My Axy wont stop eating!

[saided]

From the moment I plopped her in my tank a week ago she has been eating my small community fish. I am not upset about this at all, I actually went and got her 10 goldfish feeders which she went through in about 2 1/2 days. She also eats bloodworms whenever she smells them. Should I start limiting how often she eats or just let her do her thing? She's about 7 inches.

 

[Shizeric]

Seems she'll still growing, but 10 goldfish is definitely too many for any axolotl. Feeder fish should be used rarely as treats, and you should also be quarantining them for about a month to ensure your axie doesn't get sick. Axies are usually good about not over eating, but it seems yours may not have that same self-control. Just make sure it's not becoming overweight (their body is not wider than its head).

 

[Coastal Groovin]

I have kept and bred fish since I was 13. I'm 38 now so I would say I have alot of experience when I tell you Goldfish are the worse thing you can feed either fish or Axolotls. They carrry more desease and parasites than anything you could ever put in your tank. They can suck you Axies gills right off with one good bite. Have you not read anything on this site about the dangers of Goldfish or are you just ignoreing them?
If you want to indroduce a fungal infection to you Axie goldfish are the way to do it.
Axolotls do not eat goldfish naturally. Goldfish are not native to the Americas. Their large heads and sharp gill plates can prove a digestive nightmare for Axolotls. So stop feeding goldfish before we have to figure out how to save your Axie when you post in few weeks that it is sick.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

You should switch to a diet of mainly earthworms with bloodworms as a treat. Guppies, white cloud minnows, and rosy reds are all appropiate fish to keep with axolotls PROVIDED they are quarantined first. An axolotl of that size should only be fed around 3 times a week at most assuming it is already at a healthy weight.

 

[saided]

Where do you get live earth worms? None of the local pet stores have them, I've asked.
And thanks for the advice, I'll not feed it fish anymore.

 

[Niall W]

As long as you're CERTAIN no pesticides are used where you get them from, collecting them from your garden etc is fine

 

[Hofnarr]

As long as you're CERTAIN no pesticides are used where you get them from, collecting them from your garden etc is fine

I breed my own worms... in a bucket in the kitchen!
It is quite easy and I always have plenty of fresh worms.

 

[saided]

I'm in a college dorm, so I dont have access to good places to find worms here in this town, or to breed them. Thank you for your suggestions. I'll keep looking for solutions.

 

[angyles]

Fred Meyer sells worms in the sporting goods section as fish bait.

 

[darwinthesun]

Almost anywhere that sells fishing licenses or fishing bait will have earthworms. You might have to cut it in half for a 7-inch axie depending on the size of the worm.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

Walmart also has them in the sporting goods section. They usually have 2 kinds, troutworms and nightcrawlers. The nighcrawlers would be your best bet since some axies dislike the taste of the troutworms.

 

[michaelaf]

wow goldfish? one thing ive learned is goldfish will eat everything. even eachother. i had 2 cosmos and 1 black moor goldfish. all i can say is the black moor was gone and i have a lid. i searched my entire tank nothing. they also eat my plants so i wouldnt put a goldfish in with an axie.

 

[saided]

Oh good idea with the sporting goods worms! And these were really tiny gold fish that couldn't pose a threat. And now they are gone. Thanks for all the help, I havn't fed her today, and she seems to be scouring the tank for food under the river rocks. What a fatty!

 

[Harry Thompson]

How do you breed worms¿ I regularly buy a bucket or two, and making them last longer would be valuable information

 

[Shizeric]

From my understanding, worm farms are nothing more than containers of regular soil with worms in them. As long as you provide food and healthy conditions, the worms will breed.

 

[Blaze]

Fill a bucket up with dirt. Wet it until it is all moist, but not saturated. Give them food scraps every now and again (depends on how many worms you have). But not citrus or onion. PLace them in a cool area and put some glad wrap over it with some small holes poked through. Thats how I keep mine!!

 

[Jennewt]

For information about growing worms, read through the Live Foods section of this forum. Or google it. It's not exactly true that worm farms are containers of regular soil - compost worms don't do well in regular soil, they need a lighter substrate like coir, peat moss or shredded newspaper. Also note that only certain kinds of worms can be raised at home. Gotta start with the right kind of worms.