Question: Baby axolotls tank??

[mewsha]

Instead of getting axolotl eggs, i am going to be getting 2 baby axolotls which would have just started growing legs. I have no idea when i will be picking them up, although they are apparently 1-1.5cm big right now, they hatched sometime in august.

I'm currently setting up the tank i will keep them in, and because they are known to be cannibalistic, i was thinking of keeping one in a decent sized plastic fish/mouse tank thing. I will be doing water changes everyday to make sure water quality is good. The tanks will be cleaned everyday. In the tanks i want to put plants in pots to help with ammonia and hides, the tanks will have no substrate. The water level in the tank which isnt fully set up is 5 inches.

Whilst the babies are growing up in there, I will be setting up and cycling a 2ft tank called the Juwel Korall 60, which is a 54L tank. In this tank i will be putting in sand (from the petshop), live plants and an airstone. the tank comes with a filter, although i do not know whether it is a strong filter or not. Kellyville pets is selling an axolotl package which includes this tank and other stuff, so i'm guessing that the tank would be suitable for axolotls?

Questions:

1) does this plan seem alright?

2) do live plants help aerate water?

3) is it bad that the tanks wont have a filter even though i will be changing the water daily?

4) how much water should i change daily to ensure water quality is good?

5) would two axolotls be happy in a 2ft tank?

6) are plastic fish tanks safe to use? eg: http://i01.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/278/251/573/573251278_065.JPG (but larger)

7) is it possible to feed axolotls (that have just grown legs) frozen bloodworms? If so, would they have to be cut in half?

8) how long are axolotls cannibalistic for?

I will most likely be posting more questions when they come to mind.

Thank you in advance!

 

[axys]

its good tht u are trying to learn first so here are wht my answers to ur questions would be

1) does this plan seem alright?

yes it seems alright however 54l is about 14 gallons and thts a bit too small to house 2 adult axolotls in when they grow up. it should be atleast a 20 gallon tank. also if u buys and cycle a 20 gallon LONG tank right now wht u could do is once its cycled buy a tank divider at a petshop (costs about 15 bucks). split the tank into literally 1 10 gallon sections and as soon as its cycled u can put one baby on each side. in my experience i think letting axolotls get to know eachother is a good way of avoiding future problems.

i am taking care of 2 about 5-6 inch axolotls who would still be considered in the cannibalistic stage i believe. i had them in the same 20g long tank with a divider for a little less than a month and during tht time it was really interesting and fun to watch them interact with each other. they would come right up to the screen and just stare at each other and do playful things.

i took out their divider on monday and watched them closely just to see how things would go and so far so good, no bitting or nipping, they seem to enjoy each others company actually. tht being said u have to keep them well fed and provide 2 separate hiding places to make sure u dont put them into a situation tht could encourage cannabalistic behavior. if u do this i would not take out the divider till they are atleast 5 inches as mine are and since all axolotls have different personalities make sure to watch them very closely for the first few days or even weeks to be sure tht neither one is aggressive towards the other. any negative signs and the divider should go right back in.


2) do live plants help aerate water?

im not too informed on water plants however i know tht they take in and use some of the harmful nitrites and nitrates i believe and they are kind of nice decor and things for ur axolotl to mess with so i dont see a negative side to the plants. someone else might be better able to answer ur actual question.

3) is it bad that the tanks wont have a filter even though i will be changing the water daily?

i would say a filter is a must especially for 2 axolotls. even if the tank is cycled, a cycled tank is much better with a filter. the reason being is the substrate in the filter makes a nice and lasting bed for ur bacteria colonies to live on so even if for some reason u have to fully clean out ur tank u still have cycled material tht will make cycling a tank for the second time much easier and faster. also ur cycle is probably less likely to crash. its just more stable. the water quality in my opinion is much better too. it doesnt have to be something super expansive or fancy, just functional.

i guess u can do daily water changes atleast when they are young but think about it, if for some reason u cant be at home one day or u want to go on vacation wht will u do? u can always buy some pellets and a timed feeder but idk i just think a filter will get rid of the hassle. wht im trying to say is its probably possible to do without a filter but its not worth it. u are saving time and money in the long run and avoiding possible health problems tht might spring from the lack of a filter.

