Wanting to get my first axolotl

ClockworkParrot · Feb 22, 2014

Hello everyone,
I have been wishing to get an axolotl for a very long time and found out that a pet store not too far from my home has them. I live in central Florida and went ahead and called different pet stores in Florida that carry them asking questions on keeping the tank at a suitable level. Many of them told me that room my temperatures were completely acceptable with no need for fans or anything like that, but after researching I am starting to believe they just wanted me to buy one on impulse or don't know much on the species.

I am not an impulse buyer and want to know if the tank set up I have in mind in safe for the animal.

I am wanting to get a 15 gallon tank for one axolotl. During the hottest months of the year my house gets to be about 78-82 degrees.

The space I am wanting to put the tank is away from the window in a shaded area.

I dont know how much cooler water is or isn't than the room temperature. Would a computer fan set up work to cool the water enough with just a screen on the hood of the tank to let the water evaporate?

If not will one of these IceProbe Thermoelectric Aquarium Chiller work in conjunction with a fan set up? Has anyone had any luck with these iceprobes? The instruction manual on them don't say how much of a cool down they have a 15 gallon set up. Amazon.com: IceProbe Thermoelectric Aquarium Chiller - 4 in. x 4 3/4 in. x 7 1/2 in.: Pet Supplies

I can't afford to get a chiller higher than that and dont have the space on my desk to try and rig an old water cooler.

I really hope I am posting this in the right section. If not I am sorry.

Thanks so much for any and all help! I just want to make sure any animal I get is healthy and happy.

Kaini · Feb 22, 2014

The pet shops are completely incorrect, I'm glad you did your research. 78-82 is WAY too warm to keep an axolotl in room temperature. Even in a shaded area, it's not going to help.

Axolotls need to be kept at a water temperature of 60-64 degrees F, (around 16-18 C)

In Florida, you will probably need a chiller to accomplish this, a fan isn't going to cut it in my experience. I don't know about that particular brand of chiller, so I can't help you there!

A 15 gallon would be just fine, space wise, for one Axolotl though

I would also recommend you buy an axolotl from a breeder here on the site rather than from one of your local pet stores - if they're giving you incorrect information, their animals probably aren't very healthy!

Boomsloth · Feb 22, 2014

ClockworkParrot said:
Hello everyone,
I have been wishing to get an axolotl for a very long time and found out that a pet store not too far from my home has them. I live in central Florida and went ahead and called different pet stores in Florida that carry them asking questions on keeping the tank at a suitable level. Many of them told me that room my temperatures were completely acceptable with no need for fans or anything like that, but after researching I am starting to believe they just wanted me to buy one on impulse or don't know much on the species.

I am not an impulse buyer and want to know if the tank set up I have in mind in safe for the animal.

I am wanting to get a 15 gallon tank for one axolotl. During the hottest months of the year my house gets to be about 78-82 degrees.

The space I am wanting to put the tank is away from the window in a shaded area.

I dont know how much cooler water is or isn't than the room temperature. Would a computer fan set up work to cool the water enough with just a screen on the hood of the tank to let the water evaporate?

If not will one of these IceProbe Thermoelectric Aquarium Chiller work in conjunction with a fan set up? Has anyone had any luck with these iceprobes? The instruction manual on them don't say how much of a cool down they have a 15 gallon set up. Amazon.com: IceProbe Thermoelectric Aquarium Chiller - 4 in. x 4 3/4 in. x 7 1/2 in.: Pet Supplies

I can't afford to get a chiller higher than that and dont have the space on my desk to try and rig an old water cooler.

I really hope I am posting this in the right section. If not I am sorry.

Thanks so much for any and all help! I just want to make sure any animal I get is healthy and happy.

I might be able to help you out. Where exactly is this pet store in florida? I'm in the orlando area and might be able to tell you a better place. Petco sometimes has $1/gallon deals which are pretty cool and means you could get something like a 20 gallon long which will have a much larger footprint for the axolotl. If you are like most floridians you probably have the AC on a lot. Turning the AC to something between 65-68F will be easier and supposedly cheaper than buying a chiller and having that run. A fan helps cool it only a few degrees.

Another thing about a lot of pet store axolotls is they might not be as colorful as a lot of the lotls on this site. I have one axolotl I bought from a lfs and even though I love the little guy he's got shorter gills and duller coloring/patterns than the axolotls I bought from an experienced breeder.

ClockworkParrot · Feb 22, 2014

Thank you both so much for the information! I was afraid my room would be too warm for one of them.

