Question: Another tank size question

how big a tank for 2 axolotl? for 3?

most answers here are all in gallons or "20 long".

what dimensions do i need inincehes +/or centimetres


thanks in advance

A good tank for 2-3 axolotls would be 120cm long,35cmwide and 35cm high. that would be about 120-130Litres depending on the water level. Id stick with tanks well over 100L. that way you can expand(which usually happens) and it gives you heaps of room for rocks ordements ect...
check ou http://www.axolotl.org/housing.htm covers most basic stuff

Heya! I agree with Jp!
The general rule to follow (to keep an axie comfortable, water parameters good etc), is 40L of water and at least a 30x30 cm squared area of floor space, so for three you'd be looking at 120L of water and a 3ft/90cm long by 30cm wide tank as a good place to live.
A better guide, however, is how much spare area you've got in your house. Buy a tank to fit that area and you're good to go, as tanks are addictive and you'll undoubtedly end up wanting a larger one or more- I ran into this problem, going from 20L (with juvies and then with the australian summer ) to a 200L/ 120X 35X45cm tank, and now I'm in the process of upgrading to a 650L/ 180x60x60cm tank
Another thing to consider is do you think your family of axies is going to grow? I started with three (Freddie, George (Who passed away nearly a year ago) and Phree), and I now have 11 (Six of whom I raised from two weeks old and stayed with me when other people decided it wasn't the right time for them to add an axie into their lives- not that I'm complaining in the slightest!!

Also, heads up- Please please please don't use gravel as a substrate!! If it's allowed to free float in a tank, it's a guaranteed impaction in the making.

ROFL Catie. I went from a 45x30x30 for my goldies to a 60x45x45, then recently brought the little tank back into service for shrimp. Once they start breeding, a goodly number wil join the goldies to keep the algae ender control and hopefully not need replacing too often. The other reason was for some live food for the axies I'm working towards.

Space wise, I'm tossing up between a 70 cm and a 90cm. I was afraid the 70 would be too small for a pair, and was hoping the 90 allowed each of my 3 boys to adopt one.


Having been following this forum for a while (and thanks to all the mavens who help nubies like me), I alternate between excited at the possibility of breeding and scared by the bbs needed by the tadpoles. We'll see what happens if and when it happens. Probably "pass it forward " back to the forum.

The gravel problem can't be mentioned often enough to startup parents. I'm sill tossing up between sand (but not sure how to keep it clean) and bare glass (but have heard some say that the lack of traction and the optical illusion of empty space can freak them out)


Thanks again

*Nods* I personally prefer having sand down, but I agree the cleanup can be a pain up the butt! I'm countering this in the 6ft (Because I suck at it soooo badly) by doing an altered walstad tank- a 2 inch layer of soil (On special at aldi- yay!!) with a sand cap, gravel bags below and the inlet for the canister drawing up from the bottom so that all the poop is reused by the bacteria in the soil layer and (hopefully!) then used again by the oodles of plants I'm hoping to put in. One negative to it is going to be the initial cycle (SACRIFICIAL GUPPIES!!!!), but hopefully in the long run, I'll have a tank that'll grow like crazy and keep the ten who are moving in in absolute luxury.

On that note, the 90cm would work really well- you'll just need to make sure you've got quite a few hides for them, some plants to act as visual barriers and a good filter with very low flow Though I stand by going as large as humanly possible- there'll always be something or someone else who/that you want to add to the tank! And I think your sons will LOVE having them- they are such wonderful pets, and very unique

Also, a warning: Goldfish LOVE shrimp... My darling dad (against my orders *Crankyface*) put a few of my shrimp in with ours back before the tank spiralled down into a crash from which it never recovered, and they were gone in 12 hours....