Refrigeration??

[blueberlin]

Hi, I keep reading about people “popping” the axolotl into the fridge with the intention of helping and healing. As I understand it, the cooler temperature is restorative. I’m imagining being a little critter, though, who gets swept out of one environment and dumped into… an ice cream container? I’m trying to understand how being kept in a very small, shallow, slick-bottomed and -sided, uninteresting container next to the milk and yesterday’s leftovers can be good for an animal. “Well, I’m stuck in this box, I might as well poop.” haha

Sorry, I know I sound sarcastic; I really don’t mean it that way. I mean it to be funny, but I am truly concerned. If my axolotls seem stressed, would a trip to the old fridge-a-roo be a healing balm for them? It seems to me like a kind of helpful torture. Is it like us (humans) staying at a smoke free (for smokers), healthy food spa for awhile? If axolotl life is good in the fridge, should I give my axolotls a refrigerated “vacation” periodically throughout the year? For example, I could put them in the fridge for the first week of every second month. Would that do them a good turn?

Please advise.

Thank you,

-blue

 

[Lisa]

Axolotls are cold water amphibians; they like really cold water.
Frequently, stress and illness is related to warmer-than-is-ideal water ie 20 degrees and over and so a trip to the fridge which is dark (wrap container in towel ) and cold is preferable.
Even if their problems are not temperature-related, it helps them to de-stress and pass things such as gravel and other obstructions and heal wounds or fungal infections more quickly. As their metabolism slows down in the fridge, they are less active and often don't eat but don't lose much weight either.
I have put mine in the fridge as a preventative during very warm weather here over the last summer and he has come out healthier than he went in . I wouldn't do it though unless there was a clear reason to. That is, I don't think a periodic vacation is required unless he is unwell or it gets too warm in the tank.
But I understand people having reservations because I certainly did before I first put him in. Hope that has clarified things a bit for you.

 

[blueberlin]

Thank you, Lisa, it has clarified. I won't be "treating" my new friends to a joy trip to the fridge then. If things get warm, I'll try the frozen bottle technique. If they get sick, I think I'll maybe buy a new aquarium and do the frozen bottle technique there, too, instead of sticking them in my very highly frequented fridge (haha) but until then I will just hope and work that they don't get sick.

-Eva

 

[Urgh]

Eeek, I forgot about summer. Very hard to do in WA, when it gets to about ninety million degrees.
As far as refrigeration is concerned, IF I was going to consider it on the hottest days of summer, How big a container, and how cold a refrigerator? I have two at my house, one inside(very cold, about four degrees or something rediculous) and another outside(a bit warmer, maybe in the range of 7-13 degrees).
Now I'm stressing about Dutchess in summer!! Augh damn WA and it's unbearable heat!!

 

[oceanblue]

As far as refrigeration is concerned, IF I was going to consider it on the hottest days of summer, How big a container, and how cold a refrigerator? I have two at my house, one inside(very cold, about four degrees or something rediculous) and another outside(a bit warmer, maybe in the range of 7-13 degrees).
Now I'm stressing about Dutchess in summer!! Augh damn WA and it's unbearable heat!!

The warmer fridge is ideal. Temperatures above 5 Celsius seem to be recommended for speedy healing of sick axies. In the 7-13 range the axolotl will probably eat about a quarter or less of the usual amount. The minimum container is one that allows it to lay without being bent. For sick axolotls daily water changes from a jug of dechlorinated water cooled down and kept in the fridge is usual and wise. The chief poison is ammonia: If your axolotl is healthy and tests after a day show safe levels you may be able to economize on water changes, especially if you can increase the volume considerably. I find worms do not drown in cold water, they just occasionally disappear and need replacing.

It's worth measuring the temperature of a glass of water at various points in the fridge. Front of top shelf is often warmest, you may find even your cold fridge is warm enough on this shelf. It may seem unnatural but the fridge is far more like home to an axolotl than the tanks they are often kept in! (My axolotl tanks are currently running at 14 C and all is well.)

 

[Urgh]

Ok. I will investigate the overall temperatures of water in the fridge. I have several months till summer(it's almost winter, yay!!), although I think I will go with the outside fridge, as it's less frequented, and less full.

 

[blueberlin]

My axolotl tanks are currently running at 14 C and all is well.

How do you keep them that cool?

 

[Saspotato]

Many different techniques are used to cool a tank blueberlin. I use frozen bottles myself and I used to use a cooler but was too noisy for my partner. If there is going to be a heat wave for a while I will put my axolotl in the fridge. He always comes out looking very healthy.

