Question: Controlled Environment?

[AxalotMel]

Hi everyone!
I am new to the wonderful world of axolotls. I bought my first Axolotl over a week ago- Amber. My second was bought exactly a week later- Merlin. The first night they were put in the same tank, they mated! The next day, Amber was laying eggs all over the tank. I think we're up to about 160 or so eggs, but there got too many to count. They are attached to the plants, rocks and between the rocks too, so removing them would be interesting.
I was under the impression that axolotls needed a strict controlled environemt in order to mate and reproduce successfully? Temperature, water, maturity of the animals, light, water movement etc. Does this mean I'm doing everything 'perfectly,' or am I just lucky? Or are my axies just overenthusiastic? I mean, they were together ONE DAY!

I am very used to looking after all kinds of animals, but this still seems daunting.
I have a few questions:
Should I remove the eggs, or the adults?
The adults are in a 2 foot long tank, and the only spare tank I have is 1 foot long- is that enough for all the babies?
I also have a white storage tub that is 2 foot by 1- could I use that for them?
When feeding the larvae, I read brine shrimp is ok- what are the requirements when feeding brine shrimp?
Finally, what is the minimum space requirement for newly hatched to juvenile axolotls?

Sorry there's so many questions, but I feel a little overwhelmed. I'm sure I can do this though, and am willing to do all possible for the survival of these precious little things.
Thanks for any replies!

 

[blueberlin]

Hello and welcome to the world of rearing larvae!

It is easy to understand why you are overwhelmed, but you will find the answer to all of your questions here!

First, start at this page on breeding: http://www.axolotl.org/breeding.htm
It will lead you to the page on rearing: http://www.axolotl.org/rearing.htm
That page is full of information and links, including to the article on microfoods: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/microfoods.shtml

My larvae grew roughly 1 cm per week so be sure you have room for them in advance. I kept them in nursery baskets hanging around the edge of the parents' aquarium as I had no other tank, but most people keep the larvae in separate containers (like ice cream tubs) and empty the water each day.

At some point (early on) you will have to decide how many larvae you want to raise because it is a lot of work (and they eat a LOT of food) and they will need a home once they are adult. Whatever larvae you do not want can be given to the parents, who will quickly dispose of them. In the first two weeks after hatching, you can expect many deaths (so don't panic). I waited two weeks and then chose the ones I wanted to raise.

Good luck - read up here all you can, and if you still have questions, you know where to find us!

-Eva

 

[ali000]

Hi, welcome to the world of axies.

axolotls mate like rabbits (or do rabbits mate like axolotls) so if you intend to keep the adults together you will get many many eggs.

There is a section further down the list on this forum for buying and selling (or giving away) this would be a good place to get rid of surplus eggs/larvae, or as Eva suggested let the adults do that for you

A one foot tank will be fine for the eggs for a short while, however I'm sorry to say that I think a 2ft tank is way too small for 2 adult axies so I would suggest you invest in a larger tank anyway (3ft+ will be fine).

Good luck with all your babies and keep coming on the forum to let us know how you are doing.
Ali xx

 

[Kaysie]

If you don't want to raise all the babies (and I HIGHLY suggest you don't try), you can leave the eggs in the tank and the parents will dispose of them as nature dictates. Keep in mind that with appropriate care, axolotls have a near 100% survival rate.

 

[AxalotMel]

Thanks for the replies, they were very helpful and it's great to hear from fellow caudata owners.
blueberlin, I scanned through those links when I first bought my axolotls, and then when I first found they were mating. They're great articles, very helpful- I feel my head's going to explode with all this new information. I've bred budgies, dogs, quails and frogs but never axolotls. Nothing I've ever raised have been canabalistic or have been totally new to me!

ali000- We just bought the biggest tank we could afford at the moment, because tragically our four foot tank was found to have a huge crack in the bottom the day the axolotl came home. They were going to go in there We had to buy two new tanks to fit in all our fish and the new axolotls. As they grow, I'll make sure they have enough space.

Kaysie- My plan was to take out all the eggs which are attached to the plastic plants, as I heard they develop better than the eggs on rocks. I'l leave the rest of the eggs to the parents, as hard as that is for me! Is there a chance any will survive with the parents?

At the moment, I have prepared the 1 foot tank with a filter and it is all ready. Am I right to put a goldfish in there to get to the bacteria growing and settle the ammonia levels? I'll set up the tub tonight or tomorrow. How often must the water be changed with a filter, and without one? Are baby axolotls more or less sensative to water changes than adults? Full water changes or half?

Thanks again, any more suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[blueberlin]

I scanned through those links when I first bought my axolotls, and then when I first found they were mating. They're great articles, very helpful- I feel my head's going to explode with all this new information.

I know that feeling so well. You'll be going back to those articles time and again. One day you'll have it all down, though. It isn't that much, really, just a bit overwhelming at first - especially when you feel that you're pressed for time.

Is there a chance any will survive with the parents?

Yes there is, but the parents will catch the larvae sooner or later and eat them, too. :frog:

Am I right to put a goldfish in there to get to the bacteria growing and settle the ammonia levels?

It would be best if you could cycle the tank without any animals in the water at all. If you haven't already, check this article: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

How often must the water be changed with a filter, and without one? ... Full water changes or half?

With filter: If there are animals in it, you need to change at least 20% of the water daily as the chemicals produced while the tank is still cycling are toxic. Without filter: I have no idea, anybody else have input?

Are baby axolotls more or less sensative to water changes than adults?

The larvae are much more sensitive than adults.

Continued wishes for good luck!

-Eva

 

[AxalotMel]

Thanks Again, you're very helpful! I've read carefully through the links again and absorbed more information. My only problem now is what to feed them? I can't order of the internet. I know my petstore has brineshrimp, but they are too big aren't they? My only other option would be pond creatures, finely sliced earthworms and/or crushed pellets. I'll go to the petstore soon and see what else they've got! I also don't have a fliter for the tub, but there's alot of space in there- I guess I'd just clean it out twice a day?
There will be more questions I'm sure, thanks for your help!

 

[blueberlin]

Young hatchlings do not have much of a sense of smell and can't see very well, so that they depend on detecting movement to find their food. For the first month or so, it is therefore best to have them literally swimming in (live) food.

I fed mine on daphnia. You should be able to get these at a pet shop, too (I do). Even daphnia will be too large for some of the larvae (I am convinced that this was the cause of the many deaths in the first two weeks). Generally, the best food for new hatchlings is considered to be newly hatched brine shrimp, which are even smaller than daphnia. This means that you would have to culture the brine shrimp yourself - info about this is in the microfoods article (as linked above). I did not culture brine shrimp and am still buying live food for my larvae - I kept 24 and was spending roughly 70 euros a week on live food. Just so you know. If at all possible, it is definitely worthwhile to culture your own foods. There are also many threads in the Live Foods forum about raising mosquito larvae, daphnia, and brine shrimp.

-Eva