@Boomsloth: The pet store was was in the orlando area, darkwater aquatics is the name I believe. They were telling me that they kept their axolotls in rooms with no AC for days and didnt have problems after just fridging them, which raised many red flags for me and is why I decided it best to get advice here.
Unfortunately I live with others and there is a strict the AC doesnt go under around 78 ruling so I cant turn the ac down, which is why I was hoping an iceprobe would help.

I know most newts are cold water species except maybe the dwarf sirens which I was also looking into, but I live with someone with a snake phobia and they freaked her out. I tried to find maybe other species but my research always go to fire bellied newts which need the cold climates as well.

Boomsloth · Feb 22, 2014

ClockworkParrot said:
Thank you both so much for the information! I was afraid my room would be too warm for one of them.

@Boomsloth: The pet store was was in the orlando area, darkwater aquatics is the name I believe. They were telling me that they kept their axolotls in rooms with no AC for days and didnt have problems after just fridging them, which raised many red flags for me and is why I decided it best to get advice here.
Unfortunately I live with others and there is a strict the AC doesnt go under around 78 ruling so I cant turn the ac down, which is why I was hoping an iceprobe would help.

I know most newts are cold water species except maybe the dwarf sirens which I was also looking into, but I live with someone with a snake phobia and they freaked her out. I tried to find maybe other species but my research always go to fire bellied newts which need the cold climates as well.

78F?! Do you live with lava gods??
As for darkwater aquatics, the owner is more of a fish enthusiast so I wasn't surprised that they do not know much on axolotls. That is actually the place I got my one wild type and only because they just got him in. They keep all their tanks with fine sand but most of them only have a sponge filter and are really overstocked. One tank was filled with cichlids infected with ich. I couldn't get an answer on where they got their axolotls from other than some 'breeder' so I can't say much on quality control.
As for the temperature. You are right about keeping your tank away from the window and in a cool dark place. You might also get the tank 1-2 degrees colder just by placing it really close to the ground. The iceprobe will work on bringing down the temp of the tank but its also important you remove any heat source from competing with it. This means most motor run filters that have a tendency of causing a little heat, and also lights that emit heat. LEDs are great lights that do not produce much heat, and a powerful sponge filter is also a great option if you only have one axolotl

ClockworkParrot · Feb 22, 2014

Yeah I live with people who spend most of the day outside when its up in the 90s so ... lava gods is a good description xD

Do the sponge filters let off a lot of heat? I wasnt planning on not using lighting since I know they dont like the light.

Overall though I think its looking like I wont be able to meet their temperature needs

Velice · Feb 22, 2014

The peltier devices will only cool about ten degrees, which is about the same as using fans. You would also have to figure out a way to circulate an appropriate amount of water around the thing while not upsetting the axolotl. Plus they are prone to fail so using two is common.

Save up for a chiller and in the meantime get to know some of the breeders on here. I would have to strongly agree that axolotls should not be impulse buys especially when they live upwards of a decade.

ladygodiva35 · Feb 22, 2014

You can always use the ice bottle method where you place frozen soda bottles into the water but that needs to be constantly watched. I change my bottles every 2-3 hours.

Boomsloth · Feb 22, 2014

ClockworkParrot said:
Yeah I live with people who spend most of the day outside when its up in the 90s so ... lava gods is a good description xD

Do the sponge filters let off a lot of heat? I wasnt planning on not using lighting since I know they dont like the light.

Overall though I think its looking like I wont be able to meet their temperature needs

Sponge filters let off no eat. Its just an air pump that is set up outside the water that pumps air into a tube with a sponge around it that draws the water into the sponge. The chillers are probably the best option but you'll need some type of pump to pump the water through. I use the water bottle method and change the bottles every few hours. I keep about 6 large smart water bottles and use one at a time to make sure I always have one frozen.

auntiejude · Feb 22, 2014

Ice bottles will not suffice in a Florida summer, even with AC. But it is possible to make it work with a chiller if you link a chiller to a filter so you only have one pump running.

Or move north...

scorpio110684 · Feb 22, 2014

I am in the same boat as you. I live in Apopka but I've never heard of the fish store that you went to. Usually I go to Fishy Business or Pet Bezar for things I need. The summers here in florida are brutal so you may want to save up to by a chiller to help with the temperature control. You can probably look on amazon or ebay to find one. You never know you may get lucky.

Boomsloth · Feb 22, 2014

scorpio110684 said:
I am in the same boat as you. I live in Apopka but I've never heard of the fish store that you went to. Usually I go to Fishy Business or Pet Bezar for things I need. The summers here in florida are brutal so you may want to save up to by a chiller to help with the temperature control. You can probably look on amazon or ebay to find one. You never know you may get lucky.

