As we’ve seen, the globe has gone mad for Axolotls due to the introduction of the animal on the gaming formats Fort Night & Mine craft.
We here at Somefin Fishy think these odd ball creatures make fantastic pets seeing as very little equipment is needed to keep them healthy.

What size aquarium is best.

Full adults of these crazy looking animals will require a setup no smaller than 80cm width by 30cm depth as full adults, though as with any animal the larger the aquarium the better. A great fully equipped setup for these are the Ciano 80 or the Horizon 130.

Light, or no light is the question.

With the Axolotl living in caves in its natural environment and having very poor vision, they don’t actually require lighting, this isn’t to say light can’t be used but it is important to provide them with a form of cover within the aquarium to escape the light if it’s too bright for them. A number of aquarium ornaments, Caves & artificial plants can be used to make your axolotl feel as comfortable as possible.

Options are even available for the floor of your aquarium.

With the way Axolotls feed means substrate options are limited with only sand advised. Unipac Limpopo we’ve found looks great being almost a black substrate together with Albino or Gold strains of Axolotl, though lighter sand colours such as Unipac Silver Sand and Unipac Tana Sand make for a great colour contrast with Wild darker strains of Axolots. Gravel can get lodged within the gut creating big problems so we would definitely advise against it. Large pebbles and rocks can be used providing they are large enough not to be consumed. Another option is simply leaving the tank bare bottom. Whichever you choose all these options are best advised to keep your animal happy.

What’s on the menu???

Axolotls are not fussy feeders and can accept, fresh, dried, frozen & livefoods which can all be bought in store. The higher the protein content the better so live Earth worms, Frozen Black Mosquito Larvae & NTLabs Axolotl pellets all make great foods along with a huge variety of other foods on hand to provide a good variation in its diet. The temperature you keep your axolotl at will determine how regularly they should be fed. In colder conditions not so much food should be offered as they’ll take longer to digest there foods, though keeping them at lower temperatures such as 16’c-18’c (60’f-64’f) will keep your axolotl in the best condition, promoting better health & more vibrant coloured gills long term. If during the summer keeping the temperature down is a struggle, don’t panic as your axolotl can live in higher temperatures. You’d be best to monitor this with the Aqua one Electronic thermometer, this way you can check regularly and make sure you don’t exceed temperatures of 27’c (80’f). Your axolotls immune system at higher temperatures will be much faster, meaning it’ll digest its food much quicker and in turn will need both more food and more water changes to sustain them, so making sure you’re well stocked up on Seachem Prime is a must.

Here at SomefinFishy we try our best to keep stocks in of Wild variations, Albinos & Leucistic but you’d be best to call us in advance to make sure stocks of Axolotls are available in your time of visiting, you can contact us here -> Contact Details