Axelotoies Or Something Similar

[diet]

Hi i know my parents a few years ago bought a newt sort of creature called something similar to an AXELOTIES it had external fins and comes in either albino or grey it supposbly was fish friendly but when my dad added 3 baby bala sharks it obtained a taste for sharks and nothing else.... quite sureal to see the thing with half the fish in its mouth!!!

Does anyone have any other info on these creatures or any pictures etc???

 

[Saedcantas]

They're a type of "Neotenic" (meaning remaining in the larval state) salamander Correctly spelt; Axolotls

Here's my own caresheet on them;

Common Name: Axolotl

Scientific name: Ambystoma mexicanum

Originates From: Only found in Lake Chalco and Lake Xochimilcho in Mexico.

Most Active During: Daylight, diurnal

Longevity (life expectancy): Anything from 12-20 years if well looked after

Position in Viv: Axolotls are fully aquatic amphibians, remaining in the juvenile form throughout their lives.

Size: Approximately 10"

Sexing: Male axolotls have very prominent bulges at the base of their tail

Water Supply: Axolotls should be provided with water just less in depth than the length of their body, 30% of their water should be changed per week. Added water should be dechlorinated in the same way as water for fish.

Substrate: Small sized pea gravel should be avoided due to the Axolotls vacuum feeding method, although larger pebbles are safe to use.

UV Lighting: Not Required.

Humidity Requirements: N/A

Temperatures and Heating Equipment: Axolotls require temperatures of around 18-20 Celcius all year round, this can normally be easily maintained without the use of extra equipment within a house.

Housing: A glass tank measuring 30"x15"x18" will be suitable for a single Axolotl, a much larger area would be required if housing more than one.

Decor: Hides in the form of plant pots on their sides will be readily used by Axolotls, as long as there is an area of shelter for them to retreat to Axolotls will thrive in even quite plain tanks. The addition of live plants will aid in shelter and aesthetics.

Diet: Carnivorous. Young Axolotls can be fed on smaller prey items such as bloodworm, daphnia and very small pieces of worm. Adults will prefer a diet of earthworms, trout pellets, mealworms and the occaisional pinkie mouse.

General Ease Of Care: Axolotls are very easy to keep as long as their few requirements are well met, Axolotls should not be handled, but moved using a net if necessary. The feathery external gills of Axolotls can be used as an indicator to the suitability of the conditions provided, long gills demonstrates poor oxygen levels in the water, indicating the need for better filtration, greater water movement and lower temperature.

Charlotte Goble ©2004.

And here's a link to Axolotl.org which has absolutely all the info and pics you could need

P.S: they're definitely never fishsafe!!!

 

[diet]

That lfs that sold them are just in it for the money im sure as they came uot and viewed my parents tank and said these things were ok for it...... the tank is 5 ft deep!!!!!

but this is a lfs that now stocks glass cat fish with those injected colours.

can i name and shame am i allowed?

 

[helterskelter]

Painted Glass fish are horrable and shops should not be stocking them.....

goto PFK's site and look up the shop and check if the signed up to the campain to stop selling these fish.

http/www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/...search_form.php

Select to do a shop search and find it.

If their in the campain complain to PFK about them and go direct to the shop stateing thay they had been part of the campain and see what they have to say.

It's best not to name the shop ATM until you have at least done that above and if the have signed the campain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As for the Axolotls these can not be keped with any fish!!!!!!!!

The come from mexico and there only one fish i can keep with mine and that a rare livebearere!!!!! it knows how to live with them and dose not bothere eachother.

Some shop say u can keep gold fish with then but they may nibbel at the gills and annoythe the Axolotl.

 

[diet]

No the shop is not listed any where on there, good to see the other 2 shops in that area are though,

 

[helterskelter]

well if you tell them that you dont like them and will not use them again then they have to lission or they will lose busness from it all!!!

Best way is to spend your money in better places.

 

[fish_master]

Yay axolotls!!!! lets see if i can dig up some pics for u

this last one was rescued from a pet shop where it had been extremly neglected missing 2 legs gill son on eside and a large piece of its tail

 

[PookPook]

yeah...well just promise me you will not keep fish with your axolotls.
I would be very sad to see a poor axolotl being kept in a bad home. See, they (along with shrimps) are little guys I surely care about.
One can keep shrimps with them, tecnically snails also but they do have a tendency to hunt for them in the sand. NO FISH WITH MR. AXOLOTL please.

Also keep them in a non-tropical tank.

check out the axolotl forum on caudata.org sometime. Many people with good advice, from the amatuer keep to the axolotl breeder or reasercher is on there divulging into information concerning this Ambystomid.

oh and pet axolotls, tho native to Mexico do not come from there. They have been bred in captivity for over a hundred years. In Mexico they are little studied thus far and are a CITES II species, with marjority of their natural habitat being destroyed when the Spanish decided to make Tenochtitlan into Ciudad de Mexico. Mexico City, during the time of Tenochtitlan was know as the Venice of the New World among some Europeans. During that process, in a short statement, the lakes and swamps of the area were modified and drained (a reason why parts of Mexico city are "sinking" or "floating"). Plus the physiology of captive axolotls may also been crossed with tiger salamander and other neonate genes, thus being differnt from the ones in the wild in the canals. This is why we just cant take the thousands of axolotl in the laboratory and thrown them into Lake Xochimilco. Pollution and the introduction of large fish have reduced axolotl numbers.

That is all I have to say about Axolotl for now... and if i ever hear you call it a "Mexican Walking Fish" I will have to wash your mouth out with soap!

 

[fish_master]

nice to see other axolotl keepers on here

 

[grahamsokel]

this last one was rescued from a pet shop where it had been extremly neglected missing 2 legs gill son on eside and a large piece of its tail

It will grow its Limbs back again no problem.
Babies can bite legs off other babies in the clutch when they are very young but they do grow back.I used to seperate all my babies into seperate containers till they got past that stage

 

[fish_master]

Thanks for the info graham but i kinda already knew that i know almost just about everything about axolotls and im a breeder so yea thanks anyway
and yes his legs have started to grow back and his gills have got tiny little buds and he apparently has never been with other axies in the pet shop or with me and they recond it was ok when it first came in
so yea

 

[PookPook]

Clay,
I really like your light colour wild-type. I usualy do not see ones that shade, like a cinamon or something.
How many do you have that are light coloured wildtypes like him?

 

[fish_master]

No i have no others like that he is actualy a bit darker than what he looks in the 7th pic

 

[diet]

I Visited the shop mentioned over xmas and saw axeloties there. i asked what they could go with and described my rio180 which is fully stocked and they said they would fit in perfectly.

This store also was selling some die Injected fish so i dont think they have changed there ways at all

 

[kniesh]

Sorry to drag up an old post but I had been looking at these for a whle in my LFS. I have a 30"x12"x15" spare now and was going to keep one of these in it. Do you think it would be ok?