Question: Help! Advice wanted please for complete newbie!

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saraknight

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Hi all! I really want to get 2 Axolotls but don't want to get them and then find myself in over my head as it were. I've been reading up alot on here but I'm starting to worry (something I do frequently lol) if I know enough to be a good enough owner. I have a 3ft bowed tank which I have already put sand in, about a 2-3" layer. It was from an aquatic shop and I told them what it was needed for and they said it was fine, the girl has Axies herself.I also have 2 tunnel/cave things so they can have one each if they wished. I was thinking I'd get a couple of plants and that should be that. That sound ok so far?
Plus, males or females? I read on here that someone found the females to be more aggressive? I know its always a risk but I'd prefer to narrow down the chance of them losing limbs if I can. Also what size/age is best for a beginner? I didn't want them to be too old as I want them to get to know me but now I'm worried about their care being so small?
Sorry I've gone on but I'm getting myself so stressed about it, but I really love Axolotls and would be devasted if I got them and did something wrong all because I hadn't asked. Thank you for taking the time (and having the patience lol) to read this. :eek:
 
Hey, let me see if I can help.
As for a tank, you are good to go. 3 feet is wonderful for 2 axolotls, although you may want to lower the sand level a little. Anything over 1.5 inches can cause gas to build up in pockets in the sand, and can be quite smelly and an eyesore. Plants are a great idea, as they help maintain appropriate parameters in your tank, and are a great addition aesthetically. Either sex is fine, and aggression shouldn't be an issue as long as they have room, regular feedings, and hides, as you mentioned. For a beginner, I would suggest juveniles if you want to really get attached and watch them grow. Juveniles are old enough that feeding is no issue, but still young enough to really watch them develop.

Just keep reading these forums, and check Caudata Culture Home Page as it has a lot of wonderful advice.

Goodluck and welcome to the forums.
 
Heya

It sounds like you have a solid plan there! :happy:

Axolotls are not difficult to keep, as long as you provide a few important things for them.

Space (your tank is excellent for two Axies)
Temperature (can be tricky, make sure you can maintain the right temperature)
Water Quality (make sure your tank is cycled, get a test set)
Food (make sure you have access to proper food items for your Axy)
Maintenance (dont skip the tank cleaning and water changes)

As Shizeric already wrote, Juveniles are fine, they can eat the same stuff as adult Axies (although chopped to smaller pieces) and you get to watch them grow and develop.

If you are worried of your Axies biting each other, i suggest feeding them by hand or forceps, this way you can make sure that no accidents occur during feeding time.

I wish you good luck with them! :happy:

Regards Bjorn
 
I think you have a great start!

In my opinion water quality and temperature are two very important factors. Cyle your tank before you add the axies or be prepared to do partial water changes on a daily basis.

Also, axies love cold water. Try to keep it under 70 degrees. I have mini chillers to maintain a temp of 64 degrees even during the hot Dallas summer.

Finally, provide them with live earthworms or bloodworms, and feed them enough for their bodies to be as wide as their heads (from an aerial view).

I think you'll do a great job!
 
The only risk of housing a male & female together is that you might wake up to a tank full of eggs.
I am dealing with that issue right now. : )
 
Hi, i'm a newbie and a born worrier too - i've had my axies for 4 whole days now and i've even texted my partner (he's home during the day at the mo) to make sure they're ok lol!

I've got 2 (Oscar & Rose) i dont know how old they are or what sex they are for certain, their previous owner had them in a bare tank with no filter or air and was feeding them on floating goldfish food and they survived that so i guess they're fairly tough little things - i hope they'll enjoy their new life with me!

Good luck with getting yours - i think they're great little creatures, fascinating to watch and have lovely little expressive faces (my partner thinks theyre ugly but what does he know lol?!) They also suck worms in like spaghetti which is so sweet!! :D
 
Thanks everyone for you very welcome comments and advice. I forgot to say I have had the water tested as the tank has been on for weeks now lol. I wanted to make sure the sand dust etc was definately all gone. I asked my hubby now he's home how thick a layer of sand there is and when I told him what I said he rolled his eyes lol. Apparently sizing is not one of my strong points and its about 1- 1 1/2 inches lol. Other than bloodworms and earthworms :)eek:) what other foods do they eat? I'd like to able to give them a varied diet. Oh, and the earthworms, please tell me I don't have to chop them up or anything cos I won't be able to do that. YUCK! lol
Another thing, have read conflicting advice on how often to feed them. Suggestions please?? thank you
 
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Lol no comment about us girls judging size - when i went to get a new lid for my tank i tried to guess and got its size wrong by a whole foot lol, its bigger than i thought!!

