Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)

Mark F.

I'm not sure how suited this species really is for listing here. Based on the information available on certain herp sites, the ideal set-up for this species is a bare glass-bottom tank, or smooth, round river stones that are too large to fit in its mouth ... apparently digging in fine, muddy substrate for worms and small crustaceans is part of its natural foraging habits - it would probably choke to death on most planted tank substrates, not to mention that it would uproot the plants!
I suppose it could be kept with some pieces of planted driftwood - but, since it prefers temps in the cooler range, it's probably best just kept with some floating plants like hornwort, elodea, or duckweed. Also, I wouldn't keep it with any fish - even fish too big to fit in its mouth might end up with nipped fins!

GrueBlock

Well that looks pretty awesome - too bad it doesn't sound like it gets along in a decent-looking, populated tank...

AxolotlFarmer

Hey! These guys do great on a sand-bottom tank with lots of Vals. They love sitting in hornwort and I have not had problem with them up-rooting things. Please do not keep with fish, but shrimp seem to be ok. Do not underestimate these guys, and there are great forums specifically dedicated to their care.

Mark F.

AxolotlFarmer's comments caught me by surprise, as I had gotten some of my information from some of the species-specific forums he refers to (maybe not the exact same sites; I had previously checked out such sites because I was myself interested in getting an axolotl at one point) ... anyhoo, I went back and double-checked my sources of info ... turns out, I am indeed wrong about some of the specifics of the potential hazard that certain substrates do in fact pose to this species: the danger isn't that they can choke on some sizes of substrate, but that they can die of constipation from swallowing substrate! You just have to be careful of the substrate size, I guess - it has to be either too big to get in their mouths, or fine enough for them to pass out their cloaca. Although, based on what's written in one scientific, non-forum, axolotl breeder's site I checked out, fine sand (depending on the type) can build up slowly in their intestines over time ... so, while your axolotls may seem healthy now, you may want to ultimately reconsider the environment you're keeping them in.
As for digging, you may just have lucked out with your individual axolotl(s): oscars are also generally not recommended for planted tanks, as they are reknown for digging up rooted plants, and tearing up leaves - yet a recent poster in the Your Tanks section of this site has a beautifully landscaped tank with a big oscar in it. When I asked him how he pulled that off, he admitted that he just got lucky - his oscar never showed a penchant for digging. Some individual animals, just like people, don't conform to the norm of their species! There's also a couple of other possible explanations, which I didn't see substantiated in any of the axolotl sites ... maybe they only dig if the hear or feel things moving in the substrate ... or maybe well-established valisneria roots are just too firm and intertwined for them to dig up. I'd be interested to know what AxolotlFarmer's observations are on this - maybe I'll reconsider getting an axolotl!

Craig

What Mark said sounds very familiar to what happens to Bearded Dragons, Leopard geckos and any other reptile kept on a sand substrate when they are too young and small. If the grains are too large, like with the Calcium sand often sold for reptiles, it gets impacted and is usually fatal. A+ research Mark!