Here is an article with other methods people use: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml

But yea, you seem concerned about fridging them, which I wouldn't be other than the fact your fridge is frequented a lot. If it does get hot I would still recommend you put your axolotl in the fridge but cover the container to block out the light. This would be much better than the heat even if people are going in the fridge a lot in my opinion. Heat (i.e. over 24C water temperature) will definitely kill your axolotl but I have yet to hear of a healthy axolotl dying in the fridge...

 

[blueberlin]

Thank you Sarah. I thought there might be a nifty gadget or something to maintain a constantly cool temp year round but it seems to be kind of an expensive venture (like heating or cooling a house of any type, I suppose). I'll keep the ice and the fridge tricks in mind as summer approaches.

-Eva

 

[oceanblue]

The answer to how do I keep them that cool is a cellar. The air temperature is 10 Celsius. It gets up to about 14 in August! I understand the Vicar who built this place in 1721 liked his wine!

 

[Urgh]

My modern West Australian house lacks a cellar.
Someone needs to invent a tank cooler. Something like those fridges that have a kind of 'layer' of icy water running around it. Or something.
I'd buy one.
*sigh*

 

[Saspotato]

There are heaps and heaps of different types of coolers/chillers for tanks. They are very common in marine setups. But yea, you need a fair bit of money as a good one will set you back $400AUD+.

 

[blueberlin]

My modern West Australian house lacks a cellar.
Someone needs to invent a tank cooler. Something like those fridges that have a kind of 'layer' of icy water running around it. Or something.

Sarah hat sent us a link above with many different types of coolers: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml

There's even one where they ran the filter tubes through a water cooler - looks funny! Would be great in an office...

I also saw a German fellow who built his own using pc cooling fans (they are not expensive at all). It cooled by evaporation. There is a similar system shown under the above link, too.

I don't want to keep my sweeties in the cellar because I want to look at them ALL THE TIME! hehe

 

[Livette]

i've decided to go with the aquarium chiller option personally, and am saving during winter to be able to afford one by the time the temp starts rising again. but because i'm in Brisbane, our summer really lasts about 8 months of the year, and even now, in may (winter starts in june) i'm still using ice to cool the tank. it just wouldn't be practical to keep my axy in the fridge 8 months a year, although i did use it in particularly hot weather last year. last night when i got home from work, the tank was 23 degrees at about 6pm, so we're pretty much hot all year round.

most axys i've come across in Qld cope well in temps up to 23 degrees - possibly through natural selection here, because they'd all be gone otherwise. i keep a close eye on him for things like fungus etc. but as long as i can keep the temp around 21-23 degrees he seems happy enough. because i work during the day, i can't possibly be at home to look after him when the temps are hottest, so while yes, the ice bottles work, they only work if you're there to put them in, and the temp rises pretty quickly without one.

so yeah, i'm paying the money and getting a chiller before next summer. it seems worth it to me.

 

[sharelkaye]

Chiller

I have recently got a chiller for my aquarium for my axies and to tell you the truth it was about 300 dollars but its worth it and i keep it around 65 degrees ferienhieght or however you spell it haha. It was alot better than putting in bottles every couple of hours it was hard while going to school and work and my dad would for get poor little guys so i got a chiller for cheaper than usual at dr fosters and smith website it was on sale and for my house being 78 degrees and being able to go down 65 is a big deal for me... I think its a very good investment.

 

[Kristin]

It gets pretty hot here in Nevada, and the weather is just starting to get warm. I've heard about setting a canister filter in a bucket of ice water. Does anyone know if that would be effective for a 55-gallon aquarium?

 

[blueberlin]

A canister filter as in an external filter? The ones that I know may not be submerged - the old hair-dryer-in-the-bathtub scenario.

 

[Kristin]

Oh, yeah. It's an external filter, a little over a foot tall. The bottom three quarters could be safely submerged without any mechanical parts coming into contact with water. The whole thing is sealed so theoretically I could probably dump it in water and still be safe, but I wouldn't go that far.

 

[Lisa]

I have an external canister filter but not in front of me as I'm in Melbourne at the moment and home is perth. From memory, the motor and cord is at the top of the canister so maybe you could submerge the rest in icy water, but I definately wouldn't be putting the top of it in . Not a bad idea if you could do it without damaging the filter....

 

[Kristin]

Yeah, I tried submerging the bottom half and it didn't do anything to the water's temperature.

I need some help. It got really hot today, and my tank's temp shot up to about 75 F. The axies were curling their gills. I floated two small frozen water bottles, but it didn't do anything. I don't think 2-liter bottles would work either, as I don't want to change the temp too quickly, and the ice melts so fast.