New to the world of amphibians...

[ellenant]

Hello all!

I am new into axolotl...

4 days ago I got 2 cute young axolotl, Max (brown)
and Suzie (white).

Of course I know they are too young to tell sexes yet, but I thought the
names are kind of nice for them

Together with their brothers and sisters they were bred in an university lab for student demonstrations. But they became too many, and the babies became too big, so they were distributed to interested students like me.
I always wanted one.

And after I am one of the lab demonstrators, I had first choice on the animals....:grin::grin::grin:

I especially liked Max, because he was the only animal to look up at me when I looked
into the container...
Bad thing I did -- after I heart that the axolotl are given away, I got my two, WITHOUT having a tank set up at home. So the two animals spend their first night at home in a bucket. At least the bucket had the colour as the plastic container they were in before.
They are missing their legs, they only have little stumps, although they are already 10cm long.

I guess this is due to the dense packed situation with all their
little cannibalistic siblings when they were at uni...
but after axolotl can regrow limbs, that should be fine, shouldnt it?


Now they have a 50l tank for themselves, with hidey-holes

for the first time in their live, and also a variety of food.:lick::lick::lick:
Can you imagine the excitement of Max and Suzie when they had their first encounter with frozen blood worms?
:lick::lick::lick:

Suzie does not know what to do with the wood louse
I caught for her...
This is a picture on my tank

I did not include gravel, because they swallow it? I did not want to do surgery on my new animals first thing after I got them! I did not include filter, only airbubbles, I saw on the net they hate current? But I am happy with frequent water changes--
20% per week okay?
I also used started bacteria and dechlorinators for the tap water, after the tap water is chlorinated here in NZ. After I do not have a car, driving to get filtered water is not an option.

I know there was a discussion on a German board about the toxicity of dechlroinators, but to be honest, after reading the reasons (they gave the ingredients of dechlorinators) I could not see why these things could cause liver problems... I am also in e-mail contact with the Tetra people at the moment discussing this German discussion...


Suggestions, comments and critics towards my pictures and this threat are very welcome, as I said, these are my first axolotl.
I am especially curious how long it takes for them to regrow
their little leggies?

I am very happy to have found this site and I love all the pics of your animals!

 

[oregon newt]

Well it seems like you've done your reseaech.:blob: The only thing I'm concerned about is whether you cycled the tank. If not, you will need to be doing water changes and monitoring your parameters.

 

[ellenant]

Thank you WillFitz!
Well, thats exactly my problem!!!!
I got the animals fírst, then the tank.
So I have NOT cycled the tank.
This is why I added starter bacteria and I also do a water change (10%)
every day. Is that okay?

 

[oregon newt]

Sounds good.

 

[ellenant]

Great! Thank you!