Temperature

The optimal water temperature should range between 14°C and 20°C, (57°F to 68°F). Use regular aquarium thermometer to measure the water temperature. I recommend a classic mercury thermometer; the strip thermometer is not suitable as its range isn’t low enough. Higher or lower temperatures cause stress to axolotls and they don’t prosper. At temperatures around 10°C their metabolism slows down. That means they should be fed less frequently and they will digest their food longer. Perhaps you will be able to tell yourself, whether your pet refuses to eat in result of an illness or because low temperature slowed down its metabolism. Temperatures above 24°C again cause anxiety to axolotls and make them vulnerable to various diseases. It is important to bear this in mind when you keep your pet in regular room temperature and the water temperature naturally rises with the room overheating in wintertime and during summer heat waves. Another thing your pet axolotls don’t like are temperature fluctuation; especially when the temperature will change by several degrees over a 12-hour interval (as can be usual at some fish breeding aquarists). It is advisable to keep the temperature fixed even over the year’s seasons. For sure it won’t hurt your pets. Only if you intend to breed the offspring, lowering the temperature for spawning will be necessary. But it normally happens that the temperature may naturally drop down to about 16°C, which is adequate for the spawning. Sometimes it is possible to simulate the winter season by adding ice cubes to the water to bring down its temperature - just be careful not to overcool the axolotls.