0223809724
CONTACT ME
0223809724
Welcome to Axolotls New Zealand, my name is Amelia Seales and I rescue, rehabilitate and rehome Axolotls all around New Zealand. As well as rescuing I also have my own personal axolotls that I breed to help create healthier and stronger genetics for future axolotl keepers. My main goal is to educate axolotl owners on proper care, on this website I have provided all of the up to date information on axolotl care and how to correctly house them, my information has already helped thousands of axolotl keepers and I hope it will help you as well.
HOUSING
TANK SIZING
An axolotls tank needs to be a minimum of 60litres for one adult and an addition 30 litres per Axolotl you add but bigger is always better. Length is more important then height so your tank will need to be at least 60cm long by 30cm wide by 40cm heigh for one adult, for two or more axolotls it’s an additional 30cm long (30litres) per Axolotl you add.
SAFE SUBSTRATE
Axolotls aren’t smart animals and will eat anything that will fit in their mouths so you need to make sure the substrate you pick is safe.
- Fine White silica sand is a popular choice, cheapest white silica sand is sold on trade me for $1 per kg, it’s fine enough for your axolotl to pass and isn’t toxic. To keep clean just do daily spot cleaning using a turkey baster to remove any left over food and poo and run a fine net through the sand to pick up any gross bits. - Short grass, sold at the warehouse, and mitre ten, give a rinse before adding it to your aquarium. Make sure to buy the shortest fake grass I have found the longer grass can damage your axolotls slim coat. To clean just use a turkey baster to remove any left over food and run a net over it, you may find yourself getting it out of your tank every couple of months to give it a good clean with the hose or tap. -Tiles are also good choice, easy to clean just remove food daily and you may need to get a cloth and wipe them down with your weekly water changes, you may also need to take the tiles out every so often so remove any waste that has gotten trapped under them.
-Bare, you can also leave your tank bare which is the easiest option to clean.
UNSAFE SUBSTRATE
In New Zealand we don’t have access to a lot of products and accessories they have over seas, I have personally tested all of the substrates in New Zealand and found most to be unsafe for our axolotls. Below is a list of all the substrates that are UNSAFE
Coloured sand: In New Zealand there isn’t Coloured sand that is safe for axolotls. The coloured sand that is commonly used world wide is called Crayola play sand which is widely claimed to not cause damange to axolotls however it has never been officially tested, we do not have Crayola play sand here.
Coloured sand we have in New Zealand Is artificially coloured, most of the coloured sand will leach chemicals into your aquarium making it a toxic environment.
The aquarium safe coloured sand will not bleed but when an axolotl ingests coloured aquarium sand it will cause issues with their digestion.
Magnetic sand:
Make sure you check your sand with a magnet before putting it in your aquarium. Sand that is magnetic is deemed unsafe because it has added extra minerals in it which will mess up your PH. If the PH is effected then your nitrates will also be effected causing your cycle to crash. Sand that is magnetic also can clump up which will cause impaction when consumed by your Axolotl.
Sharp Sand: When picking sand you'll want to have sand that is as smooth as possible if your sand is too sharp it will cut your axolotls insides. Any kind of stones, gritty, gravel, and large grained sand above recommended size (1mm) is considered sharp for axolotls and will not only cut and damage their insides but will damage their slim coat when they walk across it.
Gravel: Any kind of gravel/small stones that aren’t 3x larger then your axolotls head will be consumed by your axolotl and impact them. Impaction often leads to death or a very expensive vet bill. Gravel is also super hard to clean so even if it is glued down your axolotls waste, and left over food may still be stuck between the stones causing ammonia spikes.
HOW TO CYCLE YOUR AQUARIUM
The most important first step when getting your axolotl is making sure your aquarium is properly cycled. “What does this mean?” When you have an animal of any kind living in water, their waste will decay creating ammonia in the water. “What about the filter?” you ask, while the filter will remove physical debris from the water, the waste will still decay inside the filter. Creating your nitrogen cycle is the process of building up beneficial bacteria in your filter that will feed on the ammonia. The ammonia will then be converted to nitrites and eventually nitrates. Any level of ammonia or nitrites in the water is an indication that aquarium in not properly cycled. While there is always some measurable amount of nitrates, occasional water changes are important to make sure they levels don’t get too high. The process of cycling a new aquarium can take 2-8 weeks depending on how you do it and sometimes just takes longer for various reasons. Below is the process for cycling your aquarium and some steps you can take to speed it up. PATIENCE is key and waiting is better than having a dead pet. Before you begin, set up the aquarium completely, filter, decorations, etc.
