Axolotls food&set-up questions,Pictures

[kiwi32]

Hello everyone!
As an update to my other posts about my axolotl,I will ask you a few questions and link pictures too.
So 2 months ago,I got my third tank and my second axolotl.The first one,I had to return it to the petshop since it wasn't eating(that was last year).
This axolotl was a wild type,pretty small.I had concern about food,wondering if I could use my auto feeder.2 months after,I still havent tried the auto feeder.At first I was using bloodworms,but they are so messy and hard to give that I fed him earthworms daily.I know faily feeding is a bit too much,but I want him to grow and he sound healthy,though a bit fatty .
I knew temp would be to high and already ordered a thermo-electic (peltier) chiller (model cl-150).What a crappy item this was!Manufactured by aqua-euro USA,bough on ebay,the chiller overheated at night and cause the water to go to the late 20C(it was 21 before chiller).It also felt cheap and never worked for me on all aspects.This was to save money,finally made me pay more for shipping it back,I was disapointed.I sent back the chiller to the seller,putting ice in tank few times a day.I finnaly had to spend a incredible money to get a used 1\10 HP oceanic chiller.High Quality,amazing performance,reasonable noise level,this one is pretty good!Only thing is that is only displays in farenheit.I chose 57 for temp,and my tank is always 58-59.I finally was able to turn on the lamps so I could actually see the tank witouth worying about the temperature.2x 25 watts incadescents light are turned on by timer about 12 hours a day.Axol didn't seems to mind(lot of hiding).
After all had become stable,axolotl happy and steady temp,I bought my second axie 1 week ago.It is a white(not albinos)axolotl,pretty small with tiny gills.
He seems a bit less healtier than the other,I had to insist to get him to eat earthworms with chopstick,but in the end he ate everyday at least a small bit.It might be just a small adaption problem that will be off in a few days.
Both axies seems fine together(no fight).The older axol have a suprising apetite,and is growing quickly.He seems much healthier than when I bough him,his gills have growed bigger too.
Winter is quickly coming here,so no more earthworms in the garden.I hate bloodworms since they are so messy,I decided to bough them frozen Krill.Both ate bits of it witouth any refusal or spitting back.I will use this food as daily food.
I am thinking of putting another last axoltol in the thank.Even though its 15 Gallons,I am willing to change water and do extra work.If they become big,I will buy another tank anyway.
Everything seems fine,but I do have some questions:
1-What is the comparaison of nutrional values for axies between bloodworms,earthworms and krill?Is it okay to give only krill(altough I should vary the food)?Note that on summer I will give earthworms again.
2-Is the temp(57 chiller setting,actually 14.5-15.7C in the tank by a cheap digital thermometer)ok?I could put it cooler by just a button,so if they prefer cooler temp let me know.I am not in the situation like a lot of others,strugling to get their temp cool,and can select the ideal temp easily.
3-Anyone have feedback on autofeeder?I am doubtfull about the axol geting to the other corner of the tank to get the pelet when one diffultly eats,even tough I putted a rock as a plate under the feeder.
4-What do you think of my setup?(ahestic and axol health)
5-What do you think of a third axol in this tank?
6-Are the gills of the 2 axol are okay?
Here are the pictures:

Hope you enjoyed the post,fell free to comment or answer.
Thanks!

 

[melfly]

Hiya. Not got answers to all your questions. But the first thing i notice is the pebbles in the tank. They look like they could be swallowed. They need removing and replacing with sand or leaving the tank bare on the bottom. Mel

 

[kiwi32]

Don't worry,I bought those rocks cause they were too big to be swallowed.They are at least 3/4 inch large.
Thanks.

 

[IanF]

1-What is the comparaison of nutrional values for axies between bloodworms,earthworms and krill?Is it okay to give only krill(altough I should vary the food)?Note that on summer I will give earthworms again.
Take a look here... Caudata Culture Articles - Nutritional Values
A variety of food is a definate must to maintain a happy, healthy Axolotl.
2-Is the temp(57 chiller setting,actually 14.5-15.7C in the tank by a cheap digital thermometer)ok?I could put it cooler by just a button,so if they prefer cooler temp let me know.I am not in the situation like a lot of others,strugling to get their temp cool,and can select the ideal temp easily.
That may be a little chilly but is still considered within their comfort range, just keep it under 23 C and above 12 C and they should be fine.
3-Anyone have feedback on autofeeder?I am doubtfull about the axol geting to the other corner of the tank to get the pelet when one diffultly eats,even tough I putted a rock as a plate under the feeder.
Haven't used an auto feeder myself so I can't help you here.
4-What do you think of my setup?(ahestic and axol health)
They tank looks good, just be wary of the Axolotls swallowing pebbles and make sure they have plenty of hiding spaces.
5-What do you think of a third axol in this tank?
Definately not in this size of tank, I'd say you need at least 10 Gal per Axolotl so you may need to upgrade in the future, even just for these two.
6-Are the gills of the 2 axol are okay?
They both look like their gills are fine, but the White one looks very thin. Make sure it's getting enough food and not being bullied by the bigger Axolotl.

