Soon-to-be Axie owner! Questions!

I've been reading the boards for days & researching Axolotls online for a while now. I'm totally hooked to the point that I've been dreaming about them at night. My husband finally decided to get me one for my birthday (in March)!!! He's kind of confused by my obsession but my 3.5 year old son is SO excited too. He knows he can't hold it but he is so interested in their smiley little faces. LOL. We are planning to name her Ponyo!

Ok, like I said, I've been reading the boards & I still have a few questions. I decided to go ahead and make an annoying newb thread so I could have several opinions in one thread!


1. What is your average monthly cost of upkeep? Food etc?

2. What was the cost of your basic set up?
I know they like to have somewhere to hide so I would definitely make some sort of hiding spot for her. (I'm referring to it as a her for now. lol)

3. I know that small gravel is TOTALLY out of the question. I see that some people use sand but I read that it's very hard to clean & I don't really think I'd be comfortable with them nibbling on sand. I also read that they can get stressed with nothing on the bottom of the tank because they can't get a good grasp on it. Opinions on what to put on the bottom of the tank?

4. This will be my first amphibian ever. For an axie first-timer, would you suggest a juvenile or a mature one? I was leaning toward getting one that is over a year old but I'm open to suggestion!

5. How does everyone keep the water temp cool enough? I live in the southeastern US & it definitely gets SWELTERING here in the summer but I keep our house very cool. I'm so paranoid that the water won't be cool enough. I read that you can put frozen water bottles in the tank. Do any of yall do this?

6. What kind of diet do you keep your axies on? I've read about so many things that are good for them but I'd like to hear what kind of diets (staples & treats) each of yall have them on!

7. What kind of filters do yall have? I know the water flow is supposed to be very gentle. I honestly don't know enough about filters.

8. And lastly, where did you get your axie? There is nowhere in my city that has them & I'm not a fan of pet stores anyway. Is it safe to order one & have it shipped?


I know that was all super wordy but I am grateful for any help & opinions!!!

Thanks in advance!!!

ginnysaurusrex said:

I've been reading the boards for days & researching Axolotls online for a while now. I'm totally hooked to the point that I've been dreaming about them at night. My husband finally decided to get me one for my birthday (in March)!!! He's kind of confused by my obsession but my 3.5 year old son is SO excited too. He knows he can't hold it but he is so interested in their smiley little faces. LOL. We are planning to name her Ponyo!

Ok, like I said, I've been reading the boards & I still have a few questions. I decided to go ahead and make an annoying newb thread so I could have several opinions in one thread!


1. What is your average monthly cost of upkeep? Food etc?


2. What was the cost of your basic set up?
I know they like to have somewhere to hide so I would definitely make some sort of hiding spot for her. (I'm referring to it as a her for now. lol)

3. I know that small gravel is TOTALLY out of the question. I see that some people use sand but I read that it's very hard to clean & I don't really think I'd be comfortable with them nibbling on sand. I also read that they can get stressed with nothing on the bottom of the tank because they can't get a good grasp on it. Opinions on what to put on the bottom of the tank?


4. This will be my first amphibian ever. For an axie first-timer, would you suggest a juvenile or a mature one? I was leaning toward getting one that is over a year old but I'm open to suggestion!


5. How does everyone keep the water temp cool enough? I live in the southeastern US & it definitely gets SWELTERING here in the summer but I keep our house very cool. I'm so paranoid that the water won't be cool enough. I read that you can put frozen water bottles in the tank. Do any of yall do this?

6. What kind of diet do you keep your axies on? I've read about so many things that are good for them but I'd like to hear what kind of diets (staples & treats) each of yall have them on!
7. What kind of filters do yall have? I know the water flow is supposed to be very gentle. I honestly don't know enough about filters.

8. And lastly, where did you get your axie? There is nowhere in my city that has them &

I know that was all super wordy but I am grateful for any help & opinions!!!

Thanks in advance!!!

Click to expand...

