Axolotl tank plannings

So let me see if I have this right... feel free to offer suggestions/improvements!

A month from now I'll have 5 adorable axies at ~2" long. I will either be keeping them all in the 29g until I find another tank or have 2 in one and 3 in another, or find homes for some.

Tank(s) will start out bare bottomed (or can I have very fine mesh to tie plants down?), until they reach ~5" long, and then I will put down pool filter sand. The tank temperature will be kept steady at about 71°F during day, 69°F at night. They'll be fed bloodworms in a small dish daily until ~5" long and then be switched over to tong-fed earthworms every other day, with the occasional guppy fish to hopefully add stimulation and enrichment. They'll have several hides, and I plan on keeping anubias (I currently have a strip of them ~30" long and 5" wide) and a java fern in their tank(s). Tank(s) will have ~25% water changed weekly. They will have HOB filters with sponges covering the intake, as well as something to greatly lessen the flow of the water (currently have aquaclear 70).

I want these guys to feel like they're at a 5-star hotel, so please, if you have any suggestions/changes/opinions, please let me know!

I think you've got it all worked out! Be prepared to make some changes to your feeding depending on the condition of the axolotls. I wouldn't be putting mesh down, you can try a large river rock covered in the mesh then tie your plants to that.

Olivia97 said:

I think you've got it all worked out! Be prepared to make some changes to your feeding depending on the condition of the axolotls. I wouldn't be putting mesh down, you can try a large river rock covered in the mesh then tie your plants to that.

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Or you can use driftwood too

Thanks for the responses so far - glad to hear I'll be doing it right! I currently have 1 piece of driftwood in the tank, however it's definitely not big enough to have all the anubias tied to it, haha! I never thought of mesh covering a rock.. hmmm. I guess I could just tie it to the rock instead, too. Any ideas where I could get a long but thin with round edges stone? Or I guess I could tie them to other decorations that will be placed in their 'hotel'.

As for feeding, those numbers were going on other forum posts I've read - that juvies should be fed daily or near that, and adults 2-3x a week. Can anyone tell me how many inches of worm they feed their axies in a week? And their axie's length?

I plan on posting an "axie growth journal" as I haven't seen anything of that sort on here yet. I'd put things like size, amount and type of food eaten, etc over time so that other owners/people interested have some sort of idea of what's to come.

hmm well it's not really that well documented down to inches etc. most people just go by how healthy their axies are looking, if they're adults then 3 worms 3 times a week should be fine, juvies do need t be fed daily too, it's usually what they will eat in 15 minutes. A good indication is that the widest part of their tummy should be as wide as their head.

Yup, that's pretty much how I do it. I just go by how wide their tummy looks. And I prefer it to look a bit chubbier rather than a bit skinnier. Chubby is healthier

And on the note of food, my axies love the new pellets I bought (only fed them earthworms till now, but buying tons of earthworms in my living area is a challenge... and they don't breed fast enough)

tigmades said:

Thanks for the responses so far - glad to hear I'll be doing it right! I currently have 1 piece of driftwood in the tank, however it's definitely not big enough to have all the anubias tied to it, haha! I never thought of mesh covering a rock.. hmmm. I guess I could just tie it to the rock instead, too. Any ideas where I could get a long but thin with round edges stone? Or I guess I could tie them to other decorations that will be placed in their 'hotel'.

•personally I'd be avoiding any kind of mesh that may have sharp edges & wrapping it around a rock could be slightly difficult & leave sharp hazards.
I've tied java fern to a rock with butchers string it gives the roots something to bite into first the they can take over the rock, cotton was too fine & fishing line crushed the rhizomes.

I plan on posting an "axie growth journal" as I haven't seen anything of that sort on here yet. I'd put things like size, amount and type of food eaten, etc over time so that other owners/people interested have some sort of idea of what's to come.

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A journal / guide is always handy to reference - but just ask any mother who's read the 1,000's of books for child rearing, things don't ever seem to go by a book & nothing beats observation & intuition - things need to be tweaked for every individual & from what I've read on here, every batch has its own issues & most take it day by day sticking to a fail safe routine concentrating on water quality, an abundance of live foods & checking the condition & growth rates of each juvie. The range of size difference in one batch is amazing - which one would be considered 'normal'?

I'd say enjoy the experience of raising them & take lots of pics




<3 >o_o< <3

If you are keeping a growth journal it would be really useful to log the water temperature regularly too as this has a big impact on growth rates

Nikki I most definitely plan on enjoying watching them grow! It would be interesting to gather more "scientific facts/evidence" about their rate of growth, etc... I enjoy biology

The water temperature would be kept fairly costant. Our house is kept at ~71F during day, and 69F at night. I only have a "temperature sticker" so it's not accurate to the decimal place... are there any cheap temperature digital gauges that people use? I'm really hoping I can squeak by without needed to buy a chiller, but I will if I must.

tigmades said:

Nikki I most definitely plan on enjoying watching them grow! It would be interesting to gather more "scientific facts/evidence" about their rate of growth, etc... I enjoy biology

The water temperature would be kept fairly costant. Our house is kept at ~71F during day, and 69F at night. I only have a "temperature sticker" so it's not accurate to the decimal place... are there any cheap temperature digital gauges that people use? I'm really hoping I can squeak by without needed to buy a chiller, but I will if I must.

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I've found AquaOne digital thermometers here in Australia for $13.50 (they're a worldwide brand so should be at your local store or online) I've found them to be very accurate & easy to read - the bonus is you can place the temp sensor in an exact part of the tank away from air bubbles, then thanks to a long wire you can place the temp so you can see it easily.

Here's a shot where I had 2 temp readings one in tank & 1 in fridge container being brought back to tank temp.


I highly recommend the digital



<3 >o_o< <3