Question: Help Much Appreciated!

Hi, I am the new owner of two axolotls. One is a white albino and the other one is black with gold specks.It may be easier to use names for this (Beanie and Dino, respectively). I had been reading up on how to take proper care of one months before I bought them, but now I have them it isn't going so smooth. I have 5 questions I would like to ask.

For a start I live in Queensland, Aust. so there is no hope of keeping the temp. at 15- 20 degrees. I have been using frozen bottles in the tank and the lowest temp. I can hold is 26 degrees. Is there another solution for this? I don't have the tank anywhere near the sun by the way.

My second question: I have been feeding them axolotl pellets and freeze-dried blood worms. Both will happily eat blood worms but Beanie will not touch the pellets! Is there a special way to feed it?

My third question: Tonight when I cleaned the tank and filter I found small flakes of something transparent floating around in the water (like skin). The substance may be about the size of a thumb nail. Is this bad, like cotton wool disease or are they shedding? or something else?

My fourth question: I have heard that some axolotls eat more during the night than others. I woke up this morning and a nibble had been taken out of Beanie's tail. Should I put more food in at night to stop this from happening, and if so what type?

My final question: I have small coloured pebbles in my tank at the moment but I also have black stones about the size of an axolotl's head, bought from Bunnings Warehouse (currently in a bucket in my shed). I would put them in my tank but my parents are worried about the axolotls being squashed if one was to fall on them. Should I use the big stones anyway? I have already seen the remnants of a few pebbles that were once green but are now stripped of colour (from the digestion of a hungry axolotl, am I right?)
I'm sorry if I haven't been too clear, I'm tired right now.
Thank you very much for any information you can provide.

Please, by all means tell me what to do because I want to keep these awesome pets alive for at least 15 years.

Hi BeanieandDino,

I like how you do your research before committing to a pet. I also like the way you structure your questions in an organised manner, shows you have given things good thought.

Now to the questions.

For a start I live in Queensland, Aust. so there is no hope of keeping the temp. at 15- 20 degrees. I have been using frozen bottles in the tank and the lowest temp. I can hold is 26 degrees. Is there another solution for this? I don't have the tank anywhere near the sun by the way.

The actual only way to constantly maintain an optimal water temperature in australia is via the use of marine chillers. Although they are expensive, they are a worthwhile investment in the long run. However, there are other cooling methods that you can consider. Here is a a link.

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml


My second question: I have been feeding them axolotl pellets and freeze-dried blood worms. Both will happily eat blood worms but Beanie will not touch the pellets! Is there a special way to feed it?

It is best to offer your axie a variety of food. I group the food types into two main categories. Staples and treats. For staples, bloodworms and pellets are both suitable. However, other types of suitable food include earthworms and blackworms. For treats, you can offer small pieces of shrimp, deboned fish fillet, beef heart etc.

Live wriggly food will stimulate feeding, so i would highly recommend you try feeding live earthworms and blackworms. They tend to survive for a while in the water, stay intact or clump together for easy removal if left uneaten.

Some axies just have a preference on certain food types over others or go through phases of rejecting one type of food over another. However, do continue to offer them the variety and eventually they might learn to take them. Even if your axie rejects pellets, the bloodworms, earthworms, or blackworms will provide all the nutrition it really needs. There is no need to be worried about malnutrition.

My third question: Tonight when I cleaned the tank and filter I found small flakes of something transparent floating around in the water (like skin). The substance may be about the size of a thumb nail. Is this bad, like cotton wool disease or are they shedding? or something else?

Would you be able to provide some pictures? The possibilities are endless and it really is quite risky to jump to conclusions. Did you introduce anything new to the tank recently? Did you change to a particular new food type or have new live plants? Are your axies showing any signs of illness or stress? Do they writhe or twitch in odd movements? Can you see visible skin shedding?

My fourth question: I have heard that some axolotls eat more during the night than others. I woke up this morning and a nibble had been taken out of Beanie's tail. Should I put more food in at night to stop this from happening, and if so what type?