4) how much water should i change daily to ensure water quality is good?

i would say it depends on if ur tank is cycled or not, in a cycled tank probably 20% ish. in a non cycled tank probably the more is better. again i seriously encourage you to buy a filter.

5) would two axolotls be happy in a 2ft tank?

when they are fully grown i would say no. the smallest i think is okay for 2 grown axolotls is a 20 long as i mentioned earlier and tht has dimentions of 30x12x12, so 6 added inches. the rule of thumb is atleast 10 gallons per axolotls. the more the better tho, you want to provide the best environment for ur animals as possible so if u have room for it and can afford it then go big, tht was if u want u wont have to buy a new tank if u decide to get another axy in the future.

6) are plastic fish tanks safe to use? eg: http://i01.i.aliimg.com/img/pb/278/2...251278_065.JPG (but larger)

i am unable to see the photo but with containers wht i have been told is either use very high quality plastic ones or glass. cheap plastic will leak toxins into the water and possibly harm ur cuties.

7) is it possible to feed axolotls (that have just grown legs) frozen bloodworms? If so, would they have to be cut in half?

i have seen it done and i think its a possibility. depends on the size of the bloodworms, i have never seen them in person however from pictures and videos they look pretty small so i think a whole one might be fine. if u find tht u axolotls look like they are struggling to swallow or spit it back out then yeah cure cut it in half. it depends on ur axolotl. also i dont know how much this applies to baby axolotls but i have been told tht bloodworms are not too nutritious. u could try cutting earthworms into pretty small bite size pieces and put it on a food dish and see if them eat it. it usually takes them a while to realize there is food in the tank so maybe leave it out for an hour or two. if its still there after 2 hours get rid of it in order to not foul the water. soft sinking salamander/newt pellets are also an option.

8) how long are axolotls cannibalistic for?

i have been told till they are adults but have never actually come across a specific number or time. someone else might be answer this question more specifically and better than i can. like i said earlier tho these sort of stuff can depend on ur axolotl and its personality. how welll fed they are is also a very important factor. and over crowding. thts why a bigger tank is better. more room means they are less likely to bother each other. so far i have had success with 5-6 inches not being cannabalistic but them are n a 20g long and i feed them till they no longer want to eat so they have no reasons to go off biting off each others limbs.

i know my answers always run a bit long but i hope this helps good luck and dont ever feel like u are asking "too many question". there is no such a thing. im sure everyone on this great website would rather share their experiences and information with you rather than see something bad happen to your babies!

 

[axys]

one quick thing i forgot to mention. as they are babies people do usually keep them in plastic tubs and do daily water changes. i wasnt sure if u meant tht was how it was going to be even when they grew up or now. as youngsters i believe thts an acceptable method.

 

[Cacique]

I'll try to answer the bit that I can for you.

1. It could but it might need a bit of tweaking. I would actually recommend twice the size at least. A 151 liter or 40 gallon tank. I had my axolotl in a 10 gallon tank and a fully grown axoltol wouldn't have more than 1 or 2 inches of space if they stretched out.

2. Live plants do not aerate the water, but they eat (to my knowlege, at least) Nitrates. Nitrates are the end product of the cycle; ammonia > nitrites > nitrates, and then you water change to lower the nitrates. But this only goes one once the tank is cycled.

3. A filter would help, but as long as you did 100% water changes you would be ok. If you wanted a cheap filter you could use a sponge filter which are good and very inexpensive. You just connect the sponge filter to an air pump and you're set.

4. On an uncycled and unfiltered tank you would want 100% daily water changes I think. On a cycled tank with a filter I believe what Axys said would work.

5. I think it would be too crowded and could lead to aggression. You would want to give them the most space. Axys recommendation would be the minimum, but I would double that space so they can have space to move around. I have 1 axolotl in a 208 liter (55 gallon) tank at the moment and he walks and swims all over the place, I could probably add 2 or 3 more axolotls in there as it is 4 feet long. For size reference, your axolotl could easily be 10 inches (25 cm) long.

6. Yes, those little tanks I believe are called critter keepers. They should be safe for aquatic critters.

7. I'm not sure on this one as I'm not too familiar on baby axolotls. If they're too small for the blood worms I believe daphnia could work.

