are both female one is white and one s white albino both are 5-6 inches.i have them in a tank roughly 60x30x50.
i have been reading for months but now i own them some things confuse me.

i am having trouble keeping low temperature during the day it is at 17-18 but when i wake up in the morning it is ore like22-23 any help

water flow. i have a filter designed to pump at 45litres per hour and have it at half strength but it doent seem to be strong enough to clean the water but when i turn the water flow upmy axolotls get clearly distressed and start darting about,help.

feeding,i have tried to feed them at the same time every night so far, first i tried earthworms they both tried to eat but the worms always wriggled free, then i tried frozen brine shrimp but neither seemed interested however i just hand fed them and they had probably a prawn each before they stopped is this enough

im sorry i have rambled on, can any of you pass some experience on to me on these or any subject i want to know everything i want my new pets to be as happy as possible
thank you

Axolotl behaviour

Hello again, my two axolotls act very differently and would like to know if these are normal or if i have anything to worry about.
they are in a 60cm long 60litre tank lined with sand two large rocks and two hiding places, they both appear healthy.
my white leucistic has pale skin but pink from hind legs down she always seems to be smiling, i have had them for 4 days and she looks less active to me,however i didnt correctly treat the water of have a filter for the first day and half this led to very cloudy water she was very active during this and reguarly gulped at the surface now i have very nice water a smooth filter and maintain the temp during the day at less then 19 but she seems to just float about just off the bottom occasionally gulping air, she does walk around quite a bit but quiet slowly although i have no comparison so i dont know if it is unuasually slow she also swims towards the other end of the tank usually headbutting the side although not at fast speed, she also seems to get lost and confused in the corners of the tank even though she has plenty of room.

my white albino has reacted almost in the opposite way, she too appears healthy althought the bottom of her gills are very shiny and always point slightly forward, i have only seen her gillsin this direction other then when she flaps them so i assume she just as slightly forward facing gills the current is not strong at all. she appeared very sad when i got her home didnt eat until the thired day and didnt really move much now she seems more active it does worry me when she swims to gulp air because it looks like she has a few attempts before she reaches the surface and when she gulps she falls limply to the bottom whereas my white glides to the surface and slowly paddles back down

are any of these issues something to woory about or just different characters?

Firstly...that tank size is appropriate for 2 adults axolotls, so you did well. Those dimensions seem to refer to a 20 gallon long tank, which is a good size. As for temperature, a chiller is the best way to keep the tank cooler, but this can be very pricey..alternatives would be moving the tank closer to the ground, or putting it in an area that is cooler. Keep the pump at the lower setting, but you must also be vigilant in your removal of visible waste from the tank. Any feces or leftover food must be removed quickly so it doesn't foul the water.

Earthworms are going to be your best bet...if they are wriggling free, cut them smaller and see if the axies can handle them that way. Prawns are not a good staple food for axolotls, and should only be used as a rare treat.

Welcome to the world of axolotls, and I am sure your research here will improve your knowledge very quickly.

Try and provide a photo of your tank, folks around here can prolly give you some good pointers on your setup, and most people new to axolotl care make some simple mistakes that can cause big problems.

Re: Axolotl behaviour

Gills pointing forward and "flapping" are signs of stress. Axolotls are by nature lazy, and that is what they do most of the day...just lay around...what do you mean by "treat the water"?

i am aware i should only feed them prawns as a treat but i have ordered axolotl pallets from exotic-pets.co.uk but have to wait for delivery i tried worms but only one even attempted to eat and i tried every size piece from 2cm down, i also feed them a very little bit of lean beef mince i no this too is not ideal i have frozen brime shrimp but they dont seem to be interested i have to brush the bits of prawn against there lips before they bite i assume this is a good thing that they will hand feed from me?

i cant take a picture now im afraid but im sure the tank setup is good i have looked at many pictures i have a bridge and a log on opposite sides of the tanks and 2 large rocks in the middle my filter is in the corner, i have put a bottle of chilled water in the tank but it is sinking so will take it out now, is it dangerous to take the hood off for the night the room is dark? i have to wait until saturday to get a test kit but the water has been treated with a stress coat fighting amonia and nitarte and chlorine and have changed about a third of the water daily,
i think im too worried i just want to do everything right the temperature only reaches 22 at night and i leave the window wide open during the day, i will try and get my web cam working but in the mean time any advise on any thing to do with axolotls will be greatly appreciated

Re: Axolotl behaviour

i treated the water with a stress coat conditioner recomended on a couple websites and forums and the water now looks very clear and clean. the waving of the gills is not very frequent and is quiet slow i have been quiet clumsy when doing my daily change and i made a few mistakes on the first day like gravel that i have replaced with sand i also had too many decorations and had my hides in bad places so i have disturbed them too much i think,i just want there home to be perfect, i am happy with the set up of my tank now so the movement will die down,

my biggest worry is the shiny bottoms to my albino it looks to me to be part of the skin rather then fungus wll try to get pics but does this sound bad

Hiya
Your tank is 60cm long so is not appropriate for two adult axolotls. Only one adult will live comfortably in there so you will need to upgrade as soon as you can as they will grow quickly.

