Hi all .. newbie here ...

[angelwitch]

Hiya all..

my name`s kez and i`m new here .. also new to posting threads..

I`ve kept coldwater fish and dogs for some years now.. me an andy ..my worse half :ha::ha: went to get supplies last week and saw some axi`s for the 1st time ever... what weirdly beautiful creatures

nearly bought them that day, but decided to leave it, curiosity got the better an i done a web search about them.. where i found you helpful sounding guy`s.. so i rang up the next morning and they are going to keep them for me I`m going to collect them both on wednesday and can`t wait ...

So any hints , tip`s or avice would be greatly appreciated whilst i`m wading through this vast site.. sooo much to read

look forward to hearing from you all ..
Have a nice day... I no i will :wink:

 

[Kaysie]

www.axlotl.org is a great place to start, if you haven't already.

You should cycle your tank, as per the article found here: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml as well as this article here: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/waterquality.shtml This should be fairly familiar to you, if you've kept fish.

You should NOT trust anything the pet shop says. Don't use gravel, whatever you do. Get yourself a turkey baster for poop removal.

Keep your tank cold, provide lots of hiding spots, and be sure your tank is of adequate size to house the number of individuals you're going to get.

 

[tashie7161]

Hey there Kez, welcome to the forum. Its always good to read up first before hand. you will have to show us some pics of them when you get them.

Kaysie has gave the best links already! lol and shes very right, pet shop owners will tell you anything to get you to buy them! and gravel is a big no no, some people leave the tanks bare or have sand, i have sand Unfortunately when i had my first axie she had been with gravel before i had her, and it had already clogged her up and she didn't make it. You shouldn't keep them with other fish either as fish tend to like to nibble at their gills.

How big is your tank? As for having two axies a 3ft tank is best for them, they prefer more base to walk on, you can fill your tank, mine is 3/4 full as krystal loves swimming about.

Try and get quite a few plants, mainly leafy! they like playing hide and seek! lol also if you don't have one in your tank already its good to have thermometer, which are only like 99p from wilkos, just helps you keep an eye on the temp, personally i would say anything above 20 is a warning signal and you should start taking precautions to make sure the temp doesn't get any warmer.

Do you already have a filter? if so, check if it gives off heat. Because some do and they can effect your tank!

Hope I've helped Keep us up dated!

 

[angelwitch]

many thanks for your tips

many thanks kaysie and tasha for this ..

even though i have kept fish for many years i haven`t ever used the test kits,
jus kept it clean and have added neutraliser weekly has worked a treat for me..
but after reading them articles , i think i`ve been lucky for them to be growing so well..
i could do with pulling my finger out a bit more with them i think, the aim with them is to have a big pond in the garden for them..
we`ve picked them up now and currently have them in a 2.5ft tank but hopefully soon they will move into my koi`s 3ft as i am praying i get a 6ft soon for them..
the tip about the heat of the filter was fab, i wouldn`t have thought of it
and the turkey baster ... :violent: wish i`d knew about that years ago.. much to my koi`s disgust..
well off to learn how to upload pics..

once again thank you kaysie and tasha

 

[sallyistheangel]

Hiya all, like everyone here I'm a "newbie" been looking at axolotls for nearly 20 years so when my 6 yo son said mum I want one it was like a dream come true. Just added another tank and another mouth to feed to my zoo. Living in Australia (and it has been a cold winter) I have heated the water for him/her, Rex to my friends. I'm hoping this is the right thing to do, I've had frogs, tropical fish, cold water fish and lizards not to mention the fuzzy ones, dogs, cats and rabbits and the badly behave ones (the kids) so just want some advice of water temp, Rex started eating once the water was warm so don't really want to cool it down - any advice at all is welcome..thanks

 

[digger]

hi and welcome
ideally you should keep the water temp below 20 degrees,they prefer water to be colder as they come from glazier fed lakes.
the fact that he was not eating could have been due to the new enviroment.
depending on age and size will also dictate the amount they eat and how active they are
my advice would be to turn off your heater and let them settle you should soon find that they eat mormally.
if the water is to warm they become prone to stress and threfore open to infections such as fungus.
i dont mean to sound gloomy but just thought i would point out some of the pitfalls.