Axolotl care
Ambystoma mexicanum · Lake Xochimilco and the canals of Mexico City
Axolotls are salamanders that keep their feathery gills and live in water all their lives.
- Tank size
- 20 US gal or larger
- Temperature
- 60 to 68 °F (16 to 20 °C)
- Group size
- Alone or in a pair
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Adult size
- 9 in (the usual adult size; a few pass 12 in)
- pH
- 6.5 to 8
- Hardness (GH)
- 7 to 14 dGH
- Lifespan
- 10 to 15 years
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Care level
- Moderate
In a 20 gallon long
30¼ × 12½ × 12¾ in outsideHow to keep axolotls
Axolotls are salamanders that keep their feathery gills and live in water all their lives. One adult needs a 20 gallon long or larger tank of cool water, 60 to 68 °F, with fine sand or a bare bottom and gentle flow. Keep them on their own: fish nip their gills, and an axolotl snaps up anything that fits in its mouth. Pet axolotls come from a large captive population; in their home lake they are critically endangered.
Diet: Carnivore: earthworms, sinking carnivore pellets, frozen bloodworm. Fish food types compared · how often to feed.
Where they swim: Bottom of the tank.
Axolotl tank mates
Share the temperature and water, and neither side eats, nips or bullies the other. Check the full group in the stocking checker.
Axolotls belong in a tank of their own: they nip, bully or eat most tankmates.
Keep apart
Neon tetra: Axolotls belong in a tank of their own.
Cardinal tetra: Axolotls belong in a tank of their own.
Black neon tetra: Axolotls belong in a tank of their own.
Green neon tetra: Axolotls belong in a tank of their own.
Ember tetra: Axolotls belong in a tank of their own.
Glowlight tetra: Axolotls belong in a tank of their own.
What an axolotl tank needs
A tank of 20 US gallons or more (such as the 20 gallon long) with a cover, and the equipment below. Axolotls are comfortable at room temperature, so a heater is optional in a normal home.
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Aqueon PRO QuietFlow Power Filter 10
Rated by the maker for up to 20 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon axolotl tank without being built for a far bigger one.
Aqueon QuietFlow Internal Power Filter 15–30 gal
Rated by the maker for 15–30 US gal, which covers a 20 gallon axolotl tank without being built for a far bigger one.
API Freshwater Master Test Kit
Tests ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, the readings that matter most before and after adding axolotls.
Seachem Prime 100 mL
Removes chlorine and chloramine from tap water at every water change.
Fluval Edge Thermometer
Shows the water temperature at a glance, but its display reads 64 to 86 °F, so it can’t show the bottom of the 60 to 68 °F axolotl range. Check it with a second thermometer that reads below 64 °F.
More choices, each with the reason it is in or out: Filters for a 20 gallon tank. We don’t list fish food: any good brand of the foods under Diet will do. Plan the whole tank's equipment →
Common axolotl problems
- Warm water stresses them; in a room that gets above about 70 °F, cool the tank with a fan over the water or a chiller.
- Gravel they swallow can block the gut; use fine sand or a bare bottom.
- Fish nip their gills, and small fish get eaten; keep them in a tank of their own.
Test the water first whenever fish look unwell: see what your readings mean, then match the symptom. For disease, a vet who treats amphibians can diagnose it and advise treatment.
More to compare
Sources
Name, origin and adult size checked against Wikipedia: Ambystoma mexicanum. Temperature, pH, hardness, group size, lifespan and minimum tank size are common hobby guidance, not figures from that article. Ranges are the range the species tolerates; aim for the middle. Minimum tank sizes are for an adult group. Drawings are our own; photo credits follow.
Photo credits
Real photographs from Wikimedia Commons, resized and cropped to fit; each is used under the license named.
- Axolotl LoKiLeCh, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Neon tetra Holger Krisp, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cardinal tetra CHUCAO, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Black neon tetra Debivort, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Green neon tetra Sascha Biedermann, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ember tetra Klaus Rudloff, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Glowlight tetra gonzalovalenzuela; cropped by Kyknos, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Cherry shrimp TheJammingYam, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Amano shrimp Stefanie Leuker, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Ghost shrimp Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Mystery snail Gabriel Resende Veiga, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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