Axolotls tend to be more active around dusk/night. They are somewhat nocturnal so they do tend to feed more frequently at night. Axolotls may sometime have a nibble at one another during feeding frenzy or due to sudden movements (they may not be intentional). They do regenerate back quickly so providing you monitor the water parameters and keep them comfy, they would heal in no time. You can try placing a tank divider if one of your axie is more aggressive than the other. There is no need to overfeed your axie as long as you feed the right types of food, in the right quantity over an appropriate frequency. Feed them as much as they can eat during a 20min sitting and remove all uneaten food. I would advise against putting additional pellets overnight as uneaten food can cause wastes to build up and contribute to poor water parameters.

My final question: I have small coloured pebbles in my tank at the moment but I also have black stones about the size of an axolotl's head, bought from Bunnings Warehouse (currently in a bucket in my shed). I would put them in my tank but my parents are worried about the axolotls being squashed if one was to fall on them. Should I use the big stones anyway? I have already seen the remnants of a few pebbles that were once green but are now stripped of colour (from the digestion of a hungry axolotl, am I right?)

Gravel and pebbles/marbles are not suitable as substrate. You can keep your tank bare bottomed for easy cleaning. If you intend to use a substate, sand would be best. You can use freshwater aquarium sand, pool filter sand or children play sand. You can also decorate with huge rocks to create caves and steps for your axolotl. Try using huge heavy rocks and place them securely to make sure they don't topple. There is a possibility that some rocks can cause accumulated wastes to gather and make cleaning difficult.

Cheers

Thank you very much for that info.
I found out later that the skin type substance wasn't anything but the coating on the pellets I was feeding the axies. I must have been leaving them in for too long. Also, I knew I would at some point change the substrate and I think I'm going to go for the bare-bottomed tank (even though I did spend over $50 on gravel).

I do have one more question though. I've been having trouble with the concept of a set feeding period for Beanie and Dino. Whenever I am able to feed them, they are always hiding behind something or under something. I don't feel comfortable moving them into open space to feed with my hands. I have also heard touching them more than necessary damages their skin. Do I just leave the food on the bottom of the tank or must I try to hand feed the pellets to them?

Thanks again for all your help Dark Maverick. I really appreciate it.

Hi Beanieanddino,

I am not sure if you have tried this, it seems a bit scary at first but is actually really good fun. Have you tried hand feeding your axolotls? You can buy this pair of super long feeding forceps that you can use to offer earthworms, bits of shrimp or fish or beef heart slice. Just wave the food in front of its face and it would soon learn to take food from you directly.

You can also try feeding your axies around dusk where they tend to be more active foraging/feeding. I am not sure how you would hand feed pellets, they seem a bit to small and squashy to be held by fingers or forceps but if you can do it, i don't see why not.

If you are really unable to reach your axie hiding away in a corner or under something, i would put a very small amount of pellets near the front of the tank so that you can remove them easier. Leave them for about 30min and remove them if they are left uneaten.

Cheers

I hand-feed pellets. They are not all uniform in size, and the big ones are definitely easier, but a hungry axolotl can get even small pellets from between fingers.

--Beth

As for feeding, we have a large terra cotta dish in the tank -- it's a "saucer" for plant pots, about 15-20 cm in diameter. Darwin likes to hang out in there, and it is a very handy place for feeding. We just drop the pellets into the dish, and he manages to find them.

Otherwise, feeding would be a problem, as (we are convinced) Darwin is blind. He never responds to visual stimuli, and bumps into the walls of the tank. So, the dish is comfortable for him.

As for rocks, we have a tank with rounded rocks and pebbles in it -- something like 2 cm and larger. There is also a big chunk of arched petrified wood that creates a tunnel for him to hide under. Beneath all the rocks is an under-gravel filter, connected to a water pump/aerator to keep it all circulating. This setup has worked fine for the last three years or so.

What a fantastic idea Quetzalcoatl (what a tongue twister), on the terracota dish serving as a food platform.

I am going to adopt that idea for my own tank now. It would be both functional and rather quaint i think, to have specific feeding areas. Besides making the clean up easier, the axolotls would soon be trained to feed from there, so we can monitor their food intake and observe their feeding. The plate would also be visually 'decorative' as well.

Fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

Cheers

*steals his grandma's best crockery*

good idea, alot of the Tiger Setups i see have a dish out.

the axies would love it, gives the "feeding routine" and keeps things cleaner

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