1)Average monthly upkeep is pretty cheap once you've got your setup; earthworms are cheap from the petshop/baitshop or if you have a pesticide free garden then they won't cost you anything.

2)Basic setup might be upwards of $100, you'll need a good sized tank, a decent filter and at least one hide and a few artificial plants. You'll also need some declorinator, but that should last you more than a month easily

3) I personally use sand, only a really thin layer. Its not that hard to clean really, you just need to stir it up when you do your water changes. Mine never nibbles on the sand, I wouldn't be too worried about that.

4)More mature would be better for you, I think mine was about a year old when I got her.

5)Personally I have a chiller which cost a bomb (300 ) but its totally worth it for the harsh Aussie summer

6) Worms are the best food for axi's, but you can also feed them brine shrimp and bloodworms

7)I have an external ehiem filter with a drip bar, but if you have a mid sized tank then you should be able to get a decent hang on filter. Though your axi might appreciate a nice big tank.
8)I'm not a fan of pet stores anyway. Is it safe to order one & have it shipped?
I got mine from a petshop, I'm not sure about shipping them... one of the other members might know more about that.

Thank you so so much for taking the time to answer all my questions!! I REALLY appreciate it!!

Seems Boo covered all the major areas I had both of my juveniles shipped to me. I believe they came from Chicago to Fargo, and they came to me happy and healthy. It was the winter so I was not too worried about overheating during transit.

I bought mine from an Axolotl sales website, they came in a big Styrofoam container with packing peanuts in it. The Axolotls were in sealed water filled bags (similar to when you buy them at petshops.)

I can't speak for adults, but I assume they're packaged in similar ways.

I would check the for-sale section of the forums before trying to find an online retailer. Members generally sell them much cheaper and you can also trust them a bit more!

(He was so tiny then!)

1. Once you've got everything set up, basically nothing though it depends on the food you're feeding.

2. I did a write-out for several people of all they'd need, and it came out to about $150, including axolotl. But it's going to depend on locality and where you buy things and sales and all.

My setup right now before cost of axolotl is about $168 and I'll be getting some more rocks to make a second hide soon. It's a bit higher because I have a flourescent hood and have taken to decorating the tank. I did make a "background" out of a $1 piece of cardboard, though.

Also, make sure you learn about tank cycling. You might want to consider cycling with feeder fish or chemical methods before introducing the axolotl.

3. I have sand, it's not really hard to clean. I just use a turkey baster whenever I see something. If you don't have live plants, it's really easy to keep totally pristine. With live plants, I get various floating debris, but I'm not really worried about it. Just have no more than 1" of sand, too much and you can get sedimentary layers and trapped matter decaying in it. That happened to me in my old tank, not fun.

You could also use big, smooth flat stones and/or river rocks. I have some river rocks on top of my sand. They're pretty, but they're harder to keep clean since things can fall down between them.

4. I think as long as the axolotl is 5-6", at least, you should be fine. They're pretty stable and you can feed them much the same food as an adult. Older is generally more stable and easier to care for.

5. I live in the Frozen North, so don't have much of a problem with heat. A bigger tank is going to have a more stable temperature, which is good to know. Have a thermometer. Some people put their axolotls in the fridge if it gets really, really hot. But I would just monitor the water temperature. If the house in air-conditioned, it's probably going to be fine, and certainly fine if you set up a fan or ice.

6. Mine eats carnivore pellets right now, as main diet. Very easy, and easy for my mom if she has to feed her while I'm away. She has some Feeder Ghost Shrimp friends, but has only eaten two of the four in about two weeks. They're more just something cute for me to watch until one of them is dumb enough to walk right up to her mouth - because otherwise axolotl eyesight is so poor she doesn't notice them. I've fed her blackworms and it's really fun to watch and would like to get some earthworms, but do not have a source right now.

7. I have a sponge filter rated for a 20 gallon tank that is connected to an air pump for a 20-30 gallon tank. It doesn't disturb the current at all and there are good threads on here about the benefits of sponge filters.

