Axolotl Care Guide

2017

How to care for pet axolotls.

Housing

Axolotls need fairly large aquariums. The general rule of thumb is 2 feet long for your first axolotl, then an additional 1 foot per axolotl. For example, if you had three axolotl you'd need a four foot long tank, with males and females separate.

The amount of gallons is also important, so you should aim for 20 gallons for your first axolotl, then an additional 10 gallons per axolotl.

It is important that you buy an appropriate stand with your tank, as there have been countless cases where stands have buckled under the pressure of a tank that is too large and heavy. Or people have allowed their tank to overhang on a surface which causes the tank to eventually crack. Many tanks come with the option of buying the correct stand, made with that size and weight tank in mind.

You shouldn't keep the light on in your tank. Only turn it on to feed them and take photos. The light hurts their eyes.

Substrate

Axolotls can have either a bare bottom tank - i.e. no substrate at all, or sand. People use pool filter sand, which is fine, or aquarium sand (do not use any substrate until the axolotls are at least 5-6 inches, they can become impacted). DO NOT use crayola sand as the dye will come off in the axolotls digestive system and it is toxic. You can buy superfine sand which is great. Black sand is harder to come by, and is usually bigger in particle size. As long as it is NO bigger than the particles in the photograph then it is suitable for axolotls.

Another option is axogravel, which is available mainly in the UK and Europe.

You CANNOT use GRAVEL OR SMALL STONES for axolotls. It is far far too big and they cannot pass it and they will die. If they do not die then they will most likely suffer very painful prolapses or internal damage. My axolotl Nina was kept by a college on small stones and two years later she is still passing them as photographed.

Filtration and Flow

Axolotls can actually live with no filter, they like still water (hence the need to disperse currents). However, this would require you to do very very frequent water changes, in very large volumes. It is not worth going through this, it is much easier to have a filter.

Sponge filters are very good for small juvenile axolotls. Some people also choose to use them in tanks with adult axolotls. You would need to run several of these filters in a large tank for the mechanical filtration to work effectively. They are good because they don't create large amounts of flow, they're very cheap to buy and they add a lot of oxygen into the water. The downside is they only provide mechanical filtration.

Hang on back filters are good choices as they provide very good filtration, are nice and quiet and look very neat. The only thing you'd need to do is to put something in the way to disperse the current.

Submersible filters can also be used as they provide mechanical, chemical and biological filtration. You would have to disperse the current and make sure you provided additional aeration, by perhaps attaching a spray bar.

To increase oxygen levels you can use air stones or bubbler discs. The axolotls will love to play in the bubbles or lie on top of the bubbler and get a little massage!

Aquarium Accessories

Axolotls need hides, they like dark places as light hurts their eyes and it allows them to get away from each other. You should provide at least 1-2 hides per axolotl. You can use the caves from the reptile section in pet shops, non-rough/sharp aquarium ornaments, but make sure the entrance hole is wide enough so they don't get stuck. Terracotta pots also work well,

You can decorate your tank with large rocks (much bigger than their head), non-sharp ornaments and plants.

You can use live plants, but look for ones that do well with low light, silk plants are also good and look pretty. Plastic plants can be very sharp so use your judgement. Axolotls like moss balls, they push them around and balance on them.

You can use smooth shells too as decoration, coconut shells that are planted, planted bogwood and driftwood. Soak the driftwood in a bucket of water for a few days before putting it in the tank. They release tannins - which soothe their skin but can thicken their slime coat if too much is added to the tank. If you see your water going a 'tea' like colour, change some water.

Axolotls need hides, they like dark places as light hurts their eyes and it allows them to get away from each other. You should provide at least 1-2 hides per axolotl. You can use the caves from the reptile section in pet shops, non-rough/sharp aquarium ornaments, but make sure the entrance hole is wide enough so they don't get stuck. Terracotta pots also work well,

You can decorate your tank with large rocks (much bigger than their head), non-sharp ornaments and plants.

You can use live plants, but look for ones that do well with low light, silk plants are also good and look pretty. Plastic plants can be very sharp so use your judgement. Axolotls like moss balls, they push them around and balance on them.

You can use smooth shells too as decoration, coconut shells that are planted, planted bogwood and driftwood. Soak the driftwood in a bucket of water for a few days before putting it in the tank. They release tannins - which soothe their skin but can thicken their slime coat if too much is added to the tank. If you see your water going a 'tea' like colour, change some water.

Temperature

Axolotls are cold water creatures. Their optimum temperature is between 16-18 degrees celsius. If their tank goes above 20 degrees celsius it can be lethal for them. They do not cope well with the hot temperature. They may not show outward signs of ill health, but it does not mean that the damage is not occurring. Once the high temperature does begin to cause problems, they will go off their food, start floating, be lethargic. Make sure you have a proper thermometer inside your tank. You should not have the tank next to any windows and ideally you should keep it in the coolest room in your house.

