Should I get an axolotl?

Okay, here are my reasons for and against getting an axolotl, I'd love some experienced advice.

Reasons for me getting an axolotl:
1) I don't want to get a tropical fish tank as I'd love a pet with character like goldfish.
2) they're cute
3) I've wanted one for a while and have read that they make rewarding, fun pets

Reasons against getting an axolotl:
1) I've had goldfish in the past, and while one survived for a few years, many died due to ulcers- I don't want to buy a beautiful creature just to slowly kill it
2) I don't have the money (or parents support!) To do 50 water changes a day and obsess over pH level, which I don't understand even though I obsess over it!
3) If, in the rare case that it metamorphoses, I would not be able to create a reptile sort of environment.
Please post thoughts, thanks!

If you can't keep goldfish alive your not going to beable to keep axolotls alive. Do some research on tank çycling, water testing and axolotl care requirements before making a decision

xxianxx said:

If you can't keep goldfish alive your not going to beable to keep axolotls alive. Do some research on tank çycling, water testing and axolotl care requirements before making a decision

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Thanks, will do

Definitely do thorough research before you even think about acquiring an axolotl, and make sure you have the resources to take care of it so that neither you or the axolotl stuffer. These are animals that require pristine water conditions and when taken care of can live well over 20, sometimes even 30 years.

They are a commitment and they have very specific requirements, if you can't take care of them properly then please don't put an animal through unnecessary stress or trauma.

Like everyone has mentioned make sure you do plenty of research before you own one.Also, there is no need to rush, take your time, talk to people and stick with it. Your parents might see how serious you are and help you. They are great pets and are so funny. Once you get one you will be glad you waited and not rushed. It will also provide your little one with a great home.

MarieKarma1311 said:

Definitely do thorough research before you even think about acquiring an axolotl, and make sure you have the resources to take care of it so that neither you or the axolotl stuffer. These are animals that require pristine water conditions and when taken care of can live well over 20, sometimes even 30 years.

They are a commitment and they have very specific requirements, if you can't take care of them properly then please don't put an animal through unnecessary stress or trauma.

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Thank you, I have been reading the axolotl website and solid gold on YouTube for tank cycling etc.

brightstar34 said:

Like everyone has mentioned make sure you do plenty of research before you own one.Also, there is no need to rush, take your time, talk to people and stick with it. Your parents might see how serious you are and help you. They are great pets and are so funny. Once you get one you will be glad you waited and not rushed. It will also provide your little one with a great home.

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Thank you, I'm dropping elephant sized hints to my parents and didn't think about timings, so will chill with it more.

I just wanted to say thank you for taking restrictions into account and not impulse buying. You could always start a 10-15 gal tank with fish and start training yourself for cycling with fish then when you feel confident in the tank environment you could get yourself a new friend that way your skill level improves, your tank matures, and its less financial stress if you build up to the perfect axolotl environment this site is a wonderful resource

And if you'll getting good at it maybe you can keep a big fancy gold fish for an axolotl to ride on cause mine sometime does . really.

I don't know if I want to laugh, or shake my head in disbelief with that statement....

Mercraycray said:

Okay, here are my reasons for and against getting an axolotl, I'd love some experienced advice.

Reasons for me getting an axolotl:
1) I don't want to get a tropical fish tank as I'd love a pet with character like goldfish.
2) they're cute
3) I've wanted one for a while and have read that they make rewarding, fun pets

Reasons against getting an axolotl:
1) I've had goldfish in the past, and while one survived for a few years, many died due to ulcers- I don't want to buy a beautiful creature just to slowly kill it
2) I don't have the money (or parents support!) To do 50 water changes a day and obsess over pH level, which I don't understand even though I obsess over it!
3) If, in the rare case that it metamorphoses, I would not be able to create a reptile sort of environment.
Please post thoughts, thanks!

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Haha, when I bought an axolotl I thought it would be simple because I already had a 10gal tank. They are way more expensive. Aside from that, I learned the hard way that axolotls need very good water quality and temperature to survive.

Once your tank is cycled, you should not really have a problem with the water quality because your bacteria will be handling it. However, you still need to check the water parameters weekly and do a 25% water change. You also need a good understanding of how the cycle works, in case it were to crash.

