Anyone keeping Axolotl?

[DMD123]

Been awhile since I visited this topic... Things have changed in the fishroom and IF I decide to proceed with an axolotl, it would now have a 40B as its home which is a much more ideal tank for one. Apparently having a current is a big NO for these guys so I would have to come up with a DIY diffuser for the aquaclear 110 that is on the tank. Plenty of ideas on how to deal with that but am wondering what my normal tank temp would sit at without a heater. I know that fall and winter would be perfect but the ambient temp during summer might be too much. Even though we tapped into the ducts for heat/cool in the garage, it still gets really warm in the summer. Saw that many hardcore keepers are using chillers... but not really wanting to drop $400 on a cheap chiller for this.

Been researching and shopping around online at all the different types of axolotl and wow, all the color variants are just amazing. Still not convinced this is a wet pet for me but it would be something oddball for sure.

 

[sir_keith]

They are weird. And lethargic. And they need to be kept cool, so I just don't see the attraction. I had a friend in graduate school who worked with them, trying to figure out what was wrong with a mutant called 'spastic'. Turns out it was a Purkinje cell defect in the cerebellar cortex; complicated business.

 

[DMD123]

Yeah, Im still looking into them. Even my most inactive of puffers kind of came alive during feedings. Ive seen a couple axolotl being tong fed, so maybe some hope of activity? lol

 

[lloyd378]

Dmd, I can probably source you one or two for free if you are serious, I’ll reach out to see for you.

I get offered them for free a few times a year because people buy them, find them boring and a ton of work then want to give them away..

I don’t think you’d enjoy them

 

[DMD123]

Dmd, I can probably source you one or two for free if you are serious, I’ll reach out to see for you.

I get offered them for free a few times a year because people buy them, find them boring and a ton of work then want to give them away..

I don’t think you’d enjoy them

Yeah, they are pretty sedentary from all my research. I got rid of my old puffer because of that. Its just thinking of something to put into tanks at this point.

 

[DMD123]

I watched a couple Axolotl at Tropical Fish World in Buckley. These were larger Copper and Wild types and I really hated how they looked when bigger. Kind of fat and ugly with the majority of their movement just being some gill pumping. There was lots of uneaten Hikari sinking carnivore pellets on the bottom that they were not even paying attention to with the pellets getting that soft smushiness that they do when they sit a bit too long. I have not 100% given up on getting one of these but I guess Im more interested in a pink (Leucistic) or gold (golden albino) type with maybe the possibility of it being GFP (glowing under black light). I want to see some adult types of this axolotl before making any decisions.

Currently I have my female severum in my 40B so it is not available to house one yet. I would still need to remove heater, make a diffuser for the aquaclear and replace all the substrate with a very fine type. Plus the need to redo the whole Aquascape for this critter.

I guess a lot of my aversion to these adult axolotl is likely due to the fact they all were looking way over fed. Things like Hikari sinking carnivore are very high in calories and fat and likely not good when too much of this is getting fed.

 

[BPSabelhaus]

Yeah, they are pretty sedentary from all my research. I got rid of my old puffer because of that. Its just thinking of something to put into tanks at this point.

So basically a wet bearded dragon lol