New Owner Pics, and Questions. :)

Hi there! After almost a year of researching Axies and being incrediably interested in them, I finally found the means and place to get a couple of them. I got my 15 gallon tank all nice and set up (cycled with water/filter floss from an aged fishtank), found a little place online that sells them, bought a small chiller for summer months, and finally ordered the little things. (I actually lost sleep last night, concerned if they were gonna get here okay! lol!) They came in just this morning. I ended up getting a Melanoid, a Leucistic, and a Wild Type. One of each, if you will.

I just wanted to share some pics with this great community, from which I've learned alot from just by reading posts by other members.

The Setup: http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/auracantos-albums-axies-picture13477-p1050751.html
http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/auracantos-albums-axies-picture13485-p1050744.html

Getting ready for the new home: http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/auracantos-albums-axies-picture13479-p1050705.html

Random pics:
http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/auracantos-albums-axies-picture13484-p1050735.html
http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/auracantos-albums-axies-picture13483-p1050729.html
http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/auracantos-albums-axies-picture13482-p1050743.html
http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/auracantos-albums-axies-picture13481-p1050736.html
http://www.caudata.org/forum/members/auracantos-albums-axies-picture13480-p1050725.html

The main question I had was about the gills. I've seen axies with long, beautiful, flowing gills. Will these little guys grow out their gills as they get older, or will they always be pretty short? The gills seem fine, no fungus or anything, they just seem a bit short to me.

Also, names! Names, names, names. I've been watching the little ones, trying to find names for them. I was thinking either a Final Fantasy Summons theme, (Bahamut, Shiva, Quetzacoatl, Anima, ect), or chess pieces (Rook, Knight, ect). Any suggestions are welcome, as are any hints, tips, and tricks. lol

If you had really done a year's worth of research you would know a 15 gallon tank is barely large enough for 1, let alone 3, and you would know putting feeder goldfish in the tank is an awful idea. The tank needs more hides and you should fill the tank up completely or that water is going to foul very quickly. You should upgrade to at least a 30 gallon tank asap.

What lovely little axolotl. If your feeder fish are goldfish ( I couldn't quite see what they might be) , they will be prone to nibbling on the axolotl's gills.
For the time being, the tank size is fine, but as your little guys grow, you will need to upgrade to a larger tank. Imagine them possibly being up to 30cm long.
What are you going to feed them? I am looking forward to seeing more about them,

Oh trust me, shizeric. Those aren't goldfish. Those are feeder minnows, and they were later taken out of the tank when they weren't eaten. I know better. And I have a 40g long waiting for them as they grow. In my own humble opinion, they have plenty of hides. The grey log blocks alot of light, and so does the tree-looking driftwood that blocks the filter flow. Now to mention the half-log. The light on the tank really isn't even that bright compared to most aquarium lights. I did, however, fill the tank up the rest of the way like you suggested. Thank you for the constructive advice.

Bellabelloo, thanks. They are quite lovely little things. I woke up around 2 this morning and all three were at the side of the tank peeking at me. lol. The Rosie Red Minnows were ones I already had in quarentine for my saltwater tanks, so they're healthy, and avoid the axolotls. The breeder I got them from said to feed them as soon as pobbiel, so I did give them each a rosie. I plan on getting them onto earthworms from my garden (clean, no chemicals at all), as well as pelleted food.

Feeder fish in general are a bad idea. In addition to their nibbling ways, they're also big disease vectors. Even if they SEEM healthy, they can transmit diseases that amphibians are more susceptible to.

As for the hides, you need at least one or two hides per axolotl. The point of a hide is so they can get away from the light, and away from each other. Otherwise they'll be stressed.

Kaysie, thanks for the advice. The feeders were really just a one-time thing, a suggestions made by the person who I bought them from. That's all. Like I said, I got some earthworms, and will try to feed them again later or tomorrow. I'll also add some more hides to the tank.

My personal only safe method for feeder fish is if you raise them your self. I have feeder guppy tank going with about 25 assorted feeder guppies in it and i keep the temp at 81 so i do not have to worry about parasites.

This has been an established tank for over 6 months now and it is the only way i would ever feed feeders to anything.

I value my collection and would never want to put them at risk from something that is preventable.

Very cute! Where did you buy them?

Aww, they're so cute and small! Good luck with them, I think 2 for me is already a handful, haha!

theyre rlly cute ^^
but 1 question: are the gills of the white 1 always that pale or are they sometimes more pink/red when eating?
cause ive never saw that pale gills except by albino's!

regards sandra

Hi
I think your tank is fine for the time being, and as you say you've got a 40 gallon one wating. I've just got my axie Sid a 34 gallon tank which i'm in the process of cycling.
I would agree with previous comments about one or two more hides, perhaps some plants but otherwise it looks awesome, and make sure you don't keep the lights on all day, really 3 - 4 hours a day otherwise you could get algae and they need to rest their eyes.
I wouldn't worry about the gills, I think as they mature they will grow as long as your water quality is good. The chances are their gills are short because they are just juvies or they might have been kept in **** water. I bought my axie privately and he had been kept in pure tap water, no dechlorinater and his gills were none existant, now they're long and feathery!
Good luck!
Claire

@happucamper- I bought him off of a fellow online that lives a few states over.

@bunny27 Haha, I know what you mean! These three are really fun, though, the wild type is such a pig when it comes to earthworms!

@Sandra- The leucistics gills tend to turn bright pink/red once it's moving around. If it settles for any period of time, they tend to pale a bit. I read on another thread that it's normal.

@Claire: Due to so many people suggesting that I get them into a bigger tank, they'll be put into the 40 gallon within the week. I have more pieces of driftwood to add, and a basket-ball sized clump of water sprite. I swear that plant grows like weeds in my tanks... I think it's all the fish poo. lol. I usually just turn the light off when I'm not in the room, so that they can get settled in their new home more quickly, and without stress.

The water's a little chilly right now due to our weather. The temp is down to about 57.7! I turned the fan off in hopes of having the temp rise slowly to a few degrees higher. But everyone, I really do appreciate the positive comments and advice.