Axolotl Essentials with Nina’s Axolotl Nursery from the Pittsburgh Reptile Show

Amanda

Hey everybody, welcome back to the Pittsburgh Reptile Show & Sale podcast! I'm Amanda, joined as always by Rick, and today—oh man, I’ve been looking forward to this one—we’re spotlighting a species that always seems to draw a crowd at the show: axolotls. Specifically, we’re gonna dig into what makes a great axolotl setup, and we’re sharing some tips I picked up from Nina’s Axolotl Nursery, which, honestly, is where half the newbies at the show wind up their very first visit.

Rick

Yeah, axolotls, little smiling salamanders that aren’t really fish, aren’t reptiles—technically they’re amphibians, but you know…they’re the “it” animal this year, for sure. And they’re quirky! So, to kick off, what does a great axolotl home actually look like, Amanda?

Amanda

Well, Nina always stresses: bigger is better! Minimum is a 20 gallon long for one adult, and if you’re adding more—figure at least 10 gallons extra per axolotl. You don’t want them cramped, trust me! It helps avoid stress and weird health issues, not to mention aggression. Too many people try to squeak by with a 10-gallon tank and that just...ends badly.

Rick

Totally, and since axolotls are waste machines, you need double the filtration for your tank size. But—and here’s what most folks mess up—you want a filter that doesn’t churn up the water. If that current’s too strong, axolotls get totally stressed and their little gills get hurt.

Amanda

Exactly! I actually learned this the hard way. My first visit to Nina’s booth, I saw she was using all sorts of clever hacks—like propping up plants or loofas under her filters to slow down the flow. And she had these tiny, battery-powered cooling fans over the tanks in summer. Axolotls need chilled water, like 60 to 67 degrees. Otherwise, you’re just asking for fungus and appetite issues. Where was I going with this…oh, right—the fans and even just adding more plants like hornwort or pennywort, make a big difference.

Rick

Hides, too! They aren’t fans of bright lights; they want dark, cavey spaces, not some Vegas show. And, uh, I always sound like a broken record, but no rocks or pebbles. They’ll eat them and then it’s a trip to the vet—if you’re lucky. Bare bottom or fine sand, nothing else.

Rick

Ha—okay, fair. Let’s dive into feeding and this whole “tubbing” thing, because that’s probably the number one question we get at the show. What do axolotls actually eat? I mean, they’ll snap at anything, right?

Amanda

Pretty much! But the best staples are earthworms, blackworms, or those soft sinking axolotl pellets. Frozen bloodworms are fine as an occasional treat, but they’re kinda like the french fries of the axolotl world—no real nutrition there. Oh, and those fancy feeder goldfish? Huge no. Guppies and ghost shrimp, okay. Goldfish have thiamine issues that’ll actually poison your axolotl. So just…don’t.

Rick

Seriously. The feeding thing’s tricky with babies and new adopters. And another big thing, especially for first-timers who maybe grabbed an axolotl at the show before their tank was ready, is “tubbing.” It’s literally keeping your axolotl in a clean, dechlorinated plastic tub for a bit. Like a shoe box, basically. You gotta do daily water changes—SeaChem Prime, shout out!—or you’ll get a slime buildup or ammonia burns fast.

Amanda

And don’t be afraid to use two tubs—swap between them so you always have a clean, slime-free home for your axolotl each day. Wipe down the dirty tub between changes, that’s key. I actually love how Nina always just demos this at her booth, super hands-on, no judgement. She’ll even give you a step-by-step printout if you look lost. Makes a big difference for new keepers—actually, Rick, didn’t you have a rescue story about this from a couple shows back?

Rick

Yeah! There was this kid, first-timer, super nervous, picked up a rescue axolotl at the show. Tank wasn’t ready yet—they followed Nina’s printed tubbing guide to the letter, changed the water every day, used the right dechlorinator, the works. Over a couple weeks, that axolotl went from—man, really rough shape—to super perky and healthy. Just a good reminder, temporary tubs aren’t cruel; they’re a lifesaver when done right and clean. Not a substitute for a big tank, though!

Rick

Yeah, cycling. It’s not the most glamorous part of axolotl keeping, but honestly, it’s what makes or breaks their health. So, for anyone confused, cycling is prepping your tank’s bacteria so it can handle axolotl waste—ammonia, nitrites, all that. You do it before adding your axolotl, and—please—don’t try to shortcut this!

Amanda

Yup. You need to dose the empty tank with pure ammonia, get that up to about 4ppm, then add a beneficial bacteria booster, like SeaChem Stability or API Quickstart. Watch with a test kit as ammonia turns to nitrites, then nitrates. If ammonia and nitrites both hit zero and your nitrates are up to 5-20ppm, congrats—it’s cycled! Just don’t do big water changes during cycling, unless your numbers are way out of whack.

Rick

And after that, it’s all about maintenance: weekly water changes, always dechlorinated, and check your parameters monthly. Keep the pH between 7.2 and 8.0, ammonia and nitrites at zero, nitrates below twenty. Never—like, ever—use anything with aloe; it destroys their slime coat, which is how they fight off infection.

Amanda

I’ve gotta share a quick story. We actually had an exhibitor last season who brought an axolotl in for help—she skipped cycling, and her tank crashed hard. Ammonia off the charts, axolotl was in trouble. Long story short, it turned into a live demo at Nina’s booth. Instead of just a rescue, a bunch of folks got a real, hands-on lesson about cycling and test kits. Whole Pittsburgh crowd around her table, asking questions—kind of the spirit of the show, if you ask me!

Rick

That’s the best part—every mistake turns into a chance to teach. If you stick to these basics—cycle first, keep water cool and clean, feed the right stuff, and don’t panic about tubbing if you need to—your axolotl will thrive. And hey, we’re always around at the show to answer more questions. Amanda, this was a fun one.