New to Axolotls

[Marimoo67]

A short backstory, I got Axle on a impulse and I’m really scared I’ll kill him especially after reading everything here. I got him from a guy when I got my Spanish newts. We had been communicating about them and when we met at the Walmart, social distancing lol.He held up this bag with the cutest axolotl just so I could see what he looked like. It was instant love and I was half afraid for his life. The guy was kind of casual about his guys eating each other. I had been told they are super hard. I went out and got a ten gallon set up for him we will upgrade to a twenty at some point. Anyway the more I read the more I get confused. I didn’t really cycle his tank I filled it and put some of the jump start stuff in it and let it sit overnight just so the temperatures would be about the same I didn’t want to shock him. He’s survived so far. My grands aren’t so supporting lol. He’s a carnivore they told me so won’t eat the newt pellets I was given. I got him small worms in an attempt to feed him that was a good thing I’m seeing here. I also learned he likes to eat at night. I’m getting lots of ideas here. I’ve never been so terrified I’ll kill something before. Please help me with some ideas please. I got some plastic plants and a cute skull for him. I intend to do more when I can get to pet smart to get some plants. I know no jagged edges on his furniture. I will be using the filter that came with the tank after I learned to defuse it or do I really need a sponge filter instead. Sorry this is so long.

 

[Murk]

Hi!
Obviously, buying a pet on a whim is never the best idea, but what's done is done.

Axolotls can be very easy pets, if you take the time to do things slowly and calmly. They don't like big, sudden changes, but can handle a lot as long as it's stable.
As such, it would have been much better if you had cycled the tank before. If you keep a close eye on the water parameters, though, it's very possible to do an in-tank cycle.

So that's the most important thing; keeping the tank clean and the water of good quality. A fully cycled tank does a lot of the work for you - since you do not have that, you'll have to do more cleaning and more water changes than usual.
How is the quality of your tap water? Is it chlorinated, or very hard?

Second thing would be food. Small worms are good; I'm a big fan of earth worms.
Give him a lot. It's hard to overfeed an axolotl.
Do make sure you remove all uneaten food (and poop, if you can) as soon as possible. An uncycled tank won't be able to cope with rotting food.

As for filter, most filters are fine. Sponge filters are very low-maintenance and cheap, so a popular choice, but any filter will do as long as you take good care of it.

All else - plants, lighting, substrate, etc. - is fun, but far less important for the first days/weeks.

 

[Marimoo67]

Thank you