You can combat the summer temperatures with clip on desk fans such as this one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Status-Portable-6-Inch-Clip-White/dp/B00RXT22PC/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_79_lp_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2SY1Z2KBYYBTGJ4JB3EF. I have four of them, two on each end of my tank. Point them at the surface of the water and the increased evaporation will cool the tank. It will take it down by about 3-4 degrees.

Another option is frozen bottles of water, but these are risky as influxes in temperatures can harm the axolotls.

If you have the money I'd invest in an aquarium chiller.

Aquarium Maintenance

Axolotls, much like other fully aquatic creatures, need very pristine water conditions. When you begin to setup for an axolotl, you need to cycle the tank like you would for any other creature. Here is a link on how to cycle your tank - if you aren't experienced, you need to do a 'fishless' cycle. You will need a water testing kit, I recommend you buy this one: API.

Once your tank has cycled, which can take 8+ weeks, you can add your axolotls. It is best to add them gradually as to not add so much 'waste' all at once. Axolotls poop fouls the water, as does left over food etc. Suddenly adding 3-4 axolotls at once can crash your cycle.

Your water should always read around:

Ammonia : 0 (If it gets to or above 1ppm do partial water changes each day until the levels come down).
Nitrite : 0
Nitrate : <60

A pH of 6.5 to around 8.0 is acceptable, but 7.4 to 7.6 is ideal.

Every day you need to suck out any poop that you see. It will look like the picture to the right, although they can walk over it which causes it to break apart. I use a turkey baster to suck up any poop I see during the week, like this one.

You should also remove any hitchhiker snails that may have entered your aquarium on plants. They create waste, and don't benefit the tank, so you're best removing them.

Every week you need to do a water change! We do ours using big Tupperware containers, and a length of tubing. Put one end of the tubing in the water and then suck on the end of the other to create a siphon, over the tub. Empty as much as you can carry and repeat. You need to change between 20% - 50% of the water every week. If you have substrate remember to stir it up because if it is settled for a long time, bacterial pockets can form.

When you put new water into an aquarium you should ALWAYS dechlorinate the water as chlorine is toxic. You need to buy dechlorinator and as a general rule you should buy ones that don't contain aloe - it can cause problems for some people, such as thickening the slime coat on the axolotls and creating a slimy film over everything in the tank. I use this one. Simply follow the directions on the bottle.

When you feel your filter needs cleaning out, do so in a tub of dirty tank water, if you rinse the filter components in clean water, you get rid of all the established bacteria, which may cause your tank to go into a mini cycle. The same goes for your ornaments.

Feeding

Juvenile axolotls will come from eating baby brine shrimp to frozen food like bloodworms. You should progress from frozen bloodworms ASAP to live earthworms, or feed a mix. Juvenile axolotls will struggle to eat a whole earthworm, so you need to chop it up with a pair of scissors. I feed my axolotls by hand, to avoid them inhaling substrate. I use a long pair of tweezers such as these. Frozen food should always be defrosted before you feed it. Wiggle the clump of bloodworms in the axolotls face to make it grab the food. Once you are done feeding messy food like bloodworms you should always suck up any left overs. You should feed juveniles twice a day, as much as they will eat over several minutes. If they overeat they may spit out food, just remove it.

Adult axolotls need to be fed earthworms, not frozen food as it is not nutritious enough. It's not recommended to use earthworms from gardens because of the unknown elements they may have been exposed to. Instead, there are plenty of reputable retailers online. I feed my adults between 4-8 earthworms each, every other day. Or, I buy lobworms which are much larger, and I don't think they're as bitter, mine seem to take them much more readily. They have 1-2 each every other day.

Some people feed their axolotls specially designed carnivore pellets. I personally don't feed pellets. If you have a look on Caudata you'll be able to find reviews on different pellets.

Illness

From time to time axolotls can become unwell.

If your axolotl is attacked by another and has an open wound, it is best to put it in a large tub, somewhere cool, and do water changes 100% at least once a day. It ensures that the water quality is pristine to avoid any infections. Make sure to feed the axolotl a little extra food, as it will be exerting energy on regrowing the limb, or healing it. Sometimes they will grow extra limbs, hands, fingers, gill stalks etc. this is nothing to worry about, it's just another one of their little quirks!

Another problem axolotl owners will face is fungal infections. When the tank gets too hot/water quality is poor/injury it can cause fungus to be able to grow on the axolotl. It looks like fuzzy cotton wool balls, usually on the gills or feet/tail. It is always best to treat it early. First you can try removing the fungus very gently with a cotton-bud. Once you are sure it is fungus, you can treat it with salt baths. Prepare a tub of cold dechlorinated water and dissolve 2-3 teaspoons of non-iodised salt such as sea salt or aquarium salt per litre of water. Leave your axolotl in salt bath for 10 - 15 minutes, any longer will damage the axolotl. Do this two to three times a day with a fresh bath each time.

There are other illnesses axolotls can face, a more in depth explanation and list of treatments is available here. The two listed above are the most common.