Easy Axolotl Care: the Ultimate Guide for a Happy Pet!
- Savannah Scollar
- Jun 29
- 11 min read
Updated: Aug 18
Looking at an axolotl, you'd probably get the impression that they're some incredible challenge to take care of. There's no way something so unusual could be easy to keep as a pet, right? The truth is, as long as you set things up right, the care can be super simple!
Important to consider:
Axolotls live 10-15 years.
Adult axolotls should live in a tank at least 3 feet wide.
Adult axolotls are about the size of a plastic water bottle. They reach this size at around 2 years old.
Axolotls can't live with fish, shrimp, or snails.
Axolotls should not be pet or picked up.
Axolotls stay underwater.
Adult axolotls may take nap a lot in the middle of the day. They usually get hyper around sunset, and can be hyper in the mornings as well.
Axolotl tanks with plants need a bit of cleaning once a week. Cleaning only takes about 20 minutes. Without plants, there's a lot more cleaning to do.
Plants in an axolotl tank don't really need any care.
Why axolotls make great pets:
Axolotls are super silly- always doing weird poses and flopping around. They walk like they're on the moon and they wiggle when they swim.
Axolotls like when people come say hi to them. They'll watch you from across the room.
Axolotls have different personalities. Some can even befriend one another.
It's fun to watch an axolotl eat.
It's fun to decorate an axolotl tank and watch the plants grow.
It's fun to watch a baby axolotl grow to its full size.
Most axolotls don't mind being around noise. We do workshops and birthday parties where kids can feed the baby axolotls. The axolotls seem to enjoy all the food and attention!
Axolotls are hypoallergenic.
Axolotls are way less messy than other pets.
Axolotl tanks can be a beautiful addition to any room. It's like having a piece of nature inside your house. The axolotl gets its own little world.
Axolotl maintenance is ridiculously cheap.
Sound like a good fit? Let's dive into the details!
Tanks can be cheap!
Now, first thing's first, you'll need a tank. Check Facebook Marketplace. There's no need to spend tons of money on an aquarium when people are selling them secondhand for $30. New tanks are nowhere near as sturdy as old ones. They make the glass half as thick as they used to, in an attempt to cut costs.
For one adult axolotl, you'll need a tank that's at least 29 gallons. It sounds like an oddly specific number, but they do sell tanks in that size. Surprisingly, a 30 gallon is much harder to find. Each gallon is close to 2 large (2 liter each) soda bottles.
To make things easier, baby axolotls can live in a 10 or 20 gallon until a larger tank is ready. A 1 year old axolotl can enjoy a 20 gallon, while a 6 month old could enjoy a 10 gallon. Even then, babies grow at different rates, so a slower-growing axolotl could live in a smaller tank for longer.
Cleaning a secondhand tank
Pro tip: I highly recommend getting a 1 or 2 gallon plastic watering can with a large opening at the top. The spout should have one big hole rather than several tiny ones. This is what I used to fill my tanks without making as much of a mess as I potentially could have. I also use it when I'm cleaning the tanks. Now, speaking of cleaning....
If your tank is secondhand, you'll probably need to clean it. It's safe to use Dawn dish soap for this, as long as you rinse thoroughly. No axolotls swimming in soapy water! Use a plastic scrubbing brush. Don't use a metal one or you'll scrape the glass! Chances are, if your tank is used, it probably already has a few scratches- but there's no point in account now unnecessarily.
Rinse your tank repeatedly with tap water from the watering can, pouring water down the sides, making sure to rinse the entirety of the surface. Remove water by tilting the tank into the sink, or by siphoning the water up. You can turkey baster out the tiny leftover bits of water that the siphon can't get. Repeat this process a few times until there is no debris and no bubbles. Then, do it two more times for good measure. Wait a minute, what's a siphon?
A siphon is a tool that you use to suck water out of the tank. Get one with a pump midway down the tube. Otherwise, you'll have to put your mouth on the end to make the water start moving. I like using siphons with a narrow opening at the bottom. The ones with the big thick cylinders are very clunky.
Filling the Tank
Make sure that whatever your tank is placed on is very sturdy. Solid wood furniture is a safe bet. 29 gallons of water weighs 330 pounds! If you have extra money, an aquarium stand can also be a good option. The cupboards underneath it are useful for storing your axolotl supplies. Of course, be sure to put your tank where it's going to stay before you start filling it up. Make sure your tank isn't directly in front of a window. Trust me, you don't wanna accidentally summon an algae apocalypse.