Its good your getting a test kit...you will need it often.

If your water is not full to the top remove the lid to help the tank cool slightly. If you have heating on in that room you may want to turn it down or off.
Try them with live bloodworms my babies eat them til they are pretty big.

The only thing you need in your water is a dechlorinator, anything else is either a waste of time or potentially harmful.

What substrate do you have?

It may take a while for them to accept pellets so you need to find an alternitive food source.
Bitesized worms or live bloodworm, the wriggling will entice them.

Mel

ps you only need to be doing about 20% water changes daily while the tank cycles.
And can the filter out flow be turned up toward the surface or anything, i have a regualr filter in my 3foot tank but have it pointing up to the surface.

melfly said:

Hiya
Your tank is 60cm long so is not appropriate for two adult axolotls.

Click to expand...

Mel is right..a site that I referenced had their dimensions incorrect. That tank is NOT large enough, and needs to be upgraded.

my mistake!

the water treatment im using is a dechlorinator and contains aloe vera whichi read is helpfull, i also have a weekly water cleaner which removes amonia and nitrate are these ok?

i was going to post asking if it is safe to leave the hood off when it is dark the tank is just over half full so i assume this is fine,

i plan to get them a huge tank as soon as possible i want my girls to live like queens or kings i just think they have girly faces!. but im really worried about these first few days and weeks and they are only 5-6inches so i think my tank is good enough at the moment?

should i get frozen or live bloodworms?i will try the frozen brine shrimp tomorrow they have already had a prawn each tonight
like i say i tried many diffenent sizes of earthworm and they either couldnt swallow or wouldnt swallow them and i believe they will eat the pellets because they eat the prawns right out of my finger so will be the same with pellets?

Re: Axolotl behaviour

Give the axolotl a chance to settle in their new home.
As this is a new tank you will need to do daily (approx.) 20% water changes with dechlorinated water. Your tank is unfortunately too small for these two, so you will need to be diligent in spot cleaning ( turkey basters are great for this!!). Keep the tank nice and cool.
I look forward to hearing and hopefully seeing some pictures of your new pets soon.
Julia

Re: Axolotl behaviour

i have done the daily changes the temperature has never been above 22 and there isnt a current but my albino just looks sad to me can i take the hood off during the night to keep them cool

If they get scared they will jump. If the water is only half they should be safe.

I would honestly only use dechloriantor. The tank will cycle and ammonia and nitrite and nitrate will be stable after that.

They will be too young to sex just yet.

I'd go for live bloodworm they like the wriggling.

Pellets are hard and depending on the size you ordered probably quite small its hard to feed pellets by hand.
I tend to drop them in front of their face, they'll grab it and then spit it out at first. It takes a while to train to them onto them,

Mel

Re: Axolotl behaviour

I would be rather wary of doing that as if startled the axolotl can launch them selves out of the tank. Are you able to move the tank to a cooler room?

I have merged the two posts as it was getting to confusing :wacko:

the gap between the water and top of the tank is longer then the axolotls its only half full should i put the hood back?moving the tank i not an option.
i will follow advice and just use dechlorinator, should i get a air stone for my tank? i dont think i can have live plants because i dont use a light they really hate it!!

what would you suggest as a replacement hood?

If you could get some mesh or something there. Just to stop them jumping out then hurting themselves really.
They dont jump often and only when startled but it could happen and is dangerous for them.

You could get an air stone..its not essential. There will be enough oxygen in the water for them.

If you get hides for them you would be able to have the lights on sometimes and they'd have somewhere to hide out of the way.

i didnt think of mesh is a good idea, they have two hides but the go absolutly crazy when i turn there light on when the oom light is on they seem fine i've put the hood back on just incase thank you everyone any more advice is greatly appreciated i have been reading about axolotls for months i thought i was ready!

You could also get some floating plants as shade too.

You learn more through experience. And your doing well so far on the research you've already done.

Mel

like i said i dont use a light so i think plants are out of the question or do you mean plastic plants, you have all been so helpfull thank you i hope your right and i am doing most things well im just really worried as im sure you all know i think they look happy and they have livened up since nightfall