Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 308 views

    Axolotl Care Sheet V 2

    Uploaded by

    Rodney Black
    Axolotls are aquatic salamanders that live their entire lives in water. They require minimal care if proper water conditions are maintained, including a temperature between 58-74°F. Axolotls can reach 10-16 inches in length and live 10-12 years. They should be housed in at least a 10 gallon aquarium with no substrate or large stones/sand and filtered water. Axolotls do not require lighting and prefer low light levels to avoid stress. Their diet consists primarily of earthworms and bloodworms with occasional shrimp or meat as treats.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Axolotl Care Sheet V 2

    Uploaded by

    Rodney Black
    308 views2 pages
    Axolotls are aquatic salamanders that live their entire lives in water. They require minimal care if proper water conditions are maintained, including a temperature between 58-74°F. Axolotls can reach 10-16 inches in length and live 10-12 years. They should be housed in at least a 10 gallon aquarium with no substrate or large stones/sand and filtered water. Axolotls do not require lighting and prefer low light levels to avoid stress. Their diet consists primarily of earthworms and bloodworms with occasional shrimp or meat as treats.

    Original Title

    Axolotl Care Sheet v 2

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Axolotls are aquatic salamanders that live their entire lives in water. They require minimal care if proper water conditions are maintained, including a temperature between 58-74°F. Axolotls can reach 10-16 inches in length and live 10-12 years. They should be housed in at least a 10 gallon aquarium with no substrate or large stones/sand and filtered water. Axolotls do not require lighting and prefer low light levels to avoid stress. Their diet consists primarily of earthworms and bloodworms with occasional shrimp or meat as treats.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    308 views2 pages

    Axolotl Care Sheet V 2

    Uploaded by

    Rodney Black
    Axolotls are aquatic salamanders that live their entire lives in water. They require minimal care if proper water conditions are maintained, including a temperature between 58-74°F. Axolotls can reach 10-16 inches in length and live 10-12 years. They should be housed in at least a 10 gallon aquarium with no substrate or large stones/sand and filtered water. Axolotls do not require lighting and prefer low light levels to avoid stress. Their diet consists primarily of earthworms and bloodworms with occasional shrimp or meat as treats.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Axolotl Care Sheet

    [email protected]
    Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) Axolotls are large aquatic salamanders that come from the remnants of Lake Xochimilco and Lake Chalco in Mexico. They live their entire lives in water, never emerging onto land. Care requirements are minimal for axolotls, provided proper water conditions are maintained. Their bold and inquisitive nature make axolotls an interactive and interesting display animals. Basic Information: Size: 10-16 inches Life Span: 10-12 years Water Temperature: 58-74 F Lighting: Low Substrate: None, Sand, Large Stones Current: None, Low Axolotl Size Most axolotls reach about 10 inches total length (from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail), rarely exceeding 12 inches in length. At 6-8 inches most Axolotls will reach sexual maturity. This can take from 6 months to a year. Axolotl Life Span Axolotls have been known to live past 20 years, but it is unusual to find an individual older than 10 years. Axolotl Housing A 10 gallon aquarium can accommodate a single adult axolotl, but a larger space will be beneficial. Where possible, Long style aquariums are preferable to Tall style aquariums. Axolotls never leave the water, so you wont need dry land in your aquarium. Substrate should be either sand, large stones (bigger than the axolotls head), or nothing at all (bare glass bottom). Axolotls suck their prey in, so small aquarium gravel will be sucked in too, causing compaction and leading to death if left untreated. Minimum water depth is 6, but more water makes it easier to maintain good water conditions. Axolotls have been known to jump out of the water, so a screen lid or hood should be used.

    Filtration will make it easier to maintain safe water parameters. A canister filter with a spray bar is the best choice, though expensive. Unlike many salamanders and newts, a small Hang on Back or Power filter is also well suited to use with axolotls. Whatever filter you decide to use, make sure that it does not create a current in the water, or if it does that you break the current with a bit of foam on the outflow or a spray bar. Mild or strong currents will stress Axolotls out, causing them to stop eating and increasing the odds of stress related diseases. Axolotl Lighting and Temperature

    Axolotls don't require lighting, in fact they prefer low or no light. This is in large part to not having eyelids, too much light can blind an axolotl. Lighting is generally for our viewing pleasure and for the benefit of aquarium plants. If you have to have lights for plants, choose a plant-friendly bulb such as those sold for freshwater aquarium fish and use it only a few hours a day. Keep in mind that lighting fixtures often generate a lot of excess heat and this can be detrimental to axolotls. Temperatures up to the low 70s Fahrenheit are tolerated well by axolotls with an ideal temperature being the low to mid 60s. Temperatures above 74 degrees will lead to heat stress, loss of appetite, and eventually death. There are a variety of ways to cool your tank if need be. An aquarium chiller, a fan blowing on the surface of the water, or placing ice bottles in the water will all cool the water temperature a few degrees. Axolotl Food Good staple foods for axolotls are earthworms and frozen bloodworm cubes. Treat foods for axolotls include frozen shrimp from the supermarket (cooked), and lean pieces of beef and chicken. Avoid live food such as feeder fish because of the risk of parasites and disease transmission axolotls are vulnerable to many fish borne diseases and parasites. In our experience, axolotls fed solely on earthworms, night crawlers, or trout worms will never develop any vitamin or mineral deficiencies. Water Quality Tap water is fine for axolotls, provided it is pretreated with aquarium water conditioner to remove chlorine and chloramines. Ideally, a new aquarium and filter should be allowed to cycle for several weeks prior to the introduction of axolotls to let the water conditions settle and filter bacteria develop. Daily water changes may be required to keep ammonia levels down while cycling. Be sure to keep an eye on water parameters using the test kits sold anywhere you buy aquarium supplies, but avoid using test strips as these tend to be extremely inaccurate. Ideal conditions are Ammonia 0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm, and Nitrate at less than 40ppm. Ph should be close to 6.5 to 7.8, and harder water is preferable to soft water. Axolotl Handling and Temperament Axolotls are delicate and soft-bodied amphibians with permeable skin. This makes them extremely sensitive to chemicals and should not be handled unless absolutely necessary. Be sure to wash your hands off without using soap before handling your axolotl or putting your hands in their water. If you use a net to move an axolotl, avoid nets with mesh that would let an axolotls fingers get damaged, use a soft fine-mesh net.

    You might also like