Question: New axolotl owner advice please :)

So I have had my 10 gallon tank running for prob a little over a month now with 6 little minnows occupying it. I am going to be receiveing my little baby golden gfp axie and I am stoked!!! I have been doing research constantly but now that my axie is almost here I am a nervous wreck. I don't want anything to happen to him I couldn't forgive myself. I have mostly a tile floor with some larger river stones for the tank bottom because I've read small stones and sand can be problematic and no substrate is stressful. I have a bubbler, a wooden hide out and some plants but I might remove alot of them cuz I just have a feeling there's too many. I also have a filter that creates very little water flow but am nervous its not gonna be able to keep up with my axolotls future mess. I am just really worried about the water. The temp should be fine, my room is normally on the cool side but I'm worried about Ph and ammonia. My Ph kit is coming prob Wensday which is after the axolotl. And I might even have to wait for the ammonia test strips and ammonia remover so should I keep him in another container until I know his tank is safe? My axolotl breeder said the water quality won't effect him because he is a baby but....wouldn't that mean I should care more about its quality.? Well, thanks for reading...I hope a lot of you have good advice because I'm a newbie and I want my little guy to live a long fun happy life!

First off, take a deep breath; you're miles ahead of most who get their first axie! Sounds like you have a great setup so far. No, your filter probably won't keep up with all their mess, only because I think the only thing that could would be an underwater vacuuming robot that doesn't care what giant messes your cute little thing will make. But a turkey baster will take care of it just fine too

If your water seems fine right now that's good, just keep an eye on it once you get your juvie in, it'll leave a lot of food mess behind if it's anything like mine, but its not that hard to manage. Your substrate sounds great and it'll probably love all your plants. As long as you have clean, cool water, a place to hide and some food you've got a great start! You probably don't need a bubbler, but if your axie doesn't mind then I don't see a problem with it. I'm by no means an expert but if you pay attention your axolotl will tell you how it's doing and what it needs.

Why thank you! That made me feel better! I'm so excited!

Some soundingly joke advice but it's not reaaaally : get a larger tank. AXOLOTLS ARE ADDICTING AND YOU'RE BOUND TO GET MORE!!! Just ask anyone on this forum

Whoops, meant to reply to the other bits as well:

1) if you feel that the filter isn't enough you could definitely use a baster as elfelty suggested. If you're really concerned, you can get a larger filter, but just take additional steps to slow the flow (direct flow towards a glass wall, use a decoration to break up the water where it hits the surface, etc)

2) Drop tests are substantially more accurate than strip tests, so you may want to look into getting a freshwater masterkit (I would strongly suggest: Amazon.com: API Freshwater Master Test Kit: Pet Supplies as it's very cheap (Petland wants' $70 for it!!!)

3) I wouldn't suggest having using an ammonia remover - just change a portion of the water often, and clean up any uneaten food before it starts to spoil. An ammonia remover (once tank is cycled) could actually force your tank to cycle again because if there's no ammonia to feed the bacteria, they'll die, and voila.. no more bacteria to convert ammonia to nitrite! As elfelty said, your axie will let you know if s/he is stressed, and at such a small size it shouldn't take much at all to establish enough bacteria to deal with 1 tiny axie

Kutiepie, well done, you're well prepared! When we got Toothless, my parents did NO research, had no idea what she ate, and put her in a 20 gallon 26 degree tank full of fancy goldfish and gravel. Within two days her gills were facing forward and she was missing fronds on the TWO gills she had on one side.

If you spotted all the 'heck nos!' in that list, you know your stuff As the other guys have said, little ones do poop and leave quite a lot of waste. You've compromised well by getting a low impact filter, and as tigrmades has said, you can always do a small water change every few days to stop the waste building up (this is why some sites recommend 'salamander water' - making up large bottles of pre-dechlorinated water and keeping them cool, as it means you can water change with impunity).

Some sites make owing axxies look like hard work, but it isn't all as complicated as it seems. They are easy to keep, they just need different conditions from most fish (unfortunately some people do think they are fish, including my parents). This is what makes them a hobby rather than a run of the mill pet. I got so wound up reading all the stuff on sites about them that I never thought I'd be able to keep them, but the information is mostly there to help you with the basics so you can get your ownership off to a flying start - as you evidently have!

A good compromise with the substrate. Opinion on sand is varied. Some love how clean it keeps the tank, and axxies can pass sand. There's also the idea that you can always put your food on the end of some tongs or forceps to feed your axxie so he/she doesn't have to inhale sand. Some believe it's better not to run the risk as they'll 'snap' (it looks more like hiccuping or burping) at anything that goes past. I can definetely say from experience that little pebbles are a no-no. Axxies are smart and will try not to eat them but they will inadvertently suck them in, and of, course, impaction is not something any axxie or axxie parent wants! I personally chose sand for Toothless, much better than gravel or pebbles. Tiles would be fantastic but I got sand instead because she needs to be moved today and sand was much easier to get hold of. As for water quality, you can always test it like you are planning to, which will eliminate most of your worries. As for the water itself, there are a few ways of treating it, but I find the simplest is just to buy a tap water conditioner and follow the instructions. Generally water testing just gives you an indication of the cycling processes in the tank and points out if there's anything that might harm your axxie, but to be honest, they're quite hardy. You've done everything right.

You probably know all you need to know from your reading, but we're here if there's anything you're unsure of. Good luck, enjoy your new gorgeous baby, and please post some pictures when they finally come into your life!

tigmades said:

Some soundingly joke advice but it's not reaaaally : get a larger tank. AXOLOTLS ARE ADDICTING AND YOU'RE BOUND TO GET MORE!!! Just ask anyone on this forum

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I have a 10gallon tank thinking that "It will be fine until I can finish school and start making income to afford a big(permanent) tank for my axies. Now that I have babies swimming around we have decided that we are going to keep two of these babies. But we have a 30gallon cycling right now, though it is not ours and it will eventually need to be used for his fish, it will hold our axies for at least 6monthes till I can get my own tank

They are addicting! They are just to cute! I didn't know what kind of "want" there was here, since there is absolutly no market for them, I didnt think anyone would know what they were but I have almost all my babies reserved now o.o

Its true!!

i got my first in December and now i have three!!!

I'm already looking to rehome the fish in my 55 gallon tank to convert it to lotls!!!

tigmades said:

Some soundingly joke advice but it's not reaaaally : get a larger tank. AXOLOTLS ARE ADDICTING AND YOU'RE BOUND TO GET MORE!!! Just ask anyone on this forum

Click to expand...

NotAFish said:

Its true!!

i got my first in December and now i have three!!!

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Me too!!!