Air Stone for Axolotl? (noobert mc fly here)

Hello all, I am an avid amphibian guy but usually just for native species which I observe and then release back into their habitat.

Recently I purchased a gorgeous golden axolotl. It is about 2 1/2 inches long and after 3 days I am already getting attached to the little critter!

My question is this: I have a 5 gallon setup with one live plant, some large river rocks (constructed into a cave for a hiding spot), no substrate, and an air stone which is powered by a little airpump designed for 5 gallon tanks.

I have heard that air stones are essential, but I have also heard that they can stress the animal. He seems to be doing great but I am new to this and want to keep him for as long as possible.

Could any of you enlighten me?

Thanks,

Sam

My axie seems to thrive on his airstone. He will constantly swim up to it, stick his head in the bubbles then let it float him to the surface. Keep in mind however I have my airstone tub kinked a bit so not as much air comes out.

Good to know. Maybe I should kink the line a bit then.

Okay, so I kinked the line a bit with a metal clip. It did slow down the bubbling a bit. However when I turn off the pump he seems a lot more active and generally less freaked out. Do any of you think that my air stone (very tiny/not very much flow) is too much for it? Or do you think that he may just have to get used to it?

Hi Sam,

It's great that you are doing the research for your new friend. The rock hide sounds great (we love photos here, hint, hint) and having a bare bottom tank makes life so much easier cleaning up after axies (they are cute, but they are also very messy grots).

supergrappler said:

My question is this: I have a 5 gallon setup with one live plant, some large river rocks (constructed into a cave for a hiding spot), no substrate, and an air stone which is powered by a little airpump designed for 5 gallon tanks.

I have heard that air stones are essential, but I have also heard that they can stress the animal. He seems to be doing great but I am new to this and want to keep him for as long as possible.

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I'm sorry to say that a five gallon tank is far too small to house an axolotl. Axolotls can grow anywhere from 7 - 14 inches in length and they grow very quickly.

A ten gallon tank is the minimum size requirement for an axolotl, floor space being more important than height (18 inches floor length is recommended).

Axolotls when adults will do quite a bit of nothing, but they do walk around quite a bit. Young axolotls are more active and will need space to swim, play, climb and hide.

Axies also release a lot of wastes, this is no problem if you don't mind changing their water about 100% each day as you will have to if you have an airstone rather than a filter.

supergrappler said:

Okay, so I kinked the line a bit with a metal clip. It did slow down the bubbling a bit. However when I turn off the pump he seems a lot more active and generally less freaked out. Do any of you think that my air stone (very tiny/not very much flow) is too much for it? Or do you think that he may just have to get used to it?

Click to expand...

Some axies love airstones, some find them stressful. If the axolotl is stressed by it, it needs to either be removed or to be obstructed so the water is aerated but the axie is not affected by it. Maybe try sitting a big rock on it to break the bubble stream? :happy:

Thanks for the reply. I am using a 5 gallon tank now because he is only about 3 inches long at the moment. I have an empty 10 gallon that I will set up for him once he gets a little bigger.

Dayum once a day water changes w/out a filter? I guess I will have to buy one after I buy text books.

Havelock said:

Some axies love airstones, some find them stressful. If the axolotl is stressed by it, it needs to either be removed or to be obstructed so the water is aerated but the axie is not affected by it. Maybe try sitting a big rock on it to break the bubble stream? :happy:

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This is a splendid idea. I will try this when I get home from school this evening.

Okay, so I solved my problem with the air stone situation. I got 2 more axolotls so I increased my tank size to 30 gallons. I also bought a lime wood airstone which makes much smaller bubbles. They all seem to love the new air stone. Because they are babies they look so tiny in the 30 gallon, but i know soon enough it should fit them just fine.

I also bought a nice flourescent light fixture for the tank.To cut the amount of direct light a friend of mine gave me some duckweed from his axolotl tank.

Anyone else here use lime wood air stones?