Do you know if pet bazaar has axolotls? I only went to dark water aquatics in search of live black worms and happened to see they had an axolotl. Fishy business is pretty good with selection on fish. And craigslist might have chillers too.

ClockworkParrot · Feb 22, 2014

Thanks again for all the responses. I don't want to have to rely on frozen water bottles as I can see the sudden changes in temp not being healthy if I am not around to change them. I work weekdays at a preschool and I also travel to sell art at shows so there are days where I dont get home until the evening and I want a reliable method.

After reading the responses here I believe I am just going to have to find a chiller if I want to get an axoltl. If I do I am thinking of getting a 30 gallon long tank and housing two since I might as well if I want to drop that much on a small chiller.

Can anyone tell me a good lower (I say lower but I know they cost a lot regardless) cost chiller for a 30 gallon tank and what kind of pump is needed to run it.

I have learned a lot from reading, but I know that reading something online and actually implementing a working system are two different things so I would love some feed back from those that have been housing these wonderful little creatures.

I would also like to know if someone can tell me how much it costs in electricity a month to run a small chiller and tank pump since I do live with others and want to make sure I cover what is owed on the energy bill.

Another question I have is on the food. I have read that you can buy pellets but earthworms/nightcrawlers are a lower cost and are more healthy for the animal. I have been getting so much mixed information that I wanted to make sure to mark down what my monthly food costs will be as well on one or a pair to make sure I have everything covered on their care before purchasing them.

scorpio110684 · Feb 22, 2014

They don't have any. I was just in there earlier today to buy driftwood.

Boomsloth · Feb 22, 2014

ClockworkParrot said:
Thanks again for all the responses. I don't want to have to rely on frozen water bottles as I can see the sudden changes in temp not being healthy if I am not around to change them. I work weekdays at a preschool and I also travel to sell art at shows so there are days where I dont get home until the evening and I want a reliable method.

After reading the responses here I believe I am just going to have to find a chiller if I want to get an axoltl. If I do I am thinking of getting a 30 gallon long tank and housing two since I might as well if I want to drop that much on a small chiller.

Can anyone tell me a good lower (I say lower but I know they cost a lot regardless) cost chiller for a 30 gallon tank and what kind of pump is needed to run it.

I have learned a lot from reading, but I know that reading something online and actually implementing a working system are two different things so I would love some feed back from those that have been housing these wonderful little creatures.

I would also like to know if someone can tell me how much it costs in electricity a month to run a small chiller and tank pump since I do live with others and want to make sure I cover what is owed on the energy bill.

Another question I have is on the food. I have read that you can buy pellets but earthworms/nightcrawlers are a lower cost and are more healthy for the animal. I have been getting so much mixed information that I wanted to make sure to mark down what my monthly food costs will be as well on one or a pair to make sure I have everything covered on their care before purchasing them.

For 30 gallons buying a new reliable chiller looks like itll be between $300-400. Most chillers require an external pump to push water through it. I recommend going with a canister filter then that will provide plenty of filtration and be able to push water through the chiller. I love using a canister because the risk of it ever drying out is zero.
Another thing to remember is that a chiller will be taking in room temperature air but expelling air that is over 90F. You might want to place it so the output of air is facing somewhere it won't cause issue (like putting it into your roommates direction lol)
If you do the petco deal the tank will be $30, a chiller will cost about $300, and a good canister able to handle the work load will be anywhere from $100-200 unless you find a good deal. I can't tell you how much electricity it'll all use but if you figure out how many BTUs each component is using you can convert that into the electricity used then figure out how much based on the price per watt.

I used blood worms and blackworms for my juveniles and switched them to nightcrawlers recently. Earthworms provide them a balanced complete diet and are really easy to come by in florida. I'm going to a bait shop soon to buy some red wigglers and then breed them for my axolotls.

ladygodiva35 · Feb 23, 2014

Yeah ice bottles are a pain to watch but I'm a stay at home wife so it doesn't bother me though I have a chiller on my want list.

ClockworkParrot · Feb 23, 2014

Since the cost of worms and the food isn't bad I am thinking I'll just save up to buy a chiller and 30 gallon long tank to make sure that nothing goes wrong temperature wrong while I am away. I'm not in any rush.

Is it hard to take care of 3 in a 30 gallon long tank? My room consists of work desks where I do glass and metal art as a side business so I think it would be really nice to have a tank in one of my work spaces for something to watch and a little bit of company.

