oberynstiles
New member
Hey everyone,
So I joined this forum because I am planning on getting an axolotl at some point in the near future. I am a college student so money is tight, not to mention I have yet to buy a tank or any of the other expensive stuff yet. Anyway, I’ve never had an ax before so I want to learn a lot more about them prior to buying one. I like to learn all about an animal before getting them because I take being a pet owner really seriously. I got a ferret a few months ago and joined a forum dedicated to ferret health and care, and I researched them for about 5 months before buying one. I believe it has made me a much more responsible pet owner and it also has made it a lot easier. The forum I joined is such a great resource so I figured I’d do the same for an axolotl! After all, nothing beats experience so why not learn from people who have had axolotls and know what they’re doing right? :happy:
As for what I know about Axolotls now, I work at a pet store so I have general knowledge of how tanks work and about cycling and everything. However my pet store doesn’t carry axolotls, just fish. From what I’ve been reading online, including this website I know that I will need at least a 10 gallon tank for an adult axolotl. I plan on getting a 55 gallon though because larger tanks are just a lot easier to maintain, and my axolotl would have plenty of room to swim and hide in! Not to mention if I ever decided to get another axolotl I wouldn’t have to upgrade my tank. I also know I will need to keep the water cold, between 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit. I will also need to make sure there is no current in the tank because both warm temperatures and moving water stresses them out and can have fatal effects. I have pretty much read everything as far their general needs and requirements go. But there are a few questions I’d like to have answered before getting my axolotl.
1.) How should I go about cycling my tank for my axolotl? Should I cycle the tank before I get the axolotl or should I do it when I get them? I know at my store we always suggest to people with new tanks to start off with a small amount of fish to get the cycle going. But this is for a fish tank. I was thinking I could possibly get a few feeder fish and cycle my tank for a month or two before getting my axolotl. I would of course remove the fish before putting the axolotl in but would this throw of the nitrogen cycle?
2.) Do I need an aerator for my tank? I’ve read some places that I will need one and some places that I will not. Either way I do plan on having some live plants so I may not even have to worry about that…
3.) For live plants I was thinking of some low light plants, since Axolotls don’t like light anyway. I definitely would like to get some moss balls and probably java moss. How do Axolotls do with live plants?
4.) I’m in college and I’m broke. This means I am willing to get my hands dirty for free décor in my tank. If I were to include large river rocks, or granite or slate how long should I boil them or what’s the best method of cleaning them? Also is it safe to make my own driftwood? I’ve read that it is safe if I boil out all the tannins but I’ve also heard it is still unsafe even after boiling for a long period of time.
5.) Which filter is the best? I know that canister filters work best because they do not create a current, however a canister is inconvenient for me for two reasons: One, they are pretty expensive. Two, the tank will be in a room with one (possibly two) ferrets. I don’t know if you guys are aware of how ferrets are but they GET INTO EVERYTHING. Now, my tank will be up high on a stand with a wire mesh cover so there is no risk of the ferret getting into the tank. However canister filters are on the ground and I’m almost positive if I have one the ferret will get to it some point or another. I was thinking I could get a hang on the back filter instead and place a sponge in front of it to disrupt the flow of the filter so no current will be created. Do you think this would work? If canisters are an absolute necessity I can save up for one and possible make shift a way for it to not be on the floor.
I think that’s all of my questions for now. Hopefully some of you guys can provide answers for me. If you have any information you’d like to share please don’t hesitate! I’m here to learn.
Thanks for reading!
So I joined this forum because I am planning on getting an axolotl at some point in the near future. I am a college student so money is tight, not to mention I have yet to buy a tank or any of the other expensive stuff yet. Anyway, I’ve never had an ax before so I want to learn a lot more about them prior to buying one. I like to learn all about an animal before getting them because I take being a pet owner really seriously. I got a ferret a few months ago and joined a forum dedicated to ferret health and care, and I researched them for about 5 months before buying one. I believe it has made me a much more responsible pet owner and it also has made it a lot easier. The forum I joined is such a great resource so I figured I’d do the same for an axolotl! After all, nothing beats experience so why not learn from people who have had axolotls and know what they’re doing right? :happy:
As for what I know about Axolotls now, I work at a pet store so I have general knowledge of how tanks work and about cycling and everything. However my pet store doesn’t carry axolotls, just fish. From what I’ve been reading online, including this website I know that I will need at least a 10 gallon tank for an adult axolotl. I plan on getting a 55 gallon though because larger tanks are just a lot easier to maintain, and my axolotl would have plenty of room to swim and hide in! Not to mention if I ever decided to get another axolotl I wouldn’t have to upgrade my tank. I also know I will need to keep the water cold, between 60-68 degrees Fahrenheit. I will also need to make sure there is no current in the tank because both warm temperatures and moving water stresses them out and can have fatal effects. I have pretty much read everything as far their general needs and requirements go. But there are a few questions I’d like to have answered before getting my axolotl.
1.) How should I go about cycling my tank for my axolotl? Should I cycle the tank before I get the axolotl or should I do it when I get them? I know at my store we always suggest to people with new tanks to start off with a small amount of fish to get the cycle going. But this is for a fish tank. I was thinking I could possibly get a few feeder fish and cycle my tank for a month or two before getting my axolotl. I would of course remove the fish before putting the axolotl in but would this throw of the nitrogen cycle?
2.) Do I need an aerator for my tank? I’ve read some places that I will need one and some places that I will not. Either way I do plan on having some live plants so I may not even have to worry about that…
3.) For live plants I was thinking of some low light plants, since Axolotls don’t like light anyway. I definitely would like to get some moss balls and probably java moss. How do Axolotls do with live plants?
4.) I’m in college and I’m broke. This means I am willing to get my hands dirty for free décor in my tank. If I were to include large river rocks, or granite or slate how long should I boil them or what’s the best method of cleaning them? Also is it safe to make my own driftwood? I’ve read that it is safe if I boil out all the tannins but I’ve also heard it is still unsafe even after boiling for a long period of time.
5.) Which filter is the best? I know that canister filters work best because they do not create a current, however a canister is inconvenient for me for two reasons: One, they are pretty expensive. Two, the tank will be in a room with one (possibly two) ferrets. I don’t know if you guys are aware of how ferrets are but they GET INTO EVERYTHING. Now, my tank will be up high on a stand with a wire mesh cover so there is no risk of the ferret getting into the tank. However canister filters are on the ground and I’m almost positive if I have one the ferret will get to it some point or another. I was thinking I could get a hang on the back filter instead and place a sponge in front of it to disrupt the flow of the filter so no current will be created. Do you think this would work? If canisters are an absolute necessity I can save up for one and possible make shift a way for it to not be on the floor.
I think that’s all of my questions for now. Hopefully some of you guys can provide answers for me. If you have any information you’d like to share please don’t hesitate! I’m here to learn.
Thanks for reading!
. You will find loads of information here so it would be worth reading through threads here. I will try to answer your questions as best as possible.