Conflicting information

[danny]

Hi all.

I bought an axolotl just over a month ago, I was shopping for a Christmas present for my father, bought him a tiger shovelnose catfish, and the shop had a few Axolotls. I'd never seen them before and was fascinated with them and just had to have one. I know "impulse" buying of pets is never good, but I've plenty of experience with fish so know about setting up aquariums, water quality, etc.

He's currently on his own in an 15 (UK) gallon tank but will be moving to a three-footer once I've cleared space for it so he can have a companion. The tank was set up with 70% aged water from three well-established tanks (over four years old) and 30% new water, de-chlorinated, and aged sponges in the filter so I had no worries about water quality or cycling - water's clear as crystal and no problems with him settling in at all. I've been feeding him catfish pellets and bloodworm and he's had no problems eating, but doing my research with google I've found a lot of conflicting information. One specific thing I'm worried about is treating him should he get ill.

I use Seachem Paraguard for my tropicals and was planning on using it should Axl ever get ill but it does contain Malachite Green. On the axolotl.org website it says this is highly toxic for him, but on another axolotl keeping FAQ they say it's fine in small doses. It seems that most websites referring to care of axolotls are based in the USA and they often mention remedies I've never heard of, so was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on treating him should he ever develop a problem, preferably with UK brand name products so I can track them down easily.

Also with regards to food;I've read on the forum that many of you use earthworms as a staple diet - surely you don't mean just going into my garden and digging some up? And since he loves frozen bloodworm, would frozen cichlid mix, tropical mix, and frozen shrimp (approx 1" long) be good for him? I feed these to my tropics and cichlids (the shrimp are for the larger fish obviously) so I've got plenty of them.

 

[heather]

Im not exactly an expert but, going into the garden and digging up some worms is exactly what i do and my axolotls love them! they snap em up real quick. They are also a very good staple food source, hehe delicious and nutritious!
not sure about the meds, i never had any problems that couldnt be cured with a water change or a salt bath. though i did use some meds before and found out later i didnt really need them

good luck with your axie!

 

[jenny]

If you go to wormsdirect.co.uk you can get 400 worms for £6 inc free postage. you can also get them in larger numbers or 'cleaned' worms.

The worms come in a tub and usually arrive the next day by a not so happy looking postman carrying a tub saying 'live worms'

 

[amy]

if your axies ever get anchor worm, a few drops of lifebearer usually sorts them out in about 48 hours. things that contain malachite green should be avoided as should meds that warn against use on scaleless fish such as corys, sharks and rays. otherwise, it is usually safe at half dose for double the length of treatment time. hope this helps

lovely size tank for him, too. they need a min of 10 US gals each so 15 UK gals is almost 20 US gals! you could have one more!! have fun with your axie! theyre great fun!

 

[danny]

Thanks for the help, I shall definitely get some worms for him (and pictures if I can borrow someone's digicam, my phone cam and webcam don't do him justice).