How do I get started?

[melgado22]

Hello!
I have been doing research in axolotls for a month now and finally decided I'm ready to get one. I just purchased a 30 gallon tank and filter, it's still in the box. As far as "new tank syndrome" is there anything I should be doing in adance? Also, the place that sells them in town has the albino and could possibly order me a different color I just can't tell the difference between melanoid and wild type.. I've tried googling the difference, not finding much. Anyway, I plan on having live plants would it be wise to have them already growing for a couple months, and if I do will I have to have a few fish in there with the plants? I'm just not sure how sensitive they are... Or if I'm over thinking it. I just don't want to be careless.. Thanks

 

[auntiejude]

Well you've made a good start by signing up here!
The first thing to get your head around is cycling. You need to grow some bacteria in you filter that will process the watse produced by your axie(s). Look it up and be prepared to spend the next month getting it sorted. Fishless cycling is a good choice if you don't yet have any animals.

The difference between wildtype and melanoid is simple - iridophores. These are the shiney patches you get in wildtypes that you don't get in melanoids. There is a great resource here on the different genes and colours.

 

[keiko]

Yes, there is one very important thing you need to do in advance: cycling. Don't buy fish just to help cycle the new tank, google fishless cycling and do that before you buy any axolotls. You can put plants in there while cycling, but they aren't necessary for it.

One way to tell if an axie is a wild type or melanoid is looking in the eye and see if it has a gold ring in it - wild types do and melanoids don't. Basically melanoids only have dark pigment and wild types also have yellow and shiny pigments. Here's a great link about the different colors (and other stuff too): axolotl.org/genetics.

 

[melgado22]

Thank you both for the info, I'll definitely start the cycling process! Just not sure which color I like best, haha

 

[ClockworkParrot]

I personally suggest getting your new lotl from one of the breeders on this site. I have heard many horror stories about pet shop axolotls and from the ones I have seen in pet stores its obvious that many just dont know how to take proper care of them. I got my two shipped from a breeder here and they are both happy and healthy.