You will need an API Fresh water Master test kit. Do not purchase a knock off, paper test strips, or any other kit. If you don’t want to spend the $80ish on this kit, don’t bother setting up an aquarium, this hobby is expensive and getting a good test kit is the best thing you can do to ensure your pets health. https://www.animates.co.nz/api-master-test-kit-for-fresh-water.html
The best way to jump start your aquarium is to get used, established filter media from another tank you have had set up, a friend with an established tank, or your local fish store. Keep in mind, anytime you transfer filter media from one tank to another, you run the risk of moving disease as well. Filter media should never be “cleaned” in tap water, if it is excessively dirty, this will actually be a benefit to you for cycling. If you do wish to rinse excess build up off of the media, swish it in a bucket of declorinated water. The medial you get can be bio balls, ceramic media, a sponge, or any other type. Some hold more bacteria than others.
To start the cycling process you will need ammonium chloride to add to your aquarium and starter bacteria or you can use fish food, I recommend Seachem Stability https://kiwipetz.co.nz/products/la06?variant=2814030086172¤cy=NZD&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0reC9dqq5wIVzI6PCh1-wAgNEAkYAiABEgJMu_D_BwE
You can use any pure ammonia, ammonium chloride or fish food products to start but for your first time I recommend something made for aquariums that has instructions for cycling. https://www.hollywoodfishfarm.co.nz/product/dr-tims-ammonium-chloride-2oz/
The Dr. Tims Ammonium Chloride states 1 drop per gallon will dose your aquarium to 2ppm (parts per million), I reccomend double dosing to 4ppm but no higher. After adding the ammonia, test the water for ammonia 12 hours later. Continue to test the ammonia and nitrite every other day. When your ammonia drops to 1-2, dose the ammonia back to 4ppm.
Continue to test for ammonia and nitrite, eventually the nitrites will be begin to rise and the ammonia will begin to fall. Once you are getting readings for nitrite, you will also want to start testing for nitrate also. Eventually, you will see a big spike in Nitrate. Once the nitrate hits 40-80ppm, do a 75% water change.
Once your nitrates have spiked, you will notice that you have to add ammonia more often to keep it up between 2-4ppm. The goal you are aiming for is to dose to 4ppm and 24 hours later you are reading 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, & 5-20ppm nitrate. Once you have accomplished 4ppm to 0ppm ammonia in 24 hours, dose it back up and wait another 24 hours to be sure it has the same result. This is when your aquarium is cycled and it is safe to add pets. Be sure not to add too many at once, larger animals have a larger bio load and will cause a spike in the ammonia and if it is too great for your cycle to keep up, you could put your pets in danger. Patience!
FILTER
Axolotls require a low flow filter, filters will a strong flow will push your axolotl around too much and can stress them out.
Internal filters, sponge filters and canister filters are all good choices. Make sure your filter is cycled before adding your axolotl
TEMPERATURE
The optimal temperature for an axolotl is 16-18 degrees Celsius anywhere above 20 degrees and below 10 degrees will start to cause issues with your axolotl.
Axolotls are cold water animals so it’s very important that your tank temperature doesn’t exceed 20 degrees Celsius, if it does happen to get too warm your axolotls slim coat will come off, and fungal spores and other bacteria’s will start to thrive in your aquarium, eventually your axolotl will get a fungal or bacterial infection or will over heat and die.
When an Axolotl is kept in water below 10 degrees they change their blood chemistry to thin their blood, changing which enzymes they use for digestion, and shutting down some functions entirely to reduce energy requirements. Their heart rate drops very low so their heart can gently squeeze the cold thickened blood through without damaging their heart muscles and they reduce the need for oxygen for internal organs by slowing down all metabolic functions. Axolotls cannot continue to survive in very low temperatures indefinitely. It shuts down many important metabolic functions like digestion, axolotls need those functions turned back on to survive, more then 20 days at 4degrees Celsius or below is usually fatal, this means axolotls can not be housed outside in New Zealand, our temperatures are simply not suitable for them to thrive and live a happy life.
