Contradictions I've Read on Breeder Sites

I've noted the following contradictions from different information sources, and I wondered if you guys had any feedback on the following.

Source one: Fine sand is okay.
Source two: No sand! Ever! This will kill your axolotl.

Source one: Dechlorinate your water!
Source two: Chlorinated water is fine. In fact, leave the chlorine in the water to kill harmful bacteria.

Source one: Food pellets are all you need.
Source two: Feed only fresh or frozen foods.

Source one: If your tank gets too warm, drop an ice bottle in it.
Source two: Do not ever use ice bottles to chill your tank. It will kill the axolotl.

Source one: If you feed your axolotls well, you shouldn't have a problem with cannibalism.
Source two: Until axolotls are six inches long, they are cannibalistic and cannot be housed together. Cannibalism is learned behavior. Any axolotl that has been damaged by cannibalism will be a cannibal the rest of its life.

Source one: You can keep lone axolotls.
Source two: Once axolotls are six inches long, they are social and should be kept at least in pairs.

As someone who is new to axolotl care, I'm a little confused. Thoughts?

Fine (silica based) sand is perfectly OK. The only suggestions I would have is to not feed the axolotls directly on the sand by using a feeding dish or hand feeding them off the sand. Also young juveniles have a higher tendency to swallow sand which can cause impaction. It is generally recommended to have bare bottom for juveniles under 6 inches. Bare bottom is also OK. I generally prefer sand personally. It looks nice and I don't like the idea of the axolotls on bare glass but this is a personal preference. Axolotls have hoover mouths so it is best to stay away from gravel or pebbles smaller than the axolotls head as this can cause impaction and death.

Definitely dechlorinated water. I cannot stress this enough. Chlorinated water can cause chlorine burn and other additives in tap water can also harm axolotls. It is better to have a fully cycled tank and have a healthy population of good bacteria. I would suggest reading up on the nitrogen cycle. This is really important to understand and regular testing of water parameters including ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH is vital to ensuring good water quality.

Pellets are an OK staple diet but I would highly recommend earthworms as a staple diet for axolotls. They are not messy, easy to feed and the most nutritious.

As long as you can closely monitor and replace the ice bottles as soon as they melt and ensure the temperature does not fluctuate too much (this can be stressful), ice bottles are OK. I would use dechlorinated water in the bottles in case of leaks. Personally I would prefer the use of fans or an aquarium chiller to keep the water within the ideal temperature range 16 to 18 degrees Celsius.

Someone with experience raising young juvenile axolotls can help more with this but I have two juveniles (growing very fast) and keep them well fed. I have had no issues at all with snapping at each other.

One axolotl is perfectly fine. However if you are keeping more than one, they do need space so this is important in choosing ideal housing to consider. The minimum size for one axolotl is 10 gallons (37 litres) though the bigger the better. I feel floor space is more important than how many litres the tank holds though. I would at least have one foot floor space per axolotl. Though ornaments, hides and plants also need to be considered in this as well. So as an example, I would house three axolotls in a four foot tank with a foot allowing for hides, plants and ornaments.

There is a lot of confusing conflicting information out there on keeping particular species. You have come to the right place lots of experienced keepers who can share their experiences and can guide you

I've raised babies time and again, and I'll tell you right now, the site that your'e reading saying the cannibalism is a learned trait should be crossed out of your list of reliable sources. I've been on it and yeah. The only time I've had issues with biting is when I ran out of food. Try not to do that.

No matter what age an axolotl will take chomps at a tank mate if they are in the wrong place, at the wrong time and they are hungry. In fact I think it's better to keep babies together in small groups with plenty of food so that they can learn what other axolotls are (in my belief), and somewhat know better than to go after them by accident because they spot a flicking gill or something. As said above earthworms are best, but you can vary their diet as long as they are getting all that they need, this will keep them from getting hungry and taking bites at one another.

My answers:

Sand: OK once an axie reaches about 5-6", but it can cause impaction in smaller axies. Soft silica sand is best.

Chlorine: Chlorine will make your axie sick and kill the beneficial in your filter.

Food: Earthworms are best. Pellets are adequate as long as they are the right type. Other frozen/live food are dependant on size/age of the axie.

Ice bottles: They can make the temperature of your tank swing several degrees in a short time, and this can stress an axie, you need to rotate ice bottles regularly if you're going to use them. A chiller is better if you live in a hot climate, or a fan in temperate areas.

Cannibalism: Axies are opportunistic feeders - they will try to eat anything that moves if they can fit in their mouths, and this can mean they bite other axies. Big axies will eat smaller axies, hence the recommednation that axies kept together should be a similar size. Cannibalism is less likely in larvae and juvies if they are well fed, it is not a learned behaviour, and it is not something that will continue for their whole life.

Keeping axies together: You can keep axies alone or small groups at any age - they really don't care either way. They play nice with others (mostly) but are just as happy on on their own. The only rule a keeper should follow is the one about tank mates being a similar size.

You have to remember that anything said on a breeder's site will be their own recommendation and experience. My personal experience is different from the next person's.

I have come across many sites with bad infomation, and in general caudata.org has the best collection of information, wisdom and advice.

I know which 'breeder' site you're talking about as the second source (the one that says Chlorinated water is fine, which is IS NOT, ever) and do NOT trust anything you see on that site. It is riddled with false information, and the owner has been known time and again to scam both money and animals from people.

Never use Chlorinated water in your tank. It is HARMFUL to your animal (and will kill your beneficial bacteria), not to mention other additives often in tap water. Always use dechlorinator (of course unless you live in a country/area that doesn't use chlorine or other additives but that's another story).

To go along with what Skudo said, here is a resource on Aquarium cycling: Scales Tails Wings and Things, What is Aquarium Cycling? How to Cycle your Tank

Thanks, everyone. A lot of stuff I read on the second breeder's site was pretty suspect, but I wanted to check with you guys in case my assumptions were wrong. I've never before heard anyone say "If you don't die from swimming in a chlorinated pool, your axolotl won't die from swimming in chlorinated water."

I wrote to that breeder personally and asked how many axolotls he would recommend for a 20 gallon long tank, and he wrote back "keep your water level under 4 inches."

Once again, thanks for keeping me on the right path as I set up for axolotls.

Yes, I have dealt with him once also. His site is riddled with misinformation. And when you go to contact him, he just copies and pastes straight from the text on his site. Typically not answering the question, or possible suggestions, at hand. Very unprofessional from my point of view.