Breeding live food for Axolotls

Hi All

Some advice please for a newbie.

I really learn a lot just cruising this forum and the articles posted about. I am interested in culitvating live food for the axie....something easy, tasty, nutritious. I was reading the article Caudata Culture Articles - Foods and it gave plenty of ....food for thought.

I was going to go for tadpoles as they are so easy for me to catch and the axie. After reading they are plump bags of parasites, I think they are not for me.

I was interested in maggots and, although the thought puts me off, I read somewhere they are that too fat and not regular food but the article says grubs are great. Now I'm not sure whether to try breeding them. What does anyone think about them?

I've got a worm farm recycling system out the back and I tried a couple of worms (tiger I think they are) on the axies but they spat them out. The worms might have been too big. I couldn't find the pieces in the morning so I suspect they got eaten at night.

I was toying with the idea of guppies or cherry shrimp, where I've read both easy to breed and the axies love them. But the article says feeder fish are poor options.

My axies are juvis at 11cm long so whatever I do, I need to know where it is unsuitable for the size they are while they aren't full sized. Of course, by the time I do anything, they'll be bigger.

Am I right in considering guppies and cherry shrimp....are they both good food options and easy to breed? Should I be considering other options? The worms? I'm just keen to have healthy axies and get something other than pellets and not overly keen to be at the LFS all the time for worms.

Cheers
Dave

Hi,

I've raised axolotls through several generations on a diet comprised largely of earthworms and trout chow, in some cases almost entirely trout chow. Earthworms great in general for all ampbibs, but some species rejected as you note. perhaps order a few hundred red wigglers on line and re-stock your compost heap?

Fly larvae are fine in moderate quantities, please see my article on Raising Houseflies for details.

Guppies are easoly bred in large numbers - usa another aquarium as they breed quickly at higheritemps - 78-82 F. Stck the tank very heavily with live plants or plastic if need be, and most of the fry will eascape the adults.

Cherry shrimp can breed well under the right conditions, but are rather small, not really worth your while for larger axolotls.

Please see my 4 part article on Axolotl Natural Hisotry and Care for more info.

Good luck and enjoy!

It's important when feeding compost worms to NOT cut them, or even nick them, prior to feeding, as this releases the funky smelling fluid from inside. Also, smaller worms seem to be more readily accepted. I would recommend that you keep trying with them.