LIGHTING
Axolotls are nocturnal animals which means they are most active at night, they also do not have eyelids so it’s very important not to have bright lights in your aquarium and to have lots of hiding places available for them.
UNSAFE FEEDING
AXOLOTL TUCKER
Axolotl Tucker is the most unsafe product to feed to axolotls that is designed specifically for our axolotls.
The ingredients contain
Beef, Insects with exoskeletons & Prawns
Beef: Feeding beef will cause renal and organ failure both aren’t curable.
Insects: The insects in this product have exoskeletons which are a massive chocking hazard and axolotls can’t actually digest them.
Shrimp: Shrimp is extremely addictive and contains thiaminase which destroys an important vitamin when consumed by your axolotls, too much will also cause obesity.
*product is sold by bio suppliers*
MAMMALIAN MEAT AND POULTRY
Axolotls are aquatic, which means they do not naturally eat mammals or poultry so why feed them foods they are not evolved to eat? It’s very old information that axolotls and other amphibians are able to consume mammalian meats and poultry but this has been proven to be incorrect. Mammalian meat lack calcium and vitamins and causes a lot of health problems for axolotls such a renal failure, and obesity. Liver also has excessive vitamin A which causes hypervitaminosi (vitamin A toxicity)
EXOSKELETON
Anything with a hard exoskeleton should not be fed to axolotls, they not only can’t digest it, but they can easily choke and get stuck in their throats when trying to eat it. This includes
* mealworms* crickets * Locusts * beetles * slaters And any other animal with the hard exoskeleton.
THIAMINASE
A lot of animals contain Thiaminase which isn’t safe for axolotls. Thiaminase is an enzyme, a chemical compound that destroys/ inactivated thiamine, thiamine is an important vitamin also known as vitamin B1. There is not just one type of Thiaminase, but several different ones, they can also be produced by bacteria, fungi and plants. Below is a few of the common animals that are fed to axolotls which aren’t safe
* Goldfish * minnows *mussels * crab *crayfish * Prawns There are many species of fish that contain thiaminase so please check before feeding
SAFE FEEDING
EARTHWORMS
Earthworms are great to feed to axolotls, they are very nutritional so can be fed as a main food source but it’s good to give your axolotls a variety. Make sure if you are getting worms out of your garden that they aren’t near any roads or places that might have been sprayed, you also have to be very careful of parasites. If you are wanting to buy earthworms the Wriggly restaurant on Facebook sells earthworms for affordable prices :) https://www.facebook.com/wormtuckernz/
Below is a list of earthworms that your axolotls will actually enjoy eating.
1. Epigeic earthworms live on the surface of the soil under organic matter such as leaf litter and decaying plants. They feed on the leaf litter, turning it into friable soil. (You may notice that they have a darker body; this gives them protection from sun on the soil's surface see.
2. Endogeic earthworms are the ones we gardeners are most likely to come across. They live in the soil in horizontal burrows. Some are very pale in colour
3. Anecic earthworms make vertical burrows in the soil. They source leaves and other organic matter from the surface and pull this into their burrows. As they feed on all this organic matter they excrete it as castings around the entrance to their burrows.
4. Blue-grey worm (Octolasion cyaneum); endogeic; lives in topsoil, about spade depth. Fat, blue-grey body; yellow tip on tail; yellow ring on neck.
5. Grey worm (Aporrectodea caliginosa); endogeic; lives in and eats garden soil. Pink-grey body, dark pink head, up to 15cm long.
6. Dung worm (Lumbricus rubellus); epigeic; lives in organic matter, especially cow pats. Brown body, red saddle, 3-10cm long.
6. Nightcrawler (Lumbricus terrestris); anecic; lives up to 3m deep in soil in North Island. Very large (up to 30cm); red-brown body; flat tail.
7. Black-headed worm (Aporrectodea longa); anecic; lives deep in soil, mostly in North Island. Large (9-12cm); dark grey-brown body.
JBL AXOLOTL PELLETS
Jbl pellets is ideal for Axolotls from 18cm through 5mm granulates.It complements the natural nutrition with fish meat of freshwater fish, amphipods and shrimps.
The selected ingredients provide better digestion and therefore for less water contamination (less algae)Axolotl find their food by their sense of smell (olfactory). That’s why the smell of the natural ingredients is crucial.
They’re high in vitamin and protein content with an optimum protein/fat ratio of 3.6:1 to ensure healthy growth of young, fast growing animals. Sinking food pearls retain their shape to meet the requirements of bottom feeding axolotl.