8. I got mine from an awesome local pet shop. It's privately run and the staff is knowledgable and helpful. Lots of people ship them with success, though. I would be surprised if there wasn't *somewhere* nearby Athens, GA with axolotls, though.

Thank you everyone!! Yall have all been very informative. I've never even owned fish before so I am really learning everything right now. I don't plan on having the ACTUAL axolotl until March and I plan on having my tank set up weeks beforehand to make sure everything is as it should be.

The more I read, the more it sounds like sand really is the best option.. so I will be using sand in my tank.

I think I will also probably go ahead and buy from the for sale section on here. Seems that there are some users with really good feedback.

I am planning on getting a 20 gallon tank with just the one Axie to start so a sponge filter will probably be the best idea, yes?



I might come back to this thread with a few more questions! I know it's probably annoying. I just don't want to hurt my new little guy.

You know axolotls aren't fish, right? They're amphibians, like frogs, but with tails.

20 gal sounds perfect. I ordered my two axolotls in from a guy in Pensacola, Florida. I found him on YouTube, his name was glowingaxolotls. I had to email him and he told me his prices and what was available, he even called and talked to me on the phone. I just got these two this past summer, they were shipped overnight and bother were about 4-5 inches in length. Keep in mind, mine were shipped the past summer to Minnesota, and it was very hot and humid this past summer, so my shipper put ice packs in package so that the lil guys would be fine when they arrived and they were. The pics are from the first day I got them. As u can see my white one is not shy at all, but the black one is still very shy



I just recently put my 2 in a 29 gal, but when I got them they were both in a 20gal together and they did just fine.
I use sand in my tank and I just went to menards and bought PVC pipe in 2-3 inches, they love hiding in these. I also have some piles of larger rocks I found at dollar store they like to climb on and I keep all live plant. Just be careful what live plants u get, the dark green plant in the pic above was Not a good choice. All the small pieces kept falling off because when these lil guys take off and swim, they are quiet powerful. Now I use the broad leaf plants u can find at petco in the fish section.

I fell in love with axolotls the first time I saw them online, as it sounds u fell in love with them too. My significant other doesn't quiet understand my obsession either haha! So when I found a guy on Craigslist trying to sell axolotls eggs for $5 because he was not prepared for hundreds, I decided to buy some and try my hand at raising them. They just hatched on the 7,8, & 9th of January.. I hatched out 23 out of about 26. They are just starting to grow there front arms. I'm planning on keeping two and my mom and lil brother want a pair, the rest I'm going to sell to responsible knowledgable people who have done there research haha.. I have worked hard raising my babies and want to make sure they get good homes I'm going to sell local also because I'm not comfortable shipping.

Sorry to wander off lol.. Back to ur questions.... Mine were born in late February 2011 so that u get an idea of how old the are, right now they are 8-9 inches in length. When I first got them, I fed them salamander bites (pellets) and frozen blood worms, I hear alot of people say not to feed live bloodworms only frozen.
As of now they eat salamander bites, frozen bloodworms, mealworms, frozen krill shrimp, they love red wriggles cut in half, I also feed them the occasional dead cricket, or live one that escapes (I have 4 red eye tree frogs as well). I tried feeding them lettuce that soaked in water for a bit and they ate that as well

Also, I forgot to add that I feed my axolotls with exo-terra tongs, they seem to prefer being hand fed this was as opposed to eating from the floor of tank. They still will eat from floor of tank though if I don't have time and just toss pellets or whatever in with them. Raising baby axi's have kept me quiet busy lately

Kaysie - I know they aren't fish. I was just saying that I've never even owned fish before so I'm learning about aquariums from the basics.

Shanny - Thank you! Your babies are adorable! I wasn't planning on starting with live plants.. artificial should be ok to start with right? Thanks for all the info about feeding. Very informative!

