New Axolotl Owner

Hello! I'm a soon-to-be axolotl owner and I have a few questions about set up and care, etc. 1) I'm wondering what kind of live plants are easy to care for and safe for axolotl aquariums? 2) the axolotl will be kept in an un-airconditioned room and for most of the year that'll be no problem. However, we do get a few days every year where the room will reach temps of about 90 degrees F, sometimes slightly warmer. I'm not really wanting to spend a lot on an aquarium cooler, so I'm looking for any (possibly more affordable) suggestions on how to keep the tank cool and safe. 3) I've heard conflicting things about substrate for axolotl tanks; some say sand is fine, others argue that it's extremely dangerous, etc. Please let me know what kind (if any) substrate you use/ what is safe. Thanks!

Hi !

Putting live plants in an axolotl aquarium is a good contribution to a good water quality. Give a preference to fast-growing species like Egeria, Ceratophyllum... Such species will grow well with a sufficient light. In a room, additional light must be used to obtain a good growth of these plants.

Sand is not really a problem for axolotl as far as the grains can pass through the gut. The problem encountered, which is most of time transitional, is that young axies are raised in bare bottom tanks or tubs. The first time an axolotl meets sand (at 7 - 8 cm for my animals), they take about 1 week to learn how to separate the sand from the food. After that, everything if fine. Coarse gravel is far more risky.

The most concerning point is temperature. Axolotls thrive well below 68 degres F. 90 degres F. is very very high for them. The way to pass that depends of what you mean by "a few days every year". My animals have never met such temperatures.

It's usually only like two weeks out of the whole year at most that temps will be that high. I do have options, such as moving the axolotl to the basement for a few weeks as well, I was just curious if there were ways I could avoid moving the animal around too much. I've also heard about refrigerating them for short periods of time, but again I was hoping there were ways to keep them cool without moving them too much to avoid extra stress. So any tips on that would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the plant suggestions, I'll definitely look into those species!

Ultra fine Sand would be good, as long as the axolotl you are getting is 6 inches long, or larger. I am also a new axolotl owner. First week was hard. Didn’t even know that she had fungus infection When I got her. She’s fine now, but lost 1 side of her gills. Hope your axolotl is healthy and safe when you get him/her

Aw, I'm sorry about your axolotl's gills JoyJiang. How did you discover she had a fungal infection? How did you end up treating it? I know they can grow back many body parts; will her gills eventually grow back?

animal lover! :) said:

Aw, I'm sorry about your axolotl's gills JoyJiang. How did you discover she had a fungal infection? How did you end up treating it? I know they can grow back many body parts; will her gills eventually grow back?

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I saw a little white spot similar to fungal infection, later to find out it was fungal infection. I had her rubbed for 1-2 weeks changing the water everyday. Her gills are already showing it growing back little by little. They usually don’t regrow gills, but my axolotl is still very young. The younger they are, the higher chances to regrow gills. Thank you for you concern!

My Axolotl arrived happy, healthy and so small! His (I don't know gender yet but I'm just calling it 'he' until I know for sure) name is Sam. I have a 10 gallon tank with hiding spots and several artificial plants and no substrate. I've spot cleaned poop as soon as I see it and same thing with leftover food. I'm noticing that there's still a fair amount of debris on the bottom. No mold, slime or anything like that, just super small pieces of food and poop I would assume. No bad smells either, it just looks kind of gross. Any advice on how to keep the bottom of the tank looking cleaner? How often do I clean the tank? Also how do I clean it? I use reverse osmosis water, but do I need to add any water purifiers or anything to keep it fresh? I'll take any and all advice on this because I know very little about raising an axolotl! thanks!

if no one else has suggested it (i just skimmed through) java ferns are fantastic. i use them personally and they’ve sprouted daughter plants

axolotl nerd said:

java ferns are fantastic

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Yes ! I confirm it
Java ferns are hardy plants, well adapted to normal light but accepting low light.
They can be let floating or fixed on a support (rock or wood)
Furthermore, (for newts especially), it's a very good eggs laying support. Axolotls don't care