These pellets are great to feed along side grubpie as a complete diet 🙂
https://www.animates.co.nz/jbl-novolotl-staple-food-for-axolotl-150g.html
GRUBPIE
REPASHY GRUBPIEDirections: Bring water to a boil on stove, in microwave or kettle. Pour boiling water into a bowl and immediately stir in powder (1 part powder to 2-3 parts water). Let cool or immediately pour into mold. Gel will set at room temperature. Cut into pieces or long strips for feeding. Once made, gel should be treated as fresh food and can be sealed and stored in refrigerator for up to two weeks, or freezer for up to six months.
Recipe #2: 2 cups of water, 1/2 cup grub pie, 10 bloodworm cubes, 1/4 cup pellets. Bring water to the boil, pour over other ingredients, stir briskly with a fork. Pour into and ice cube tray (recipe makes 1 tray). Cool then refrigerate. Keeps for up to 2 weeks.
INGREDIENTS: Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal, Dried Seaweed Meal, Coconut Meal, Ground Flaxseed, Stabilized Rice Bran, Dried Brewers Yeast, Lecithin, Dried Kelp, Locust Bean Gum, Calcium Carbonate, Potassium Citrate, Salt, Taurine, Watermelon, RoseHips, Hibiscus Flower, Calendula Flower, Marigold Flower, Paprika, Turmeric, Salt, Calcium Propionate and Potassium Sorbate (as preservatives), Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Manganese Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Copper Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Selenium Yeast. Vitamins: (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Choline Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-Polyphosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Beta Carotene, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex).Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein min. 40%, Crude Fat min. 12%, Crude Fiber max. 15%, Moisture max. 10%, Ash max. 12%, Calcium min. 1.4%.
Made in USA.Refrigeration will extend freshness of gel
New Zealand: https://www.repashy.co.nz
BLACK WORMS
Black worms are a species of worm that lives in shallow-water marshes, ponds, and swamps, feeding on microorganisms and organic material.
Great for feeding to babies around 4-15cm. Can also give to adult axolotls every so often
BLOODWORMS
Bloodworms should only be given as a treat to adult axolotls because they don’t have enough nutrients axolotls need, Feeding as a complete diet will stop your axolotl from growing properly and putting on weight. Bloodworms are a type of larvae found in freshwater pools and ponds, they come from a midge fly and They feed on a variety of decomposing plant, animal matter, and algae.
WHITE WORMS
These are great to feed to 3-10cm babies along side other foods. They can also be given to adults but only as a treat and not as a main food source
White Worms (Enchytraeus Albidus) are type of non-parasitic annelid that are the cousins to red worm and the Grindal worm. White worms produce cocoons that contain 9-35 eggs. Each White worm can produce over 1000 eggs in its life span. Each egg takes about 12 days to hatch out into tiny white worms that by day 20 are ready to start reproducing. White worms survive best in cool temperatures, White worms reproduce best at around 50 – 68 degrees Fahrenheit, and start to die off at 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
AXOLOTLS FOR ADOPTION
BABY WILDTYPES
Here at Axolotls New Zealand we have a variety of axolotls looking for homes, some of these are Wildtypes. WildType axolotls are brown/black/greeny colouring with black eyes and silver eye rings. These babies are around 6cm long, and are being fed on grubpie, pellets and small earthworms. This clutch was accidental and they were rescued from a poor environment so they are not suitable for breeding and need to go to pet only homes, bare in mind if you do adopt more then one you need to be aware that axolotls can’t be sexed until they’re around a year old so if you end up with opposite genders you will need to separate them (you can do this by putting a divider in your aquarium or housing them in different tank. These babies are $10 each plus $26 for overnight shipping, before homing any of my axolotls I do require a photo of your set up, this is just to make sure they’re going into a safe environment :) if you would like to adopt an axolotl please either email, text or send us a message on Facebook :) thank you
BABY GOLDEN ALBINO
Here at Axolotls New Zealand we have a variety of axolotls looking for homes, some of these are Golden albinos. Golden albino axolotls have golden colouring with white eyes and silver eye rings. These babies are around 6-10cm long, and are being fed on grubpie, pellets and small earthworms. This clutch was bred by a reputable breeder, they have leucistic albino het and good genetics so are suitable for breeding with the right pairing, bare in mind if you do adopt more then one you need to be aware that axolotls can’t be sexed until they’re around a year old so if you end up with opposite genders you will need to separate them so they don’t overbreed or inbred (you can do this by putting a divider in your aquarium or housing them in different tank. These babies are $35 each plus $26 for overnight shipping, before homing any of my axolotls I do require a photo of your set up, this is just to make sure they’re going into a safe environment :) if you would like to adopt an axolotl please either email, text or send us a message on Facebook :) thank you
