I am buying a mexican walking fish and want to know if anyone has any tips when setting up it's tank.?

Answer 1

Do mean an axolotl? I don't know why these are called walking fish (other than they have legs), because these are salamanders. If you want them to keep their gills (the most obvious feature), you need to have very low aeration in the tank. Use an airstone, but put a valve in the tubing so you can control the amount of air - it should only be about 20-30 bubbles a minute - otherwise they'll absorb their gills and become a land animal. The toughest part of keeping them is to keep their water temperature low enough - it should be in the 60s. see this link for more info on keeping them: http://www.axolotl.org/

Also, if you get more than one and they're young, they'll bite off each other's legs - they'll grow back as long as they don't lose too much of the leg. After they're about 3" they can be kept together.

Answer 2

Axolotyls, (Axolotls), Mexican Walking Fish- names for the same creature- belong to the group of tailed amphibians. They are sold in Mexico City for eating.

Just like frogs, toads,newts, and salamanders, Mexican Walking Fish are amphibians. Their body and gills must remain moist so they can breathe. They are cold-blooded creatures i.e. their temperature is controlled by the surrounding temperature. As they are the larval form, they don't develop lungs so cannot go to the final stage of being land animals (in the lab some were given hormone injections and developed to the final stage). Their large feathery gills allow them to draw oxygen from slow moving water.

Varieties. Many colours have been developed - black, white, albino,yellow, gold, blue..

Sexing. The male has a slender body compared to the female, and has two swellings under the hind legs.

Feeding. Earthworms,tadpoles,fish fry, grubs, strips of raw fish or meat(no fat).

Water Conditions. PH 6.8 to 7.4 and soft to medium Hardness. Change part of the water (one third) every couple of weeks. Syphon off waste and uneaten food. If using townwater, remove chlorine if changing more than one quarter of the aquarium water. (Chlorine Neutralizer from your Pet Store or water left standing for three days).

Breeding. The pair should be at least 1 year old. The tank I use is 50 litres (@ foot tank). Breeding is normally in winter. I throw in some ice to drop the temperature to induce spawning. (Temperature should still be above 12 degrees C). After laying the eggs (check photos to see what they look like), I remove the parents. The eggs take a long time to hatch- 2 to 4 weeks. Place the fry in shallow trays (5cm). You need 10 square cm surface area for each baby.

Feeding Fry. Infusoria is needed for the first 2 weeks. Put a lettuce leaf into an icecream dish. Add boiling water. When cool, add water from a lagoon or establish aquarium. This water will contain some starter organisms (single celled creatures). Because there is no competition and plenty of food, these will multiply into millions after 5 to 7 days. Feed these to the fry. After a week, start adding baby brineshrimp. Change part of the babies' water regularly.

Answer 3

A lower water level and a tight fitting cover with weights on it. I would use a larger tank and maybe some rocks that come out of the water.