Axolotl Health and Tankmate Questions

[Oceanpup]

Hi! I recently received a 55 gal aquarium with two lotls in it (Both about a year old and seemingly male and female) a couple days ago from a previous owner who couldn’t take care of them any longer for several reasons. I’m a bit concerned though due to the current set up of the aquarium as it currently is left as is during the transport (i.e. tank and filter came with all the creatures already in it, the water was packaged and treated by the owner for an easier and less stressful of a move).

With that being said, last night while checking on the health of the dark lotl’s lips (seemed an irregular discolored like an off white) I saw some sort of eel coming into view from out of the substrate. After seeing the unexpected addition, I reached out to the owner to inquire about the unexpected guest, and he said that since I saw it, that it’s been in there for 6 months and initially placed it there to scavenge off the sandy floor (?); he’s also placed several critters in there (snails, betta fish, and guppies) throughout the year (I got the feeling that the prior owner did it as part of an experiment for finding potential tank mates)

However, as I’m a huge nerd when it comes to animal husbandry, literature and common sense are telling me that the current tank mates for the lotls (the snails and half-banded eel) are a huge no no for a multitude of reasons (spiny eels have venomous spines and are nocturnal, directly competing with the lotl’s eating habits etc.); therefore, what do I do with this unintended addition? I get the feeling that it’s still there, being elusive as an accident waiting to happen or is that my paranoia? The last owner said it’s fine, but I don’t want to end up with a dead or injured lotl in the future. Any advice on how to remove and care for the skinny eel from the tank would be greatly appreciated as well as I’ve struggled the first several times trying to fish it out and failing miserably. Attached below are the two the lotls (I believe one is a Lucy the male, and the other is a melanoid a female), some cloud minnows, and the weird skinny fish in question. Thank you!

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Thank you for rescuing this crew.

So much information to go through now.

Any snails need to be removed as does the eel - they all want warmer water where the axos ideally need 15-18.

White cloud mountain minnows and guppies are fine to stay.

I would try and rehome any excess with a local aquarium group. To catch them I would remove the lotls and tubs drain water to 50% and remove all decor. You should be able to use 1 net to direct into the second net.

The male and female should ideally be separated in separate tanks or with a solid divider to avoid breeding since their bloodlines and health are unknown.

Are you knowledgeable about cycling tanks and testing?
In moving and cleaning this tank it may have crashed or may go into a mini cycle.

 

[Oceanpup]

Thank you so much for your reply!

I am not as knowledgeable concerning cycling tanks and testing, but my partner and his dad are both experts in the aqua-area (marine biologist/worked at several marine conservation orgs, and his dad is an expert aqua-hobbyist); both are my go to people for potential concerns with the water concerns and cycling However, the lotls are a relatively new area for me and my partner to raise, since he’s worked animal husbandry at several wildlife rescue centers.

I’ll run to the store to get a divider between the two (since the tank is so large to begin with) as it is a bit more economically friendly, and I’ll follow the above advice in removing the spiny-eel and snail houseguests that the tank currently has!

Last question: should I boil the divider first before placing it in the tank to disinfect it? Or is that not necessary?

Thank you again!

 

[Calgarycoppers]

The divider can just be run under hot water