BABY LEUCISTIC ALBINO
Here at Axolotls New Zealand we have a variety of axolotls looking for homes, some of these are Leucistic albinos. Leucistic albino axolotls have white colouring with white eyes and silver eye rings. These babies are around 6-10cm long, and are being fed on grubpie, pellets and small earthworms. This clutch was bred by a reputable breeder, they have golden albino het and good genetics so are suitable for breeding with the right pairing, bare in mind if you do adopt more then one you need to be aware that axolotls can’t be sexed until they’re around a year old so if you end up with opposite genders you will need to separate them so they don’t overbreed or inbred (you can do this by putting a divider in your aquarium or housing them in different tank. These babies are $60 each plus $26 for overnight shipping, before homing any of my axolotls I do require a photo of your set up, this is just to make sure they’re going into a safe environment :) if you would like to adopt an axolotl please either email, text or send us a message on Facebook :) thank you
BABY LEUCISTIC
Here at Axolotls New Zealand we have a variety of axolotls looking for homes, some of these are Leucistic, leucistic axolotls have white colouring with black eyes and silver eye rings. These babies are around 6-10cm long, and are being fed on grubpie, pellets and small earthworms. This clutch was rescued so isn’t suitable to be bred so is you do adopt more then one you need to be aware that axolotls can’t be sexed until they’re around a year old so if you end up with opposite genders you will need to separate them so they don’t overbreed or inbred (you can do this by putting a divider in your aquarium or housing them in different tank. These babies are $35 each plus $26 for overnight shipping, before homing any of my axolotls I do require a photo of your set up, this is just to make sure they’re going into a safe environment :) if you would like to adopt an axolotl please either email, text or send us a message on Facebook :) thank you
RESPONSIBLE BREEDING
Looking to breed your axolotls?Anyone can put a male and female axolotl together and breed them but to do it correctly and with genetic integrity takes extreme dedication.
Before putting any opposite gender axolotls together you need to make sure they’re suitable to breed.
1. Are your axolotls related? If your axolotls were from the same petshop, breeder or person the chances of them being related are very high so you should not breed them
2. Are your Axolotls over 18months old? Axolotls that are younger then 18months shouldn’t breed, it’s too hash on your female and may shorten her life
3. Is your female a good weight and healthy? If your females body isn’t as round as her head and showing and signs of health issues you’ll want to hold off breeding her or if she’s showing signs of genetic health problems you don’t want to breed her at all
4. And lastly do you know both parents heterozygous? If you don’t know your axolotls hets you shouldn’t breed them because you need both parents to have the same Hets to create coloured morphs, without matching Hets you will end up with a clutch of 100% wildtypes
LAYING EGGS
Once the spawning has taken place, the female will become more active and begin to lay eggs it can take a few hours or several days for her to lay. The eggs will be spread out and attached to objects in the aquarium. The eggs are covered in a jelly like substrate this is to protect the eggs from getting damaged. Once she had finished laying you have to separate the male and female, (this prevents them from breeding again and causing your female to over breed). Albino axolotls lay white eggs and other morphs will lay black eggs.
REMOVING EGGS
Once your female has finished laying eggs and you’ve separated the male you can start to remove the eggs. The best way to remove eggs is to use your hands (Do not use a turkey baster you will most likely damage your eggs). Start by taking all of the ornaments that are covered in eggs out of your set up and placing them in a container with water, have a second container ready filled with clean, cool, dechlorinated water. Gently pull the eggs off the ornaments and place them in the second container. Check your eggs regularly, make sure the water is kept clean, and remove any eggs that are dead (cloudy, and not developing). Your eggs should hatch in 2-3weeks depending on water temperature.
