Tank Temperature Query

Hey There.
I recently acquired two baby, white axolotls. They are currently about 5-6cm long. I live in Perth, Western Australia, and we are currently experiencing a very hot summer. As a result, my tank, at room temperature, is around 30 degrees celsius (86 F). I know from research that the optimal temperature is around 15-18 C and shouldn't be above 22-25 C. Now, heres the interesting part; the axies seem to be living quite well. They do spend alot of time float near the top and taking gulps of air, but they also swim around quite actively (especially at night) and have NO problem eating whatsoever. So, should i be concerned and try some methods of cooling? I don't want to chuck an ice block or frozen bottle in as it could come in contact with them and shock them.

As a side note, i should point out that these axies were born in this summer heat and have been kept at a relatively hight temperature all their young lives. Does this make any difference?

Hope you can help.

Laurence

Some photos.
The tank is about 2ft long.
All decorations were thoroughly cleaned before being put in tank.
Spongbob house was a nice addition :happy:

Well, using ice packs isn't recommended unless you can do it consistently, which would be every couple of hours or more in that high of a temperature. If you can you should get a small fan and have it blow on the top of the water. That will help a bit. Since warm air rises I would put the tank on the floor as well, at least during the summer. Oh, not having the light on will help too!

The high activity is because of the water temp, they tend to be more active in warmer water and less active in colder water.

I say all this assuming you don't want to run out and buy a cooling system for your tank (they're quite expensive), but that would be the best option I think.

That's my two cents anyway. Good luck!

HodgeaPodge said:

Well, using ice packs isn't recommended unless you can do it consistently, which would be every couple of hours or more in that high of a temperature. If you can you should get a small fan and have it blow on the top of the water. That will help a bit. Since warm air rises I would put the tank on the floor as well, at least during the summer. Oh, not having the light on will help too!

The high activity is because of the water temp, they tend to be more active in warmer water and less active in colder water.

I say all this assuming you don't want to run out and buy a cooling system for your tank (they're quite expensive), but that would be the best option I think.

That's my two cents anyway. Good luck!

Click to expand...

Yeah dropping a few hundred on a cooling system is not really an option at the moment unfortunately. Thanks for the advice. I think a desktop fan is my best option.

Hi,
That water temperature sounds dangerously high. I've read that axolotls can develop health problems if their water temperature gets too high. Maybe you've been lucky so far, but to be on the safe side it's best to cool it down.
There's some suggestions on here about how to keep your tank cool...
Caudata Culture Articles - Cooling

Good luck

Hi, love the look of your tank. Just want to point out that you need to test your water for ammonia. I would get a liquid test kit right now if you don't already have one. (API make a good one, available on eBay over here in the UK) Really important. Have you cycled your tank for several weeks before putting your axolotls in? If they are feeding well they will be pooping well, it will fall between the stones and a couple of weeks later the water can be quite poisonous. Your axolotls are small in a big tank so it might take a bit longer. Many of us keep the tanks bare bottom so you can syphon the poop. There's something about axolotls though, that makes at least one rock a must have! Hope you are able to cool them soon too.

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laurencew37 said:

Hey There.
I recently acquired two baby, white axolotls. They are currently about 5-6cm long. I live in Perth, Western Australia, and we are currently experiencing a very hot summer. As a result, my tank, at room temperature, is around 30 degrees celsius (86 F). I know from research that the optimal temperature is around 15-18 C and shouldn't be above 22-25 C. Now, heres the interesting part; the axies seem to be living quite well. They do spend alot of time float near the top and taking gulps of air, but they also swim around quite actively (especially at night) and have NO problem eating whatsoever. So, should i be concerned and try some methods of cooling? I don't want to chuck an ice block or frozen bottle in as it could come in contact with them and shock them.

As a side note, i should point out that these axies were born in this summer heat and have been kept at a relatively hight temperature all their young lives. Does this make any difference?

Hope you can help.

Laurence

Click to expand...

Firstly if you've done the research why have you put them into a situation you know is far from ideal?

Just because an animal seems to tolerate unhealthy conditions does not make it right & just because the axolotls don't seem directly affected by the heat, you have no idea what long term issues this may cause - is it worth risking the lives of living creatures? Its not fair to your axolotls to be putting them through this.

Regardless of the temperature they have been bred in you need to provide low temp water - evolution takes a long time & there's no way an axolotl can be deemed heat tolerant ever, even after many generations.

You have to do everything you can to get the temp down & stable - if you've done the research you'd know that aiming a fan at the water can lower temp by 3-4 deg BUT in temps over 30degC fans are not effective and may actually warm the water!

Try placing the tank on a tile floor (low down temp lower) in a dark bathroom or laundry & use a fan over the tank.

If you can afford a chiller then I'd suggest you get one ASAP





<3 >o_o< <3

Thanks for the response guys.

Will be making some changes today to help the little guys out.

first up, a over-active axie can be a bad thing. but they do tend to be active when they are younger and at night though.

I'm also in perth, if you don't mind my asking, where did you get your axie?

he looks young, probably about 6 months. keep in mind that you'll need to feed him daily in warm weather.

I have a chiller, and they really are fantastic. you can use frozen ice bricks but the swing between cool and then the heating up of the tank can cause more stress than consistently high water temp. also a bigger body of water means a more stable temperature.

you can even keep your axies in the fridge if you really feel you need to. feel free to ask more questions or search the forum if you would like to know more about keeping your axie in the fridge.

I wouldn't say they look healthy at all. The axolotl in pic 3 looks quite bony, and has no gills. Also, assuming it is the same axolotl in the last picture, the gaping is not a good sign at all.

Those rocks will harbor ALL SORTS of poop, uneaten food, and general detritus. They're also a real pain to clean under/in between, hence the buildup of mulm.

The lack of gills is a sure sign your little ones are not in a good state at all!!

Surely you've seen what healthy ones look like... There's so many healthy happy lotls on these forums!

I could weep that you've left yours at ridiculously high temps & you somehow think that is OK!



<3 >o_o< <3