So far i've managed to find worms a size that my axies can handle without me chopping them as somehow i dont like the thought of doing that either - i dont mind feeding them live but cutting them - eeew!

Mine have so far eaten earthworms and sinking trout pellets. the worms i feed with tongs (i dropped them when i tried holding them by hand!) and i drop the pellets in front of their noses and they grab them or kind of hoover them up from the base of the tank. I intend to try them on new things gradually, i've got some bloodworms that i use for our fish so that might be next on the axie menu!

I've also got the same question about feeding as there seems to be different info on how much and how often. So far mine are eating 2 worms each per day or a few pellets each, i'm hoping thats ok, they seem to be happy healthy and nicely active.
 
I know this sounds stupid but you dig the worms up or buy them from somewhere lol
 
So far i've dug them up from our garden (well actually my daughter has, she seemed to enjoy worm hunting lol!)

I've also got some from a fishing bait shop but i was advised to pop them into boiling water before feeding them to make sure theyre parasite free but i've not tried that yet.

I asked in several local pet shops for live bloodworms but havent found anywhere that sells them yet.
 
hi saraknight
you can start a worm farm if you like that way you know the worms are chem free......if you are digginig them up from your garden please make sure yourgarden is chemical free otherwise you can hurt your axie or you can buy them from a pet shop...

i fed my axie earthworms main diet, bloodworms and beefheart as a treat.....

lea
 
Sorry i forgot to mention garden has to be chemical free, i've got kids so i've never thought of using chemicals in garden.

Does anyone know a good place to buy live worms in UK? I have asked every local pet shop i can find, big chains and small independants, but none sell live worms of any kind :-(
 
You can get live blood worms from aquatic shops, alot of tropical and cold water fish like them and I've seen them in there when I've gone in them to get my fish food.:happy:
 
You can also buy frozen bloodworms that come packaged in small cubes at most fish stores.
 
I've tried all the local pet & aquatic shops in my area but none of them stock live bloodworms anymore (the only live food i've found on sale is crickets & wax worms) :(

I buy freeze dried bloodworms for my fish so might try my axies on those to see if they like them if i can get the blocks to sink not float! I will also try frozen blocks - do you defrost them first or drop the frozen block into the tank?

I've found a uk site that sells worms and soft sinking axie pellets today so i think i'll order some of those to try as i want to give them a nice varied diet :happy:
 
Wahoo i found somewhere selling live bloodworms today! Ok so it was almost 30 miles from my home but at least i found some - Oscar & Rose loved them and it was great to watch them kind of stalking them before pouncing on them!

Its quite a long way for a bag of worms but i'll definitely get some more the next time i'm that way - does anyone know how long they can last in the fridge?
 
Oh bless them, I bet they loved it. They are lucky to have someone that loves them enough to travel that far.:happy:
 
Truffs said:
I buy freeze dried bloodworms for my fish so might try my axies on those to see if they like them if i can get the blocks to sink not float!
Click to expand...

Have you tried soaking them first? Didn't know if they would sink then?? Just a thought :happy:
 
Lol theres a fine line between love and madness - my other half thinks i fall into the madness category - especially as he was driving when i suggested a detour! The axies loved the live worms though, they kind of stalked them and pounced, it was great to watch, i'l definitely be getting more for them :happy:

I've never tried soaking the freeze dried worms but its definitely worth a try. I'm told the live bloodworms will be fine in the fridge for a week or so which is good as there were loads in the bag.

I've just ordered some soft sinking pellets online, hopefully my two will love them :happy:

When are you getting your axies?
 
Should be about a week to two weeks. Am going to have the water tested again tomorrow just to be on the safe side (again lol), get a thermometer thing and some plant then its all ready! I've ordered my axies from an online store, they had my leucistic one in stock but are waiting for my wild type from one of their suppliers. Then they keep the axie with them to make sure its ok before they send it to me, thats why I've got to wait till some time next week. How big are yours? Mine will be between 5-10cms they said, can't wait! Plus what area you live in UK?
 
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