How to look after an axolotl
Aquarium size
At least 1.20 m in length with a capacity of 240 litres (some sources recommend aquariums as small as 80 cm for a single animal, but in my opinion that is far too small, as axolotls can grow to around 30 cm). A 240-litre tank is also suitable for keeping a small group. Larger is, of course, always better. I have a 300-litre aquarium 1.50 m long.
Substrate
One of the most important factors for keeping axolotls properly is the substrate. The substrate must consist of sand. Why? Axolotls usually feed at the bottom. They take in food with their large mouths, and in doing so, they may accidentally pick up and swallow some of the substrate. Most of you can probably imagine what would happen if the substrate were made of gravel. There is also substrate specifically marketed for axolotls. I haven’t had any experience with it yet, so I can’t say whether it’s any good or not. In my axolotl tank, I use JBL Sansiba River Sand.
Plants
Axolotls love having lots of plants, as they can retreat into them or hide amongst them. An axolotl tank should not be fertilised, as axolotls can be sensitive to it. It is therefore important to plant species in the tank that do not require fertiliser. In my tank, the plants grow slowly but they do grow large and look lovely. I’ve read that you shouldn’t use any, or only a little, driftwood with axolotls. I have quite a bit of driftwood in my axolotl tank and have never had any problems with it; on the contrary, it helps the tank to thrive.
Food
In the wild, axolotls feed on small fish, crabs, prawns and snails. I have lots of small snails in my aquarium, which also reproduce very quickly. This is, of course, ideal for my axolotls, as it means they always have live food. Once a week, I also add some JBL food. I also have small prawns in the aquarium, which reproduce quite well and can serve as live food. I’ve had very good results with this combination so far.
Lighting
Axolotls prefer subdued lighting, so you don’t need very strong lighting. However, it should be bright enough to allow the plants to grow.
Filtration
Axolotls need clear, well-filtered water. I use a large external filter for this, which I’ve switched to ‘Diffusion Light’ mode. It’s important to note that axolotls don’t like strong currents.
Temperature
Axolotls like cool water, ideally no warmer than 20 degrees. In summer, however, this is difficult to achieve here in Spain. In summer, the temperature in my aquarium reaches up to 25 degrees, but I use fans to prevent it from rising any further. My axolotls have no problems with this, but I think that should be the absolute upper limit. I’ve positioned the outlet of my external filter so that the water creates plenty of surface movement. This also allows heat to escape from the water more effectively.