HATCHLINGS
Newly hatched axolotl larvae are very small and require tiny live food. The hatchlings do not have a sense of smell so they have to react to the movement of the food. Due to their feeding behavior, cannibalism is quite common in the hatchling stage and early development. The young will snap at the movements of the other babies causing damage to gills, limbs and possibly killing/ consuming each other. It is best to separate the young by size in different tubs (making adjustments frequently) or to house them individual in small cups/containers.
While in containers/cups, the water needs to be changed 1-2 times a day (I do it just before adding new food). The best way to change hatchlings water is to Turkey Baster the water out. You can use a turkey baster to transfer the babies out and put them into a new tub/container but I personally wouldn’t because you can damaged gills with the baster on accident and accidentally dropped them on the floor. I use a turkey baster to take out as much water as I can comfortably and then I gently pour the last little bit with babies still in, into the new tub/ container filled with clean, cool dechlorinated water.
It is recommended to feed them brine shrimp, or daphnia (2 times a day) until they are large enough to eat cut up (defrosted) frozen blood worms. Once they start to develop front legs they have developed a sense of smell and will accept food that doesn't move. The cannibalistic behavior will subside as they grow, but it is always a risk (especially in axolotls of different sizes).
INBREEDING
Axolotls are already severely inbred so are all other living things just not as badly, for example an organism is only considered “inbred” if it’s parents were closely related (first cousins, or closer) in that case it would result in a minimum inbreeding coefficient of 6.25%, If the parents were brother and sister, the inbreeding coefficient would be 25%, with axolotls breeding two that are “unrelated” the breeding coefficient would already be 35% which means axolotls have a higher inbreeding coefficient then you have if your parents were brother and sister. Can you start to see why breeders are worried?
When you inbreed your axolotls not only will you end up with deformed, unhealthy inbred babies but you're introducing inbred, bottlenecked genetics into an already limited genetic pool, therefore potentially causing damage even past your own clutch.
People breeding siblings and rehoming them to others who may also breed them can eventually crash the entire captive gene pool, with such a shallow genetic background to choose from, inbreeding can eventually cause these beautiful animals to go extinct even in captivity. It only takes one person to inbreed their axolotls and raise the babies to wipe out an entire healthy genetic line but takes years for us to breed these genetic problems out of the population. So, as hard as it is, culling inbred clutches is the only way to truly be responsible so others can enjoy these animals in the future.
Signs of genetic problems.
* Your babies are growing at different rates * Extra limbs and gills * Twisted spin * Short gills
Bare in mind these are all health and genetic issues you can see, when you breed an Axolotl irresponsibility they will likely have all kinds of health issues and genetic problems that will end up killing them later on such as deformed organs and intestines.
PROVIDE YOUR FEEDBACK
How Was Your Experience?
SICKNESS, DISEASE AND TREATMENT
TUBBING
When I doubt Tub your axolotl!
The proper way to tub your axolotl depends on what you are trying to accomplish. There are several reasons why you might want to tub your axolotl:• To house your axolotl while your tank is cycling•To hold your axolotl during water changes, feeding and/or emergencies• To treat a sick/injured axolotl• To transport an axolotl during a move or a trip to the vet •To house growing larvae or juveniles• To house a special-needs axolotl permanentlyHow to tub:
1. Fill up a clean container (you’ll need a container bigger enough for your axolotl to comfortably move around, I recommend shoe box sized) with cold tap water (enough to cover your axolotl by at least 2 inches unless your axolotl is floating then you’ll only need enough water just to cover them) 2. Add water conditioner (prime is best) 3. Feed your axolotl before putting them in the tub (if you feed them when tubbed make sure to clean the tub within an hour). 4. Once your axolotl is done eating and the temperature of where they currently are (tank or another tub is roughly the same temperature, transfer your axolotl 5. Dump out the dirty water daily. Use a scrubby brush and hot water to clean the tub throughly! If you don’t clean your tubs probably you’ll find your axolotl will get a bacterial infection.
FUNGAL INFECTION
Fungal infections are one of the most common diseases seen in axolotls, this is because fungal spores naturally populate in all aquatic tanks. When you have poor water quality or your Axolotl is sick, stressed or injured it can cause a dangerous increase in the spores. These infections manifest as a white cotton, wool like growth on the skin, mouth, limbs or gills.
Treatment:
• Mild fungus
If your Axolotl only has a little fluff of fungus then you will need to tub them in cool, clean, dechlorinated water with full daily water changes. Often mild fungus will go away on its own in a clean environment but it helps to add an Indian Almond leaf (IAL) to your water to help prevent it from spreading (see “treatment” unit to find out how much to use). If no improvement or if it worsens at any time move onto the next treatment (see tea bathing below).
