HOUSING AND MAINTENANCE An Aquarium will be needed to house your Axolotl as they are entirely aquatic. Your water will need to be treated with two different water conditioners one to remove the chlorine and chloride from the tank and the other to add hardness to the tanks. They are quite an active species so the bigger the aquarium you can provide the better. An 18”-24” aquarium is perfect size for one axolotl. The aquarium should be fitted with a tight fitting lid, as they are prone to try and escape from their enclosures. The bottom of the tank may be lined with an aquarium gravel substrate, but larger gravel is more appropriate than smaller grains to avoid your Axolotl from accidentally ingesting some of the gravel. Sand, pebbles, marbles and large rocks can also be used. A filter will be required as they are quite messy due to their diet. A low flow filter will be appreciated as they can become stressed if the flow of the filter is too strong or powerful. With a filter it should only be necessary to change one third of the water every week- two weeks adding your water conditioners each time. Axolotls do not like being handled and handling should be avoided. An aquarium net can be used to move your Axolotls safely to another tank during cleaning, but care must be taken to ensure that you do not damage their delicate gills whilst doing so. All amphibians require somewhere to hide and may become stressed if this is not provided. This could be a plant pot on its side, which is low cost but easily cleaned if it becomes soiled. Ornaments commonly sold for aquariums are also welcome additions, as they will look good and provide more places for your Axolotl to hide. Bogwood, logs, stones and cork bark make good natural looking additions to your aquarium and make great hiding places. The ideal water temperature for your Axolotl is a temperature gradient of 10-20°C. This is generally around room temperature so no additional heating should be required. Prolonged exposure to temperatures above 23°C can cause your Axolotl to suffer from heat stress, so measures need to be taken if you cannot maintain temperatures below this. FEEDING Axolotls are carnivorous and should be fed every second day with a varied diet of appropriately sized prey items, such as bloodworms, earthworms, black worms, white worms, lean meat, small pieces of shrimp, daphnia, mosquito larvae, very small snails and appropriately sized fish. You should feed your axolotl just as much as they can comfortably eat within 10 minutes.