Cleaning a secondhand tank can happen on the floor, but filling should happen in the tank's long term home. Wait! Don't fill it up all the way just yet! Leave a few gallons of extra room for the plants, sand and decorations.
By the way, you'll definitely want to keep a bath towel near your tank. If you're anything like me- you'll probably spill water pretty often during setup and maintenance. Sometimes, while cleaning the tanks, I get too focused on aiming the time and siphoning debris. I might not pay enough attention to what's happening on the other end of the siphon. If I'm not careful, the watering can that the dirty water is being siphoned into can overflow! I'd imagine that keeping a plastic bin under the watering can during this part of the cleaning process could act as a safeguard against spillage.
When you're filling the tank, you'll want to add dechlorinator to the water. This makes the water safe for the axolotl. I recommend getting a dechlorinator where the bottle tells you how much to put in for 1 gallon and 5 gallons- not just for giant amounts like 50 gallons. The stuff that's more concentrated and only has measurements for big tanks is really stinky! I use an eyedropper to measure the dechlorinator. I don't have to be exact, though. Using a little extra doesn't do any harm to anything besides possibly my bank account. Still, a bottle of dechlorinator is like $8 and can last for months- maybe even a year. Overusing it a little isn't the end of the world.
You Need a Filter!
Now, filters! Filters are super important for keeping the tank clean. They move the water through a weird mesh or sponge material, where beneficial bacteria turns the ammonia produced by the axolotl poop and debris into something that's safer for your axolotl to be exposed to. High ammonia levels are dangerous for any aquatic pet, so it's important that we do something called cycling to get those friendly bacteria to show up. This takes about 2 weeks and it's really just letting the tank sit with dechlorinated water, the filter running, and some driftwood or fish food to produce the initial ammonia that encourages the bacteria to show up. The longer you leave it before adding an axolotl, the better.
As an alternative, I like to just add a filter from an already established planted aquarium. When people adopt axolotls from me, I give them a sponge filter that's already been in use for a while, and therefore, has a lot of beneficial bacteria in it already. This allows people to skip the long wait involved with cycling.
Sponge filters are like $5. All you need to add to get one up and running is an aquarium air pump, which is about $7. The sponge filter won't be enough forever. It's important to add another filter to the tank as well. You'll need it when your axolotl starts to get big, producing more waste and needing more filtration. Eventually, the good bacteria from the sponge filter will spread to the new filter as well.
Now, don't use a random filter. Trust me, your ears will thank you. Use either a Whisper or Quietflow filter and get the size that says it's good for the number of gallons your tank has.
Now, for extra cleanliness, I highly recommend adding sand! Caribsea sells an extremely fine grained sand and it's the one that people recommend for axolotls. You'll have to rinse the sand first, which is a time consuming pain in the butt. You'll spend a day pouring sand into a shallow tray, adding water, stirring it up, dumping the dirty water out, repeating, pouring the sand into the tank, and then repeating for the next batch. Listen to some music or watch TV while you do it. Now, sand is super cool because it creates a TON more room for beneficial bacteria to live. The surface area of a bajillion grains of sand is crazy. Do not use gravel or random sand. They can get stuck in an axolotl's stomach and it's not worth the risk. Some people have tanks with no sand- and I think that's probably a pain to clean. Every little bit of debris would show and look nasty. Debris on top of sand looks natural and fine and you can clean it up once a week. Debris on a plain glass bottom looks messy so quickly! Plus, sand gives your axolotl better grip for walking around, and it's important if you want plants.
Plants are so cool to have in your tank and they help keep it clean! They're very easy to care for. You just set them down, bury "root tabs" (aquatic plant fertilizer) under the sand, and remove any yellow leaves if they appear. I recommend Java fern, Java moss, cryptocoryne, Amazon sword, and anubias, but you can really try anything! My axolotl loves climbing in the plants and sticking his head in them. It keeps him entertained. Plants may come with tiny snails called bladder snails. These are totally harmless to have in your tank and just add to the ecosystem.
Make sure your tank has a lid! Lids can be expensive, but you don't want your axolorl jumping out. Get an aquarium hood with lights built in if you can afford it. Clear lids get really messy looking really quickly. Plants need aquarium lights, grow lights, or a space near a window to survive.
