Care Guide & Requirements
- A cycled aquarium!! Axolotls are very sensitive to their water Parameters and cannot tolerate Ammonia in the water.
-20 gallon long aquarium for 1 adult axolotl plus an additional 10 gallons per axolotl added after.
So 1 Axolotl 20 gallons, 2 axolotls 30 gallons, 3 axolotls 40 gallons, and so on.
Floor space is better than height.
-Filter:
For a 20 gallon, you need 40 gallons worth of filtration. You can slow the flow of your filter, by adding a sponge loofah to the output on your filter.
-Substrate:
*Bare bottom
*Tile
*Fine sand (for axolotls 5 inches or larger) I recommend Carib Sea Super Naturals.
***NO GRAVEL.***
They eat through suction inhalation, and will consume the gravel and become impacted.
-Hides:
*At least 1 hide per axolotl. I recommend 2 for each axolotl.
*White PVC pipes can be found at your local hardware store. Black PVC has been found to leach chemicals into the water.
- Temperature Requirements and tips.
**56 - 68°F**
Axolotls are cold water creatures and keeping temps low can be tough.
*Chillers work well, but they are pricy! I suggest using a window AC unit if possible.
*A fan works well if you live in a dry area. A clip on fan keeps my 80 gallon tank at 62°F in a 70°F room. You can put a fan over a milk crate on the top of your tank. You can also position the fan so it blows across the top of the water.
*You can also freeze milk jugs full of dechlorinated water to put in your tank acting as a SAFE ice pack.
-Water testing kits :
* API Freshwater Master test kit is the most reliable testing kit.
*Almost all brands of test strips are highly inaccurate
*If you ever notice your Axolotls acting different check the water parameters, and rule out symptoms from there.
*****The correct Parameters should be:****
0 Ammonia
0 Nitrite
20/40 Nitrate
- Helpful items to keep on hand! (But not limited to)
*Siphon / python.
*Garden hose. (I keep my tanks near a window that way I can siphon the water out of the tank, and outside through my window. Then, I use my water spigot outside, and feed the hose through my window into my tank.
* Mesh net, you must be gentle when moving your axolotl, a net can cause gills and toes to get stuck/cut. Alternatively you can use a small tub to guide them into.
*Buckets which I use to measure and medicate water.
*Turkey baster: Helps with spot cleaning and poop removal.
-*Seachem Prime Water Dechlorinater
If you do not use Seachem make sure your dechlorinater is aloe free, and does not have stress coat on the label.
I recommend Seachem Prime, it is helpful due to the fact it removes heavy metals, and neutralizes ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates for 24 hours.
* Indian almond leaves :adds tannins to the water and helps to prevent fungus.
* Thermometer
* Ice packs
* 100% black tea
*Methylene Blue
*Prazipro
*Kanaplex
* A tupperware container large enough to house your axolotl. ( 4 gallons or larger )
* Feeding tongs ( be careful to keep away from your Axolotls mouth to prevent injuries )
-Decorations:
*All decorations must be larger than 2 times the size of the axolotls head, to avoid impaction. You would be very surprised at how large they can open their mouths.
-Lighting:
*Axolotls cannot tolerate strong lighting as they do not have eyelids.
*Do not use black lights as these can harm their eyes, and stress them out. Only use blue aquarium lights while having sufficient hiding areas ( atleast 1 hide for each axie ).
- How often to feed
*Feed juveniles twice a day until they start eating less this is normally once they reach 6-8”. You can lessen feedings to once a day. If they start to reject feedings, lessen the feedings to once every other day. Many full grown axies eat every other day. Feeding tongs can allow you to interact with your axolotl while feeding. ( Keep tongs away from your Axolotls face as they can cause injuries. )
-Foods to feed often/ everyday.
*Earthworms
(European Nightcrawlers, Canadian Nightcrawlers, Red wigglers)
Red Wigglers: Often upset Axolotls stomachs due to the bitter tasting slime coat they produce, causing them to throw up. Running them under hot water for about 8 seconds will paralyze them, and remove the bitter tasting slime coat.
All worms should be cut to the length between your Axolotls eyes. Worms can be purchased with myself or at your local bait shops/Walmart. Starting a worm bin will help keep your worms longer, fresher, and you can gut load them!
*Pellets:
Sinking Salmon Pellets can be purchased through myself @ Mariah's Mystical Axolotls LLC on Facebook.
Hikari Sinking Carnivore Pellets can be found at your lfs, but may be more expensive than my pellets which are also more nutritional.
*Repashy Grub Pie: A dry powder that is added to boiling water to form a high protein gelatin, perfect for carnivores! You can find molds to create your own shapes! The downside is this can be a very messy food to feed, but perfect in a pinch! You can purchase this on amazon or eBay .
Nutritional foods for small axolotls:
*Black worms
*Repashy Grub Pie
Foods to feed occasionally
*Blood worms
*Raw frozen salmon ( must be frozen atleast 6 weeks to kill all possible parasites. )
*Raw frozen shrimp ( must be frozen for 6 weeks as well. )
*Guppies*
*Ghost Shrimp*
*Wax worms
*- All live feeders are required be quarantined for at least 1 month although some parasites can possibly take 2 1/2 months to announce themselves, so 3 months is recommended. Starting a breeding tank would help you certify all feeders are unoccupied by illnesses and parasites.
FOODS THAT SHOULDNT BE FED
*Beef, pork, chicken
(Axolotls cannot digest mammal meat.)
*Mealworms, Dubia cockroaches or any INSECTS.
(Axolotls cannot digest the chitin found in exoskeletons, which can cause them to become impacted. )
-Tubbing
Tubbing is a method of keeping axolotls in tupperware container while doing 100% dechlorinated water changes once a day. Tubbing can be used for plenty of reasons. If your axolotl needs to be examined, medicated, or requires a temporary home a tub works perfectly. Changing the water once a day guarantees the water remains ammonia free, as well as your baby remaining healthy, and happy. When you have a cycled tank, your cycle takes care of that ammonia.