Question: Teaching axolotl to not eat fish?

[AdamHC]

Was thinking that maybe if a baby axolotl was kept with fish and fed worms and kept full it would get used to the fish not being food. Anybody think this would work? I'm thinking a couple of black moors or bubble eye fish. Or would the fish eat the axolotl cause it's a baby?

Also is it possible to buy axolotl eggs or larvae? I only see big axolotls for sale, never any really young ones.

 

[Jossie]

Probably not.
If the axie didn't eat it, there's also the issue of the fish nibbling on your axie's gills.
You'd be better off just keeping them separate.

What city are you in/near?
This might help people tell you where you can find some.
(I also have only seen the larger ones, apart from one occasion a few years ago)

 

[Mandy6]

There is also the fact that goldfish require heavy filtration which causes a lot of water movement which will stress axies out. And that goldfish produce a lot more waste than axies which will create problems too.

 

[mewsie]

Good luck with trying to teach an axolotl not to eat anything and everything it notices!

Axies eat very much by reflex, if something moves nearby they instinctively 'snap' for it, whether that be a worm, a plant leaf, or their unsuspecting tank mates leg.

There are so many reasons why keeping axies and fish together is a disaster waiting to happen, as Mandy and Jossie have said. Best to keep the perfect axie tank AND the perfect fish tank! (Good excuse for more than one tank )

 

[Jennewt]

It would be like teaching a wolf not to eat sheep that are housed in the same pen. My axolotls live in an indoor pond with white cloud minnows, and it appears that the fish are too fast for axies to eat them. If any fish are eaten, it isn't enough to notice a decrease in the number of fish (the fish breed occasionally, and thus could be keeping pace with occasional predation).

 

[jclee]

If you are going to give it a go, give this page a read, first:
Caudata Culture Articles - Fish with Caudates

It is unlikely that your axolotl will never eat the fish. A well fed salamander might eat fewer fish. Plant cover will probably be the biggest variable in your control, though. I do sometimes keep fish with my axolotls. They do eventually get eaten, but of my two tanks, the one with thick plant cover tends to give the fish a better chance. One species that I might add to the fairly-safe species listed on the above link is Heterandria formosa. I was able to find some online, and after quarantine, they lasted longer than anything else I had put into my tanks. (They're also size and temperature appropriate.)

One other cautionary word I'd throw out there is that, if you do not normally keep fish, it's probably not the best move. They come with their own needs and dos and don'ts, just like salamanders, and it could lead to more trouble than it's worth if you're new to them. It might be interesting to set up a species-specific tank of the type of axolotl-safe fish that you're thinking about adding to your salamander tanks. That way, you get accustomed to the fish's needs, and it would be easy to quarantine the fish, or treat their illness first, if needed, before adding them to the tank. Depending on the fish you choose, the tank might even become a breeding tank, and you would have a constant supply for the inevitable day when the axolotls had eaten all of the fish you put in.

It will happen. It's just a matter of when.

 

[Boo Penguin]

As mentioned above by everyone else best not to keep fish with your axi. They tend to think that axi's pretty gills are a snack... which can mean your axi will drown and die. Best to keep them separate like I do

Plus I figure living with goldfish would be like living with a really messy roommate... bot so much fun.