Live feeding? Guppies?

[kim]

<font color="aa00aa"><font face="arial,helvetica"></font> Ive had spunky and Jynx for about 2 months now (seems much longer) and they happly eat cow's heart, tubifex (as a treat) bloodworm,</font>} live and frozen and high protien pellets.

I'm goin away for the weekend soon and im sure my parents dont want to sick there hands in the tank. Ive read on quite a few websites that feeder guppies are good as they can live along side them and they aren't gill nibblers!
And spunky and jynx can have the old midnight snack!

So what do everyone think? i want something that can easly live along side them as i dont have much room in my bedroom.

p.s. Any idea how old an axolotl is when is around 4-5inch long?

 

[sharon]

Um, no clue on how old they are at that size.

I did try baby mollies in one of my axo tanks. 20 + babies lasted about 5 or 6 days, a few disappearing each night, with 7 three or four inch axos in the tank.

The problem with feeder fish or any live foods is the possible transmission of parasites and diseases.

I'm not sure why your parents need to stick their hands in their tanks for the snack feeding anyway or maybe its for the clean up? You could try buying a battery powered gravel vac. I was thinking of getting one to vac up excess food. I'm not sure how well they will work in a bare bottom tank or it will have any effect but they were excellent in my fish tanks.

Um at any rate 2 days is nothing. Your parents could skip the snack the first day, feed the late on the second and you could clean up when you get home. Just a thought.

Sharon

 

[kim]

Thanks Sharon for the info,

I hand feed them both, and i know that my parents wont want to stick there hands in there for general feeding... (they think im mad getting them as it is lol).

But we do have a tropical tank with some 6week old mollies in and mum is due to have some more!! The tank is getting full so instead of letting the angles eat the next lot maybe my 'otls will.

Has anyone else had any experiance which will help? And can anyone help with there age?

 

[sharon]

Well, maybe you can help me! How do you hand feed axos' that small? I thought I would have to wait until mine were bigger w/bigger pellets.

And just to clarify. The baby mollies simply lived in the tank amongst some pond plants, I gave them flake food twice a day. I continued to feed my axos their regular pellet/blood worm diet.

Sharon

 

[katy]

I would hazard a guess at about 4 months old, though it does depend largely on what they've been fed when growing. They could be underdeveloped 6 month olds if they had a poor diet when they were little.

 

[jessica]

hey

Um...Please correct me if i'm wrong...but axos and fish are COMPLEATLY differant and they should not pass anything between them.

Your axolotls will be fine with out feed for 2 days. There is a pet store in a city near me and they always have axolotls. She gets in axolotls and selles them with in a month...and doesn't feed them at all! They look a bit slow toward the end, but are still perfectly find after 1-2 weeks.

As with live food...what temp do you keep your axolotls tank at? If it is below 19-20, tropical fedders will soon become sick. if it IS blow 19, Try getting some thing like zebra danios or barbs.

hope this helps
Jessoca

 

[kim]

Sharon, hand feeding is really cool!! Ive been doing it since the day i got them!

What i tend to do when feeding bloodworms (frozen&live)to keep the water clean is take them out (the axos'that is)and put them in a smaller container. I break the cubes up into smaller chunks (mouthful size) and then wiggle it in front of there faces. Sometimes it can take a while for them to grab it but just keep trying.

When i feed them heart i cut it up into mouthfull size as well but i leave them in there tank for this as its not really messy then i just wiggle it at them.

Sometimes tho i do end up with Spunky on my finger! It doesnt hurt and he soon remembers that he cant get my finger in his mouth!

Its really cute as they have got used to my hands in the tank they always come up to say hello and sometimes even a nibble!

My Axos' tank is noramlly at 19-20! I know this isnt a great temp but i cant seem to get it down anymore other than a frozen bottle or 2 floating in the top. Any ideas on cooling... and i cant get a air con system!

I have been told by quite a few people that Axos' can pick up parasites and diseases very easly from there food is this true?

One more thing! Im really not sure what type of feeder fish to try, as i know loads of them like barbs are gill nibblers and i dont think Spunky and Jynx would like that. Not sure about Mollies tho, but something i know is that guppies dont!

Anyone else?

 

[michael]

Hi Jayjay,
You said to correct you if you are wrong so I will. According to "Developmental Biology of the Axolotl" by Armstrong and Malacinski pp 268 and 269 Some fish related parasites that axolotls get are Hexamita, Opalina. Costia, and Trichodina. I'm sure their are more.
I wouldn't recommend using barbs as feeders. They can take the low temperatures but are notorious nippers. I think most axolotls would have trouble chasing down a danio.
Axolotls will nip at each other if they go 1 to 2 weeks without feed. A couple days shouldn't be a problem. Just feed heavy before you leave.

 

[kim]

Thank Michael!

I would like to give them some feeder fish just so they can try and catch it... they must get bored in the tank all day lol

They have plants and rocks but you know what i mean, just something to keep them happy!

 

[clarence]

I've had good luck with BABY danio, but the adults are far too flightly to be fodder. In fact, they lost all fear of the axos, and the axos all but stopped snapping at them when both parties realized that adult danio are just to quick.

I like using baby feeders, if only because it keeps the water clear of any insect larvea that might otherwise arise.

 

[kim]

Ok thanks for all the help!

One more question, im in England where on earth do i find feeder fish that hopefully dont have parasites and diseases.

Cheers!

 

[clarence]

Well, there's always a risk of parasites. I go to a local petshop that keeps and breeds their own feeders for both sale and in-store use. I've gone there for years and never had problems. Look for petstores in your area that do the same.

Similarly/alternatively, you could try raising your own.

 

[kim]

Just an update,

my mum has a tropical tank and one of her Mollies has had babies, i put two of them in the tank the other day and they were gone in oh about a second(but mum wont let me have any more boo hoo)

So i went to my pet shop were i got Spunky and Jynx from... and they had a selection of about 20 baby and adult guppies(they did me a very good deal only £5!) and they also sell a plastic tank divider with holes in so no need for another filter.

So what i've done is taken a section of about 3-4 inches off the end of the tank with the divider and put them in there, its great as i now have food on tap for them. And guppies are very easy to breed and go in cold water!

They said if they over breed they will have them back which is great!!

And the most funny thing is to watch spunky and jynx looking through the plastic at them... they cant wait until i put a couple in for them!

 

[sharon]

I wonder if I were to drop a breeder net into the axo tank, load it with guppies, if the axos would be clever enough to find their way over the top???

I've got the net, I've got the guppies, I should try it....

Sharon

 

[kim]

hey Sharon,

Since i put the guppies in with a see-through divider they both sit there and watch... when the fish move they move! lol sooo funny to see!

When ive got a few more babies i'll start feeding them to the axo's

 

[katy]

I don't think guppies will breed in cold water. They're a tropical fish and while they will happily live in colder temperatures, they need the warmer temperatures to breed, as far as I know.