Equipment for an AxolotlEquipment for keeping an Axolotl
Housing: 24” x 12” x 12” (LxDxH)Lighting Arcadia Aquarium Control Gear Ultra Seal 18W Arcadia Freshwater Tube 18″ x 1″ 15 Watt
Condensation Tray Clear Plastic 24inh x 12 inch
OR. Arcadia Arc Pod Small Aquarium Light and Condensation Tray Clear Plastic 24inch x 12inh.
Heating: None
Filtration: Fluval 2 Plus Internal Filter or Interpet Powerflow PF2
Air pump: Interpet AV2 Airvolution. Airline and air stone.
Substrate: Aquarium or playpen sand (If sand should only be a fine covering so it can be siphoned out easily as it is fouled).
Décor: Rocks, Bogwood, Live coldwater aquatic plants, artificial plants.
CARE
Common Name: Axolotl, Mexican Salamander, and Water Monster.
Scientific Name: Ambystoma mexicanum.
Distribution: The Xochimilcho and Chalco lakes in central Mexico.
Size: 20-30cm (8-12″).
Life Expectancy: 10-12 years, although an age of 20 years is attainable.
Sexing: Males have more swollen cloacae; females are often plumper when viewed from above.
Varieties: The normal colouration (Wild Type) is dark brown with sooty brown to blackish blotches and spots. Captive breeding has created several colour variants including albino, leucistic, golden-albino, olive, melanoid, melanoid-albino and pied examples
Requirements: These aquatic Salamanders are rather large and require a large aquarium. A 24” x 12” x 12” tank would be adequate for 2 adults. They require a totally aquatic set-up with a substrate of gravel or sand. Furnishings such as large pebbles and aquatic plants can be arranged to provide a number of hiding places. The water should be clean de-chlorinated water at a depth of 15-30cm (6-12″). The water will need to be filtered using a submersible power filter to avoid the build up of ammonia and bacteria in the water, and partial water changes should be carried out at weekly intervals. It is also a good idea to lightly oxygenate the water with the use of an air-stone. Axolotl’s require a water temperature of 10-25°C, and a low wattage fluorescent tube should be used as a light source.
Feeding: Juvenile Axolotl’s should be fed daily with a mixture of suitably sized insects including Daphnia, mosquito larvae, brine shrimp, tubifex, earthworms and whiteworms. Adult Axolotl’s should be fed every other day with a mixture of earthworms, slugs, mealworms, maggots, small fish, chunks of raw meat & aquatic amphibian pellets.
Tags: reptile