8. Axys got it down. I'm not sure if there's a specific age.

I wanted to add that a 20 gallon long (75 liter) is longer than the average 20 gallon, so Axys recommendation is good there. I have one for a shrimp tank and I think it would be a pretty good size for 1 or 2 axolotls. I would also mention that they grow quite quickly. My axolotl was about 6 cm (2.5 in) when I got him and he got up to 13 cm (5 in) within a couple of months.

 

[Xtophr]

1. The pet shop 'packages' are usually, um, not at all suitable, whether you're talking bearded dragons, axolotls, or other animals. Usually they're too small, the lights are wrong, etc.. It's really sad to see people walking out of a pet store with something that you know isn't going to turn out well.

The "packages" usually aren't any cheaper either, esp. if you get something, then need to replace it with the right thing later.

When the staff can't even explain the nitrogen cycle correctly, any advice is suspect.

There are always exceptions, but I've seen it with exotic pet stores as well.

2. Something to think about with plants is quarantine; they can carry all sorts of things.

3. An uncycled filter only acts as a mechanical filter (it won't reduce ammonia or nitrites). It also provides some (perhaps too much) agitation, and some aeration depending. I can't imagine getting a filter to attach to the Critter Keeper.with a lid, nor one that woudn't provide too much circulation. Perhaps a small sponge filter, but there's very little mechanical filtration with those. The water changes should be enough.

4. It depends on the size of the container, and the size of the axolotl. It's a function of the ratio of waste to the volume it will occupy. If the containers are too small, then more than once daily might be needed. In something the size of a lake, probably not needed too often. Aggressively cleaning out waste and extra food will help. Frequent testing will tell you what you need to do.

Just be careful to treat the water, get the temps to be identical, etc.. If you have extra containers, you can just move the axolotl to a second one, then clean the first, and then refill it for the next day, for instance.

5. A 20 gallon long is 30" long, 12" back-to-front (the length of an adult axolotl). I would not put more than one adult in there myself, not only from the space standpoint, but also from the waste-to-volume standpoint. More volume equals more of a safety margin for water parameters, including temperature changes. A 40 gallon breeder tank is 36" long, 18" back-to-front, and 6" deeper; so the amount of room it takes in your home is not much different, but it does make a difference to the occupants of the tank.

6. How big do they make those? You need a fair amount of water, as mentioned above. They also get kind of pricey compared to just plain old aquariums, esp. with $1 per gallon sales. I just use a spare 10 gallon and a spare 20 long for staging/quarantining.

I had never heard that about plastic bins; I've seen pictures around of people using them. I'd be interested in any links you might have regarding that.

8. I've heard everything from:
a) until they're 6 inches long
b) forever
c) not if they have places to hide
d) they only do that if their size difference is great enough
e) they only do that if you don't feed them enough

My guess would be a combination of d) and e); but having places to hide is probably a good idea anyway

 

[keiko]

Live plants DO help with oxygen levels in the water. After all plants do produce oxygen.

 

[mewsha]

thank you everyone!

I will only be getting one axolotl since 2ft isn't enough space for 2.

unfortunately in australia we dont have $1 per gallon sales (that i know of), if i did i would go crazy and buy a massive tank

i didn't buy the axolotl package because it is over priced and i wouldn't even use the pellets (which cost $23). it comes with pH kit, net, axolotl pellets, filter media, chemicals and the tank for $250, whereas the tank alone is $150.

 

[Cacique]

You could check out your local website for sale classifieds on used aquarium equipment. People often sell their second hand tanks on websites like craigslist for great prices. You might need to clean them up a bit but a lot are in great condition.

 

[mewsha]

i was looking on gumtree and found a 75cm x 75cm x 60cm (height) tank for $70!!! best thing is its in an area i can catch the bus from so hopefully i can get it tomorrow to start the cycling process

but before i do buy it, do you reckon its a good size for just one axolotl? i dont have room for it on my desk ahahaha

 

[mewsha]

well i cant catch the bus with this tank (what was i thinking???????) anyway i hope they can deliver it because it such a good tank

 

[keiko]

That would work great. It would be big enough for even a couple more axies, maybe up to 4. But it'll be pretty heavy so make sure you have a proper desk/stand for it.

 

[mewsha]

unfortunately i can't get that tank because i dont have a car, but i found a 50cm cube tank which they might be able to deliver (i hope).