**One of the most important things is to make sure you can provide for the low temperatures axolotls require. [16-18C, 20C max] If you live in a hot place like Florida, pre-plan/set up the tank beforehand to make sure you can achieve these temperatures with a fan/chiller/other cooling method. Even if your water quality is spot-on, if you can't keep this constant low temperature you might want to consider a tropical fish. !
(p.s. I live in Florida and I can achieve a below 20C with a fan, so it is achievable it just depends on the temperature inside of your house and the location of the tank.)

I am not discouraging you to buy an axolotl but I am encouraging you to do more research first.

Good luck!

Wysper said:

I don't know if I want to laugh, or shake my head in disbelief with that statement....

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I couldn't believe what I saw before it happen either, ok the axie babies tank is in my living room so I can keep watch while I was watching tv. It started it out a few times as the giant fancy gold fish keep waving his fancy tails infront of my little axie face ( imagine the gold fish the size of your hand and finger spread out and most of my little axies were just about 4-5 inches long ) you know what they would do after things get waving in front of ther face for a while right? . So yes they tries and took a chumb on gold fish tail with their super griped mouth , gold fish spooked and ran while dragged axie around the tank till axie finally let go of his tail. After a few missed tried other axie getting excited and join in , too many young axies in the one tank against one giant gold fish . Being only 2 second of memories and all for gold fish brain doesn't help the situation , so the giant gold fish suddenly got slower but the gang of young axie just got started . I was sitting there watching a bunch of little axie pile them self on top of the giant slow gold fish and one ended up on giant gold fish back, then that one axie took a slow cruised around the tank with their little front legs gripping on top of gold fish back fin. My only wish is that it went on long enough for me to come back with camera but I was already too late.

I swear to god you better be joking ??


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tipnatee said:

I couldn't believe what I saw before it happen either, ok the axie babies tank is in my living room so I can keep watch while I was watching tv. It started it out a few times as the giant fancy gold fish keep waving his fancy tails infront of my little axie face ( imagine the gold fish the size of your hand and finger spread out and most of my little axies were just about 4-5 inches long ) you know what they would do after things get waving in front of ther face for a while right? . So yes they tries and took a chumb on gold fish tail with their super griped mouth , gold fish spooked and ran while dragged axie around the tank till axie finally let go of his tail. After a few missed tried other axie getting excited and join in , too many young axies in the one tank against one giant gold fish . Being only 2 second of memories and all for gold fish brain doesn't help the situation , so the giant gold fish suddenly got slower but the gang of young axie just got started . I was sitting there watching a bunch of little axie pile them self on top of the giant slow gold fish and one ended up on giant gold fish back, then that one axie took a slow cruised around the tank with their little front legs gripping on top of gold fish back fin. My only wish is that it went on long enough for me to come back with camera but I was already too late.

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How amazingly amusing, maybe you could take a few pics of your fungused and dying axolotl after the goldfish rips their gills off or some pics of a goldfish stressed to death, can't wait ! I love poor care standards being made into amusing stories, got anymore you would like to share ?

What poor caring ? They are all very healthy both my axies and gold fish . I only have them together while I was trying to finish cycling the other large tank . You completely misunderstood the basic of Fancy gold fish anatomy cause fancy gold fish don't have real fish teeth , they don't hunt , bite nor capable of ripping anything at all. They are as harmless as they come , they eat by sucking in their food that either floating partical in water , or suck in loose dead stuff laying on the sand ( they don't eat Iiving things nor attack) , . I use the fancy gold fish to suck poop from the sand and pick up dead worms. Fancy gold fish poop also much Easier for filter to process. There're only 2 kinds of fish I allow in axolotl tank, one is pleco , an the other are the fancy gold fish. I don't do regular goldfish or any other fish which what you said only apply to. This giant gold fish I bought together with my adult female lucistic ( she's now weight 5 lb) they were best bud from the beginning.

tipnatee said:

