Axolotl Care: Cool Water, Tank Size and Diet

What Makes an Axolotl Different

Axolotls are salamanders that never leave the water. They keep their feathery gills and larval body for life, which is why they look permanently young. In the wild they live only in a single lake system near Mexico City, where they are critically endangered. Almost all pet axolotls are captive-bred, and there are far more of them in tanks than in the wild.

They are calm, curious and easy to watch, but they are not for handling. Their skin is delicate and their skeleton is partly cartilage.

Cool Water Comes First

Most aquarium advice is about keeping water warm. Axolotls need the opposite. A veterinary care sheet gives 61–64°F (16–18°C) as ideal and 57–72°F (14–22°C) as the range they tolerate. Warmer water stresses them and makes illness more likely.

• Keep the tank in a cool room, away from windows, radiators and sunny spots.
• Don't use a heater in a normal home.
• In a heatwave, use fans across the water surface, or an aquarium chiller if your summers are hot.
• Check with an aquarium thermometer every day in summer.

These are typical ranges from veterinary care sheets. Check with your vet or a specialist keeper for your own setup.

Tank, Floor and Filtration

• Size: at least 20 gallons (75 liters) for one adult, and a long tank beats a tall one because axolotls live on the bottom. Bigger tanks hold more stable water.
• Water depth: at least as deep as the axolotl is long.
• Floor: bare glass, large smooth rocks bigger than the axolotl's head, or fine aquarium sand. Axolotls swallow food with a gulp, and gravel goes down with it.
• Filtration: a filter sized for the tank but with gentle flow; axolotls dislike strong currents. A spray bar or sponge filter helps.
• Cycling: cycle the tank for several weeks before your axolotl arrives so beneficial bacteria can handle the waste. Test the water regularly.
• Light: keep it low, with hides and plants for shade.

Diet

Axolotls are carnivores that swallow their food whole. Good foods include earthworms (cut to size), bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia and sinking axolotl pellets. Veterinary guidance suggests feeding adults every second day and juveniles once or twice a day. Remove uneaten food so it doesn't foul the water. Don't feed feeder fish from shops, which can carry disease.

Company: Best Kept Alone

Axolotls do best on their own. They may try to eat smaller tankmates, including smaller axolotls, and fish nibble their gills. Adults of similar size can sometimes share a large tank, but a male and female will breed and the female can lay hundreds of eggs, so most keepers keep one per tank.

Health: Preventive Care

Clean, cool, well-cycled water prevents most problems. Find a vet who treats amphibians before you buy; many don't. Veterinary guidance suggests a check-up every 6–12 months. Wash your hands before and after working in the tank, and avoid handling the axolotl itself.