• Tea baths Tea bathing is the next stage of treating fungal infections if IAL doesn’t work or if your Axolotls fungus is bad already. Tea bathing is done with plan single ingredient black tea, with no added sugars, flavours, herbs or additives of any kind. Tea has caffeine in it which can be strenuous on their cardio system so limiting how much time your Axolotls are in the tea bath for will give the benefits of the tannins and the caffeine without putting undue or prolonged strain on their heart, if your Axolotl has fungus and is weak I don’t recommend tea bathing.
1. First you need to tub your axolotl. (Tubbing is when you keep an axolotl in a Tupperware/storage container with 100% daily water changes to keep ammonia at 0.)
2. Brew a cup of tea using 2-3 tea bags and boiled water. Leave the tea to cool completely and then remove the tea bags.
3. Add the tea into a different tub (you will need to add more water to the tub so the Axolotl is completely covered) and then place your axolotl in it for 10-15 minutes. 4. After 10-15 minutes remove your axolotl from the tea tub and put them back into a clean, dechlorinated tub.
5. Repeat up to 3 times a day for up to 3 consecutive days. Make sure you are using fresh tea each time and clean dechlorinated water.
If your axolotls fungus hasn’t gone away please try methylthioninium chloride baths (see below)
• Methylthioninium chloride baths
Methylthioninium chloride commonly known as Methylene blue is a medication and dye, it can aid in ammonia, nitrite poisoning and is a great anti-fungal. Methylthioninium is used when your axolotl has severe fungus, either use after the 3 day tea bathing has failed or if your Axolotls fungus is severely bad that has caused them to become weak (weak axolotls won’t handle the caffeine from tea bathing).
Dosage: Amphibians absorb medication with their entire bodies, so they get much more in their system than a fish would from the same dosage so you need to half the dosage that’s on the bottle. The recommended dosage for Amphibians is 2-4mg/l as a continuos bath for up to 5 days, which works out it be 0.002-0.004ml/l. Or you can dose according to water colour, if you do it that way it’s 1 drop per 1 gallon of water, when using drops as a measurement you want just enough to tint the water a light blue colour.
Directions:
1. You’ll first want to tub your Axolotl in cool, clean, dechlorinated water (you can’t use methylene blue in your tank because even the smallest drop will destroy your cycle).
2. Add half the recommended dosage on the bottle, or 1 drop per 1 gallon of water to your tub, there should be just enough methylene blue in your tub water to slightly tint the tub water a light blue colour.
3. The medicine deactivates after 24 hours so you must change your tub water daily and dose again for up to 5 days. If fungus is getting worse and hadn’t gone away after using all of the treatments above please move onto salt bathing.
• Salt bathing (extreme fungal infections).
This treatment is only for extreme cases of fungal infections after you have tried all of the other treatments and there is no other options! This treatment is extremely harsh, very abrasive on their slim coat, and also toughens your axolotls skin making other treatments less effective on them in the future so it is rarely recommend.
Directions: Fill a tub with cool, clean dechlorinated water and add 1 tablespoon of either Aquarium, sea, rock or solar salt per 5 gallons of water. Then place your Axolotl in the salt bath tub for 15 minutes twice daily.
Often helps to get a cotton bud and gently try to remove the fungus yourself
FRIDGING
Putting an axolotl in the fridge was once a commonly advised medical treatment but if done incorrectly can cause more harm then good so it’s now ONLY for life or death scenarios as a last chance effort to prolong life or as a treatment for SEVERE constipation or impaction.
How to fridge: Please do not just put your axolotl in the fridge! When fridging the axolotl must be tubbed and placed in the lowest part of the fridge near the crispers (this is the warmest point) and the fridge must be turned all the way up to it’s warmest setting to prevent cell damage from temperatures that are too low (not good for your meat and diary but very necessary for the survival of your axolotl). Fridging slows down their metabolism as they prepare for a hibernation like state. In preparation for this they void the digestive system (so food doesn't spoil in the gut during extended period of inactivity). With a slower metabolism, disease progresses more slowly giving you more time to seek medical treatment and for any medications to take effect, most bacteria also tend to not multiply well in colder environments