What poor caring ? They are all very healthy both my axies and gold fish . I only have them together while I was trying to finish cycling the other large tank . You completely misunderstood the basic of Fancy gold fish anatomy cause fancy gold fish don't have real fish teeth , they don't hunt , bite nor capable of ripping anything at all. They are as harmless as they come , they eat by sucking in their food that either floating partical in water , or suck in loose dead stuff laying on the sand ( they don't eat Iiving things nor attack) , . I use the fancy gold fish to suck poop from the sand and pick up dead worms. Fancy gold fish poop also much Easier for filter to process. There're only 2 kinds of fish I allow in axolotl tank, one is pleco , an the other are the fancy gold fish. I don't do regular goldfish or any other fish which what you said only apply to. This giant gold fish I bought together with my adult female lucistic ( she's now weight 5 lb) they were best bud from the beginning.

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WOW ! That surpassed your first post , genuine gold standard tosh. Keep it coming please ! Im overstocked on sarcasm and need to offload at least 25% otherwise I have to send it to landfill and that is not environmentally friendly.
You made a couple of interesting observations which need some clarification.
Firstly, Im quite interested in understanding the differences in the jaw structure of fancy goldfish compared to regular killer goldfish, if you could draw a couple of pics that would be much appreciated, a big arrow pointing to where the killer goldfish keeps its "real fish teeth" would be extremely useful . Im always keen to increase my understanding of basic fish anatomy having fished for carp for nearly forty years, worked in a aquatics store as a kid, kept and bred goldfish and numerous other fish species etc blah blah blah, just assume I have looked inside thousands of carps mouths and never seen teeth for biting, have i just been unobservant ? A nice big pointy arrow, please don't forget
Secondly, fancy goldfish " eat by sucking in their food that either floating partical in water , or suck in loose dead stuff laying on the sand ( they don't eat Iiving things nor attack) " , you mean they vortex feed like regular carp species ? Are you also claiming that fancy goldfish don't eat live vertebrates ?
Thirdly , regular killer goldfish have the Latin name "Carassius auratus auratus" , what is the latin name for fancy goldfish ? Could it be "Carassius auratus auratus" ? Wouldn't that make them the same species ? Hmmmmmmm..... maybe axolotl safe fancy goldfish should get a name change to avoid any confusion.
Fourthly, keeping plecos with axolotl....... check the species mixing disaster section in this forum and you may see why it's considered poor care practice to mix them.
Fithly , "best bud" ? They go out for meals together ? share holidays ? Does not killing each other count as being best buds ?
If you can successfully answer all these questions without appearing to be a complete numpty you will be my personal hero

Wow! I think you're really over reacted. It's not like I always keeping them together . And that wasn't a sarcasm . I really genuinely thought you were taking about overall fish with their sharp teeth nipping axolotl gills and cause problem. Some people when they read post they jump to conclusion I just wanted to be sure you understand that I know what you were concern about. The water always too cold in axolotl tank for any goldfish to be that active anyway. When there are too many left over food or dead worms or algea where I have hard time to clean all corner I just send them ( pleco and gold fish) in as a cleaning crew . They are more effective than me doing the job and risk disturbing good bacteria in sand or filter. I gave them a few hours then put them back in the normal fish tank. I can assure you there were no harms to my axie babies here ever. As for the best bud, yeah the mom ( my 5lb Lucy) they were close cause they were raised together by the previous owner who asked me to take them both home with me. I don't keep them in the same tank just the tank next to it and only visit when the tank gets dirty. I'm sorry if my replied somewhat high jack this threat , I thought it was just an amusing sharing moment that happen as my big old and slow large gold fish has been bullied by a bunch of young axies . Like a nanny getting bully buy a bunch of toddlers that's all it is to the whole story. Didn't mean to cause your anger in anyway. :nono: Shake on it? :angel:

So no pics of killer goldfish teeth ? Im so disappointed :nono:

What killer gold fish? I don't understand . I never post anything about killer gold fish. It was my young little axolotl that were doing the chasing , and tried to eat the poor giant gold fish. It was the axies that were all ganging on the old fancy gold fish not the other way around :nono: the gold fish did nothing but run away. So here's again you misunderstood the whole situation. .

No , your the one misunderstanding the situation. Species mixing is not advisable for axolotls, if your to dim to figure this out, its your axolotls who may pay the price.