I'm also wondering since I am thinking about multiples there is the chance of ending up with surprise eggs since you can't sex them until they are older and I want to get juveniles to start (from different breeders in case they do end up being opposite genders. I do not want accidental inbreeding at any time). I see a lot of people shipping them and selling them here and thought if I did end up with a batch I could sell them to good homes to help pay off the costs of mine or take them to local pet shops (do pet shops generally sell on consignment with eggs?). I know the gestation period on the eggs is rather short and you have a slim window to get them to a new home before they hatch and you have to take care of a bunch of babies. Also is shipping eggs hard? I see different forums saying to pack them in water bottles with tank water and packed with bubble wrap so the bottle doesnt shift.

Sorry for all the questions ^_^'. I am the queen of wanting to make sure all of my bases are covered before I commit to anything.

Boomsloth · Feb 23, 2014

ClockworkParrot said:
Since the cost of worms and the food isn't bad I am thinking I'll just save up to buy a chiller and 30 gallon long tank to make sure that nothing goes wrong temperature wrong while I am away. I'm not in any rush.

Is it hard to take care of 3 in a 30 gallon long tank? My room consists of work desks where I do glass and metal art as a side business so I think it would be really nice to have a tank in one of my work spaces for something to watch and a little bit of company.

I'm also wondering since I am thinking about multiples there is the chance of ending up with surprise eggs since you can't sex them until they are older and I want to get juveniles to start (from different breeders in case they do end up being opposite genders. I do not want accidental inbreeding at any time). I see a lot of people shipping them and selling them here and thought if I did end up with a batch I could sell them to good homes to help pay off the costs of mine or take them to local pet shops (do pet shops generally sell on consignment with eggs?). I know the gestation period on the eggs is rather short and you have a slim window to get them to a new home before they hatch and you have to take care of a bunch of babies. Also is shipping eggs hard? I see different forums saying to pack them in water bottles with tank water and packed with bubble wrap so the bottle doesnt shift.

Sorry for all the questions ^_^'. I am the queen of wanting to make sure all of my bases are covered before I commit to anything.

3 axolotls should not be that much more work than one. All that would be different is instead of one poop to clean out you'll have 3. You want to make sure there is at least one hide for each and that all of them are being fed. I can't say much on breeding but if you buy juveniles it will be a while before they actually breed. Sometimes you can ask the breeder if he/she has unrelated juveniles, many breed multiple axolotls so its possible.

ClockworkParrot · Feb 23, 2014

Boomsloth said:
3 axolotls should not be that much more work than one. All that would be different is instead of one poop to clean out you'll have 3. You want to make sure there is at least one hide for each and that all of them are being fed. I can't say much on breeding but if you buy juveniles it will be a while before they actually breed. Sometimes you can ask the breeder if he/she has unrelated juveniles, many breed multiple axolotls so its possible.

Scooping poop is just a matter of using a turkey baster to get it out correct?

I'm planning on making some hides for all of them. Im going to get the tank first and figure out my layout to make sure they all have comfy places to go, that and I am planning on using some tank dividers for awhile so they don't munch on each other.

Breeding isnt something I am planning on or in a hurry for. I just know odds are with multiples I'd end up with a male and female and I wanted to plan ahead since I wouldn't want to cull the eggs if good homes can be found.

Again thanks to everyone for all of the fantastic information. This has been so much more informative than the mixed information I have been getting.

Boomsloth · Feb 23, 2014

ClockworkParrot said:
Scooping poop is just a matter of using a turkey baster to get it out correct?

I'm planning on making some hides for all of them. Im going to get the tank first and figure out my layout to make sure they all have comfy places to go, that and I am planning on using some tank dividers for awhile so they don't munch on each other.

Breeding isnt something I am planning on or in a hurry for. I just know odds are with multiples I'd end up with a male and female and I wanted to plan ahead since I wouldn't want to cull the eggs if good homes can be found.

Again thanks to everyone for all of the fantastic information. This has been so much more informative than the mixed information I have been getting.

Yep turkey baster is something I highly recommend. I have 9 axolotls because my ultimate goal is breeding, my largest leucistic just started getting dark fingertips and from what I can tell looks more like a female but I wont know until she reaches her full size. I decided to not add any substrate until they are all adults because it makes it easier to clean up and I'll be moving them to either one big tank or multiple different tanks. Look at the other forums to see what other users used to make hides and decorations, pretty cool ideas

Wanting to get my first axolotl

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