
Tank
Adult axolotls on average reach 8″ long, some smaller and some bigger. Most people prefer 10-20 gallons per axie. Depending on your filtration, some adjustment can be made. Use a lid or fill it to 3″ below the surface to prevent jumpers!
Water Care
A power filter rated for 10-20 gallons is ideal, just make sure the flow isn’t too strong. Sponge filters are also good and are what we prefer here at Fantaxies. No filter? Daily water changes can be done instead. You can use a fan to keep the water cool. A good water conditioner is important to make tap water safe. Test strips are great to check your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH levels!
- Temperature: 60-68 degrees F
- pH: 7-8.5
- Ammonia & nitrite: 0
- Nitrate: Below 40


Friends
Generally, some safe tank mates for adult axolotls are:
- Other axolotls (when well fed)
- Minnows
- Ghost Shrimp
- Livebearers (mosquito fish, guppies, endlers, swords, mollies & platies)
- Zebra Danios
- Orange-finned Danios
- Dojo Loaches (same size as the axolotl)
- Golden Skiffas
- Japanese Trapdoor Snails
- Mystery snails
Note that some fish/shrimp may eventually become a snack! 🙂
Feeding
Axolotls are carnivores and love meat. They will happily eat:
- Earthworms
- Frozen bloodworms
- Blackworms
- Soft salmon pellets
- Raw deveined seafood
- Repashy Grub Pie
Babies should be fed 1-2X daily, and juveniles over 4 inches every other day. They don’t see well, so using tongs to hold the food in front of them can help them find it.


Decorations
One hide per axolotl is a good recommendation. You can even make your own as long as they don’t have sharp edges. Adult axolotls do well with a fine sand substrate. They like to grip onto things. Live plants help purify the water.