Anyone keep Axolotls?

I'm interested in getting one, I am mostly concerned with keeping them cool.. I don't think I'm going to be able to afford a chiller, sorry, so I will be resorting to other cooling methods..

My current plan: Screen lid(one of the wider ones, the kind that would normally let UVB get through) with two computer fans sitting on top. One blowing inward, one blowing outward. I've heard this can lower the temp 6-8 degrees. Added with a good filter that doesn't have a warm heater.. Should be doing nice?

Seeing as my house is normally at 70, using this method SHOULD get me to 64 at least..which would be in the ideal temperature range..


If anyone else has experience that would help, I'd love to hear it!

My adviser is a herpetologist and keeps one of these.
As far as I can tell, I don't see any cooling systems in the cage he uses for it and he's had that thing for years.

Nothing above 75F, but stick a probe thermometer in normal "room temperature" water. It's likely colder than you think.

It has to do with the evaporation, the water generally will stay at 2-3 degrees lower than the room temp without any assistance. Still, since I live in a place where the temps can hit above 90s-100s, sometimes that heat can get into the house.. I'd like to have a back up so I'm not right up against the danger level! Plus axies kept around the 62-66 range tend to have the longest lifespan, and I just want to make sure I can hit that range :) I might end up not needing the fans, but if I do.. i'll have them!

If the temps are that high you might want to get a cheap dorm fridge to keep it in during the hotter months. I've been thinking of getting some of these myself and have found a nice forum and website with loads of information about axolotls.

http://www.axolotl.org/

http://www.caudata.org/forum/

;) I actually just joined that forum/visit that website! It has a lot of great information there! :D

I'm very excited..but now it just comes down to the wait.. Can't get one now, in college.. Far away from texas. I don't want to make the poor thing drive all the way home with me, I'd rather just get him when I get home. Plus the water here is too soft for them! We have nice hard water where I live.

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Originally Posted by purplemuffin

;) I actually just joined that forum/visit that website! It has a lot of great information there! :D

I'm very excited..but now it just comes down to the wait.. Can't get one now, in college.. Far away from texas. I don't want to make the poor thing drive all the way home with me, I'd rather just get him when I get home. Plus the water here is too soft for them! We have nice hard water where I live.

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They're really cool animals, good luck to getting one! What kind do you think you'll get?

I'm not sure! I know my flat mates are all trying to get me to get different ones.. lol!

I know eventually I'd like a nice BIG tank with a few of them :)

I really like the leucistics of course, but gold albinos are pretty too. My roommate wants a black one to name 'toothless' from How to train your dragon and my friend across the hall wants me to get a green one named 'Mudkip'.. Haha, they are so creative with their names..

Either way I think I want a GFP axolotl, they are pretty fantastic! There is a breeder selling just about every color, and gfp axies of each color are only about 10 dollars more. Cool little critters! :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by purplemuffin

I'm not sure! I know my flat mates are all trying to get me to get different ones.. lol!

I know eventually I'd like a nice BIG tank with a few of them :)

I really like the leucistics of course, but gold albinos are pretty too. My roommate wants a black one to name 'toothless' from How to train your dragon and my friend across the hall wants me to get a green one named 'Mudkip'.. Haha, they are so creative with their names..

Either way I think I want a GFP axolotl, they are pretty fantastic! There is a breeder selling just about every color, and gfp axies of each color are only about 10 dollars more. Cool little critters! :)

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Exciting! Post pictures when you get them!

Axolotls are great. I actually breed them. I have a few 2-3 inchers at the moment. Some are GFP most are wildtype. They'll grow about half a inch a month if fed well. Temps should be 70 and lower. I keep mine at 60 degrees seems to be best. In the winter time it gets cold and their tanks actually freeze over. Stay away from heat accept the cold.

Cool! My family is moving right now, I'm actually hoping that in the new house we will have the time to set up the tank in a cold area. How do you keep your guys cold? Trickier being in Texas, with the temps being over 100, and hitting 108+ every couple days, but my family keeps the air at 70, sometimes it rises to about 72-74 though in this house. I have some computer fans all ready to be hooked up, in the new house I'll test a tank and see if with a good filter and the fans I can keep the water cool enough for axies! I'd rather not have to buy one of those water coolers..insanely expensive!! If I can't get the water cold enough, I'll wait til I have a house with better air, a basement, or have some way of getting a colder room.

We had some in the old bio lab when I was in college, neat critters just to have on display.

Anyhoo some cooling techniques since we've dealt with 100+ degree weeks here in MN this summer, and we didn't even have air conditioning for most of it:

1) BASEMENT. The main floor hit 98, but the basement was 80.

2) HEAT OF EVAPORATION.

If I remember my science correctly, 1 calorie (small calorie) is the amount of heat needed to raise 1g of water by 1*C.
The heat of vaporization of water is something like 500 calories per gram. That should mean that if you evaporate an amount of water, cool 500 times that much water by 1 degree.

A fan blowing across a wide area of water should help a lot, especially if your indoor humidity is low.

3) HEAT OF FUSION

Fill empty bottles with water. Freeze in freezer. Place in water. The heat of fusion (heat required to melt ice or be taken out to freeze water) is still pretty high at something like 80 cal/g. Once your water bottles are melted, re-freeze them.

These are tips to survive the heat, and may or may not be suitable as long-term every-day solutions year round, depending on how much work you like to put into it.

4) NOT EFFECTIVE: CHANGING WATER

I just figured I'd throw this out there, but changing out your room-temp water with colder tap water is very temporary, and it will adjust in temperature fast, as it only takes 1 cal to raise 1g of water 1*C. Not only that, but I bet Axolotls don't like chlorinated tap water.

I've actually been told to avoid the water bottle thing, at least if possible(but some emergencies will happen) because lowering the water temps too quickly can be a little dangerous for them(but so can 80+degree water!!! So risks might need to be taken)

I figure in emergencies I could place the tank in a large cooler, and find a way to keep the axie cold in there--maybe frozen bottles wrapped in towels, something. Again I would do testing beforehand to make sure everything is a-okay! :D

I currently have a large bottle of prime water conditioner I use for my betta, plenty of that left, I'm sure they wouldn't mind sharing the bottle!