Best substrate for axolotl

Hi all

I was reading a book that my flatmate purchased about keeping axolotl and it states in there that the best substrate for them is pea sized gravel and definitely not sand. This confused me greatly as everything I've read and been told since the get go has been never ever pebbles because of impaction and there are numerous cases that show the exact reason why you shouldn't use pebbles.

It also says that pebbles will pass through harmlessly while sand grains can get lodged in the digestive tract. I certinly don't understand this and I can't understand why this book would be advising people to use gravel of 4.5mm -6mm size instead of sand. Does this confuse anyone else??

Can anyone break it do and help me to understand? Thanks

Throw the book away.... That's what I'd do, it's contradicting itself....

Also, washed play sand is a great substrate, especially if siliconed down. So are rocks bigger than the axies head. If it were me, I'd go bare bottom for a small axie, or plays and for a big axie, as you can plant more plants in playsand.


I'm no expert on axies, but anything that contradicts itself is very bad for animal care....

A lot of older books in particular seem to offer this advice, but nearly every user I've spoken to says that gravel is a bad idea, especially gravel that small. Axxies will inevitably swallow some and it doesn't pass through harmlessly - it's a stone, so it essentially shreds their stomachs, even if only a little, and they're painful to pass. Sand or bare bottom are considered the best options by many, since large river stones siliconed down or similar can trap waste underneath. I used to have very fine aquarium sand but after reading some users' horror stories about impaction (which can happen if they swallow a large amount) I switched to bare bottom. So far I have had no issues at all.


Other users have also tried some new methods such as siliconing down foam or aquarium turf, but by far the most common ones seem to be sand or bare bottom. I personally plump for bare bottom since there's absolutely no risk of impaction, and having no substrate has barely affected my bubbies or their bacteria population at all. It's about personal choice really, but for me, there aren't any cons to bare bottom.

There's a lot of mixed reviews and controversy about substrate. Basically:

Gravel: Will most certainly get eaten by your axie, hand feeding will not help. May cause blockage in stomach. Sharp bits may cut or shred axie from the inside. non confirmed: gravel that is small and smooth should pass easily through the axies system most of the time.

Sand: Will most certainly get eaten by your axie, hand feeding will not help. May cause cement-like blockage in the stomach or intestines. Sharp bits may cut or shred axie from the inside. non confirmed: all sand is a little course and could hurt your axie. Significantly lower mortality rate than gravel (most sand-related deaths cannot be confirmed)

Bare bottom: glass can be slippery and stress your axies. Seeing their own reflection beneath them can stress your axies. Shows off all the dirt/poop/gross things in your tank.

My opinion: I'm switching my large tank to slate when I move it to my mums, I put an axie in the fridge yesterday because she needed some salt baths and she pooped an ungodly amount of sand. Just remember to silicone down the slate, make sure there's no sharp bits, use aquarium safe silicone and let the silicone cure for at least a week before putting the water in.

Hi all

Thank you for your replies. I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks this book is crazy! But it's not an old book - it was published in 2009 by Britain's leading axolotl experts.. or so my flatmate told me.

My guys are currently on a bare bottom tank because I'm on the hunt for the best substrate. I don't like bare bottom tanks because you see every little piece of dirt and the ornaments don't look so natural but I do love how easy maintenance it is. I have found a very fine silica sand for aquariums. It's finer than normal play sand and it is super sort to touch which I love. I've tested it out in a mini tank and it clears very fast which is great for my axy. Also, I placed my pretty boy leucistic on it to see how he looks against it and it wasn't that great because it was white but because its so fine and soft he left little axy foot prints everywhere which was so freaking cute!! I'm currently trying to find a black coloured form of it so both my water babies stand out

I guess with any substrate (Or lack of) there is always a risk so I really just want the one that is most friendly and least risky for my water babies. Everything I do is for their own good so I can give them an amazing life

Possum63 said:

Hi all

Thank you for your replies. I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks this book is crazy! But it's not an old book - it was published in 2009 by Britain's leading axolotl experts.. or so my flatmate told me.

My guys are currently on a bare bottom tank because I'm on the hunt for the best substrate. I don't like bare bottom tanks because you see every little piece of dirt and the ornaments don't look so natural but I do love how easy maintenance it is. I have found a very fine silica sand for aquariums. It's finer than normal play sand and it is super sort to touch which I love. I've tested it out in a mini tank and it clears very fast which is great for my axy. Also, I placed my pretty boy leucistic on it to see how he looks against it and it wasn't that great because it was white but because its so fine and soft he left little axy foot prints everywhere which was so freaking cute!! I'm currently trying to find a black coloured form of it so both my water babies stand out

I guess with any substrate (Or lack of) there is always a risk so I really just want the one that is most friendly and least risky for my water babies. Everything I do is for their own good so I can give them an amazing life

Click to expand...

Well anything that's 100% siliconed down (sand, gravel, rocks, slate etc) is 100% safe so long as it's siliconed properly.

I have bare botton tank with small pieces of slate dotted around.. just pick them up and vac under.. my boy isnt at all bothered by the glass. He actually spends most of the time on the glass. But its what ever u find more appealing to look at, but there are plenty of safe options out there.

From reading all the posts I’m feeling quite lucky! My Axie of 7 years has had a substrate of large pebbles sand & grass. The pebbles are roughly the size of his head. He’s never even attempted to eat one. Maybe this is because he never learnt to hunt so we hand feed him??? He also has some reed grasses. And of course his hidyholes. I posted a pic of him waiting for his dinner on another group I’m in & ive alarmed many people which shocked me. Could it be that because he’s handled that he doesn’t forage & ingest pebbles?????