Now, decorations! Everything should be at least 2x2x2 inches so your axolotl can't swallow it. Driftwood looks beautiful in a tank with plants. It helps to feed the plants and adds to the ecosystem, but it will be a total pain in the butt at first. Aquarium safe rocks from an aquarium store are better for maintenance, but if you love the look of driftwood, it can be done! Any driftwood is fine to use. You'll need to scrub it often during the first few months and then siphon up the debris. It'll get weird fuzzy growth on it which is normal. Just clean up what you can as it appears. It'll also float for the first few months and need to be kinda wedged in there. After a few months, you can move it too wherever you want it without dealing with the floating problem. Some plants really like attaching their roots to driftwood, like Java moss, anubias, and Java ferns! During the first few months, the driftwood will turn your water a little brown, but if anything, this is beneficial. The tannins in the wood are the part that has this effect and they're healthy for your axolotl. You'll still be able to see him in there, so don't worry!
Buy an aquarium scrubber with multiple attachments! You'll also need this for cleaning algae off the glass and for cleaning driftwood and decorations. If you get the annoying stubborn algae, you'll need a metal algae scraper with a replaceable razor blade built in. It's very satisfying to use this to scrape the algae off the tank's walls. Make sure to siphon it up when you're done! It's on if you miss a little. Algae doesn't hurt anything and you'll always have a little bit. It's just that a lot of algae makes things look nasty, so you'll want to clean it once a week or so.
Glazed ceramics are good decorations for your tank as well. Probably pick something that's dishwasher safe and from at least the 1970s. You don't want any weird pigments coming out in the water. In a tank with sand, you can prop a plate against the wall of the tank to give your axolotl a cave to hide in. It's important for your axolotl to have hiding spots and things to climb on so he can feel safe, happy, and entertained. Thick PVC pipes are good caves as well!
It's important to keep your axolotl tank at 70 degrees or less. If the room gets too hot, you'll need an aquarium chiller- and that costs several hundred dollars.
Most axolotls are trained to eat pellets, but some will only eat worms. They like food that moves! Worms are easy to care for and don't smell bad (unless something is going very wrong). You can get worms online or even at a gas station that sells live bait. Keep them in a large bin with holes in the lid for air. You can also use a plastic drawer. Fill it a good amount with a mix of coconut coir and compost. The proportions don't really matter. Compost can be bought online or at the hardware store. Coconut coir can be bought online or at the pet store. Make sure to hydrate three coconut coir so it comes apart. It'll start as a brick, and then expand into floofy dirt when you add water to it. Don't mess with it when it's completely dry or you'll end up coughing from the dust! Keep your worm bin slightly moist. You don't want the worms to dry up, but you don't wanna plunge your hands into goop when you're trying to get worms to feed your axolotl.
Feed the worms scraps of fruits and veggies. Banana leeks are a favorite! No meat, cheese, oil, eggs, or salt. With fruits and veggies, you'll wanna avoid anything acidic like citrus and tomatoes. Less is more when it comes to feeding the worms. Make sure they can keep up! Always bury the food to avoid summoning fruit flies. Every once and a while, you'll want to add more coconut coir and compost to keep it balanced. You should always have way more dirt than food scraps in your bin.
Now, if you do get fruit flies, you can stop them from reproducing by adding beneficial bacteria to the soil. This bacteria is sold under the brand name of gnatrol. Sprinkle it in or mix it into water and spray it. It's non toxic! If you mix it with water, don't make more than you'll use. The container of water will get stinky within a few days! The amount of powder you use really doesn't matter much. Maybe half a teaspoon? Other bugs that show up in the soil aren't really a problem, just the annoying gnats and fruit flies that thankfully, can be treated with gnatrol.
Nobody tells you how much to feed your axolotl and honestly, I'm not sure how much is best either. I give my adult axolotl 3 full sized worms every other day. They say his head should be as wide as the center of his belly if he's being fed right.
Every week or two, you'll want to siphon up some debris and water and replace that water with new dechlorinated water. I remove, at most 10 gallons of water in my 55 gallon every 2 weeks. For a 29 gallon, I'd say replace 5 gallons every 2 weeks at most. You don't wanna take all the good bacteria away! This is where the watering can comes in handy. If you know how many gallons of water it can hold, you know how much you're taking out or putting in, and you know how much dechlorinator to use.
Now, go on! Have the axolotl-filled life of your dreams!
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