I am a recent noob here too. There are loads of really helpful people here so don't hesitate to ask any questions you want. And I love your name choice. I have two... I'll give you a hint one is called sosuke and the other loves sosuke.... Well I wasn't calling her Brunhilda lol

I'm looking into a chiller at the moment so if you find any good deals let me know


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I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=53.276777,-2.546069

Hahaha that's so cute! I love Ponyo AND my 3 year old is definitely set on that name. Whenever he sees me looking at the pics on here he asks me what Ponyo is doing on the screen. lol.

Hey Ginny, I would definitely recommend going through Jay for your new best friend. I got my first axies from him several months ago, and they both showed up looking really healthy and adapted to their new home quickly. He has his contact info and pricing at this forum: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f49-ad...-usa/72959-axolotls-sale-all-colors-gfps.html

For feeding pellets, I often suck the pellet up with my turkey baster and let it fall out in the tank near the axolotl's head. A turkey baster is also great for cleaning out the poop. Their poo disintegrates into dust pretty quickly, so you can't really scoop it out like from kitty litter.

About plants - if you'd like them eventually, I would say go ahead and start with them ! I started with fake and have live plants now. The live plants are beautiful and my axolotl "explores"/"hides" in them which is fun to watch.

If you get fake plants, get soft ones, like the silk/faux silk ones. Their bodies seem pretty sensitive, and mine never wanted to "play" in the harder plastic plants because they were pretty poke-y to her skin.



The plants in there cost me about as much as my fake ones did. It was like, $3 each for two bundles of Ludwigia (the red stuff near the log), and the Hygrophila was a similar price (the stuff on the very right). The java fern mat was on sale for $12 and there are assorted "bargain plants" in there (cryptocoryne lutea and undulata). I'd guess about $25 so far.

I was intimidated by live plants because I've never been a gardener and there's so much to learn. It's much easier if you have a good pet store with a knowledgeable staff. Mine clearly marks common and scientific names, gives you a rating of how easy the plant is to keep alive, and a light level rating. If you're on your own without that help, you can take note of names of plants you like and look that up, along with the water temperature they do best at.

I know I spent at least $25-30 on fake plants - so I think the cost of live ones is about the same. There is just the investment of the hood for lighting (though some crafty people make their own).

Pre-made tank-safe decor = expensive. My fake log was like, $20. Driftwood is expensive. Rocks can be cheap. I made my rock cave with like, $3 of rocks. When picking out hides, I try to remember that my axolotl is going to get bigger and to pick something she will be able to still use when she's bigger.

O, another thing to consider is the weight of the tank and where you will put it. You'll need to factor in cost of a stand to set-up price if you need one. Otherwise, for a 20 gallon with decor, you are looking at having to support a LOT of weight. With just water, it's about 225 lbs. Add decor, I'm sure I'm near 300lbs (the sand alone was 20 lbs).

Mine's on a solid wood table. If you use a table not made for an aquarium, make sure it can support the weight and that the weight will be distributed well. Also, make sure your tank is level or you can stress the seams.

And yey Ponyo. I love that movie.

MikeO said:

Hey Ginny, I would definitely recommend going through Jay for your new best friend. I got my first axies from him several months ago, and they both showed up looking really healthy and adapted to their new home quickly. He has his contact info and pricing at this forum: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f49-ad...-usa/72959-axolotls-sale-all-colors-gfps.html

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Haha! That is actually who I was planning to go through! I saw that post & all the rave reviews / prices / availability & I was pretty much sold. I will contact him as soon as I officially have my tank and everything at home so I can get started getting it ready! Thanks for the advice!

Chirple - Wow, thank you so much for all the aquarium advice! It is pretty overwhelming for sure when you know NOTHING to start with. So I really appreciate all the help! You actually mentioned a few things I hadn't even thought about yet. Tomorrow I think I'll go check out all the pet stores nearby & check out some live plants etc. I hadn't planned on doing live plants but if it's the same price, why not? I'm already learning everything else! Why not add one more thing? lol.

Yeah lots of great info, good luck!!! . Looking forward to seeing some pics in the near future!