 

[NecturusLindsay]

I would be hesitiant about the auto feeder. Without the auto feeder, you have the chance to observe exactly how much or how little your axies are eating (especially the thinner of the two); also it gives you a chance to monitor any abnormalities or difficulties they could have with feeding.

Auto feeders are also known for over feeding. Over feeding leads to an imbalance in your water parameters that can be dangerous for your animals, not to mention a possible algae explosion and an increase in unwanted tank "friends", like bacteria, and other microorganisms. These things tend to sneak up on you. I would say it's better safe than sorry and go without. :happy:

 

[Kerry1968]

I would like to add in that those stones definately look small enough to cause a problem for your axolotls, especially at adult size.

The white (leucistic) axolotl looks a lot smaller than the wild type, I think the smaller one could end up as lunch for the larger one. If I were you I would separate them, either in separate tanks or a tank divider. You could keep the small one in a plastic tub quite happily until he catches up with the bigger one, just remember to do regular water changes.

Did you quarantine the new axolotl before adding him to the main tank? New additions should be quarantined for 30 days.

The ideal temperature for axolotls should be 16-18 degrees, that is what I have read many times on the site anyway.

Other than that, your tank looks lovely, very colourful.

 

[kiwi32]

Hi,
Thanks for all your help!
About the concern with the rocks(peeble),for now,I am pretty sure they cannot be swallowed.They are about twice the size of the head of the smaller one,and at least a bit bigger than the bigger one.Maybe its the pictures that give this idea,I will try to post a pic of a few peebles in my hand.
About the state of the white,smaller one,no I did not quarantined him.I know its better to do it but I decided to take the risk,and 2 weeks after,it looks like if it was okay(no sign of bacteria,fungus,or any disease).It is not that thin,maybe the angle of the camera that gives this look,it is already starting to grow more.I feed him a small krill bit once a day,sometimes I have to insist to make him eat,sometimes he jumps on food,but in general,he does eat a reasonable amount of krill.The bigger one,I think he would eat the chopstick if I would let him.But I did check to see if there was any problem between the twne day they were face to face,I looked them for about 30 min and none have reacted against each other.Finnaly the wild typed one went away.
I will keep the tank at this temp,it looks like they are both happy with it.The reason I wanted to get cooler was to avoid any spikes while I clean the filter(no flow in the chiller then),and to help not having fungus or bacteria.I was thinking of creating temp season,that is,to get the tank cooler for 3 month(+- 50)and hother for the rest of the year(58),is that a good idea?Would it be enjoyable for the axols or not?
Also,I could not find nutritionnal informations about the krill in the table you sent me,and I am not sure I can interprate those values.I do know what are the requiremnts for my fishes in my 2 other tanks,but not with axolotls.
About the auto feeder,for now I don't mind not using it,but I will be away for one month at next summer.We'll see then,I guess it will be less important for them since theyl'l be fatter and bigger.I am a bit disapointed about not being able to add a third axol,Anyway it would not be for right now if I decide to buy one.The tank looks almost empty when you look at it right now,but I know theyll get bigger.
Thanks for your comment about the tank.I realised how full of accesories it looks in the picture!The tank is better in reality,looks more *sobre*.

have a nice day!

 

[melfly]

Hiya sorry to sound like the substrate police but i would seriously change those pebbles now. Axolotls grow quickly and soon they will be bein swallowed. They can cause a blockage and the axolotl can die. I'm not sayin it to be annoying its for the health of your axolotls. Mel

 

[Aimee]

I agree about the pebbles. Anything smaller than 2" is definitely dangerous. I think you'll find a similar consensus from everyone else on this site. It needs to be removed. Axolotls' mouths are like vacuums which can lead to accidentally swallowing them. This can be fatal.

 

[kiwi32]

Here are the promised pictures.If those are too small,I don't see what I can put witouth hurting visual aspect.I don't like sand and found it hard to clean in the past with another tank and fishes.

And here is an extra picture of my cat waiting for halloween kids,I just couldn't resist putting it there:rofl:

Thanks for your help!:frog:

 

[Kerry1968]

Yep, too small!

Sand works fine for an axolotl tank and is easy to keep clean.

By far the easiest to keep clean is a bare-bottomed tank, but lots of people don't like the look of a glass floor in the tank.

I would say small stones/pebbles are the worst substrate to have in regards keeping the floor of the tank clean, it is inevitable that waste drops between the crevices and it is hard to get all the bits out without moving all the stones.

 

[kiwi32]

Hi,
In my experience sand have been harder to clean since my gravel vacuum will vacuum the sand,and also since it sometimes get in the filter.Also,you can see where food may stay if it gets in the gravel with rock,with sand you cannot see it...
I'll cehck what they have at my local pet shop.
Thanks

 

[kiwi32]

Here is an update for the withe axol situation:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...-food-only-eating-each-2-days.html#post213517