If you want to keep your Axolotl with other animals, you should pay careful attention to which animals are suitable and which are not. Since Axolotls are ambush predators, many tank mates can quickly end up as snacks. As Axolotls will try to eat anything that fits in their mouths. On the other hand, axolotls are also very peaceful animals that cannot defend themselves against larger animals.
Therefore, when choosing a tank mate, you must make sure that the animals do not injure each other.
Generally it is not recommended to keep axolotl with animals. Axolotls have no problems living alone, on the contrary, it has a positive effect on their lifespan and health, so you do not have to worry that your Axolotl gets lonely.
Also, new tank mates can pose other dangers to your Axolotl:
Injuries and Wounds
Some fish have the habit of nibbling on the gills of axolotls and the wounds can cause secondary infections that can be dangerous for your axolotl.
Diseases and Parasites
The new tank mates could bring diseases and parasites into the aquarium, which can also be dangerous for the Axolotl. That’s why new animals should stay in quarantine for 30 days, before they are added to the Axolotl tank.
Constipation and Impaction
Since axolotls are carnivorous, they will try to eat most tank mates when they get hungry. If the fish are too large for the axolotl to swallow whole, it may injure itself if it tries to eat the animal anyway.
Even if the axolotl can manages to eat prey that are actually too big for it, it can cause problems in the gastrointestinal tract. The prey can get stuck and lead to constipation, which can be fatal for the axolotl.
Stress
Since axolotls are crepuscular and nocturnal, animals that are particularly active during the day can deprive them of sleep. Also, new tank mates that are very lively or even aggressive can be extremely stressful for the axolotl. This can weaken their immune system and make them more susceptible to diseases.
If you still want to have tank mates for your Axolotl tank, here is a list of animals with which it usually works well.
1. Axolotl
The safest way is to keep axolotls only with other axolotls. Axolotls can also be kept alone without any problems. But if you want to keep Axolotls together, you should make sure that they have similar sizes, otherwise it can happen that the bigger Axolotl tries to eat the smaller one or hurts it.
Juvenile axolotls often have cannibalistic tendencies and nibble at each other’s gills and limbs. Thanks to the axolotl’s great regenerative ability, they don’t suffer any permanent damage from this, but secondary infections can occur, which can be dangerous. In adult axolotls this behavior usually disappears.
These problems can be avoided by making sure that the tank is large enough and that there are hiding places as retreats.
Axolotls can be kept with same-sex Axolotl as well as in a mixed tank. In a mixed tank with adult axolotls, be prepared for the female to lay eggs. There can be between 50 and 500 eggs in a clutch. If you want the eggs to hatch you have to place them in a separate aquarium, otherwise the axolotls will eat them.
Although you can keep axolotls with fish and other freshwater animals, most species are not a good fit for an Axolotl aquarium. But there are a handful of animals that the axolotl will tolerate in its tank.
2. Dwarf shrimp and Cherry shrimp
Most Cherry shrimps* can easily survive in the water temperatures of an Axolotl aquarium and are no threat for an Axolotl. Additionally, they help keep the aquarium clean by eating algae and plant debris.
If you want to maintain a shrimp population in your tank, you should offer them hiding places and retreats, such as plants, because most shrimps are a great snack for the Axolotl.
Robust species that reproduce quickly are suitable, such as different Cherry and Amano shrimp e.g. Red Fire, Blue Pearl or Green Jade shrimp.
They are easy to keep and grow to a maximum size of 1 to 2 inches (3 cm). These shrimps can be kept in groups of 10 or more and they can be a real eye-catcher as there is a wide range of colors and patterns.
3. White Cloud Mountain minnows
Another good option are White Cloud Mountain minnows, as they require similar water parameters to Axolotl and are generally easy to keep. Ideal water temperatures for White Cloud Mountain minnows range between 64–72 °F (18 and 22 °C). They are rather small and peaceful fish, have no spines and usually get along well with Axolotl. They grow roughly 1,5 inches in length (4 and 5 cm) and can live up to 8 years.
They usually stay in the middle of the tank and thus they do not get in the way of the Axolotl. White Cloud Mountain minnows are best kept in groups of 10 or more and in at least 10 to 12 gallons tanks.
They are omnivores and you can feed them with mosquito larvae, daphnia, brine shrimp or flake food. The Minnows will use various plants and Java moss in the aquarium for spawning.
However, it could happen that your axolotl eats a few of them when it gets hungry.
4. Zebrafish (Zebra Danios)
As an alternative to White Cloud Mountain minnows, zebrafish can also be a good tank mate for an axolotl aquariums. They require similar conditions as Axolotl, are easy to care for and peaceful fish.
Zebrafish can be kept in groups of eight or more and can adjust to water temperatures between 64°F -90 °F (18 and 25 °C). They can grow up to 1,6 to 2,0 inches (5 cm) and are excellent jumpers, therefore a tank with zebrafish should always be covered. They can be fed with common flake food, but they also eat algae, zooplankton and insects.
The Axolotl will probably try to eat the zebrafish, but since they are fast swimmers, they have a good chance to escape. However, they might stress the axolotl as they are usually relatively lively.
5. Guppies
Under certain circumstances you can also keep guppies with axolotls. Since they prefer water temperatures between 71 and 77 °F (22 and 25 °C) and tolerate temperatures down to 64 °F (18 °C), the temperature requirements do not directly match those of an axolotl, which prefers temperatures between 53 and 68 °F (12 and 20 °C).
Basically, guppies are low-maintenance, robust fish that are not aggressive.
Guppies are on average around 2 inches long (3 and 5 cm) and usually stay in the middle of the tank and close to the surface. They come in many different colors and patterns. They are omnivorous and will eat algae, plant matter, and flake and live foods such as mosquito larvae.
Guppies are viviparous and known to reproduce quickly, thus a population can be maintained in the tank even if the Axolotl eats a guppy or two in between.
Like White Cloud Mountain minnows they should be kept in at least 10 to 12 gallons tanks.
In general there is always the danger when keeping Axolotl together with White Cloud Mountain minnows, zebra danios and guppies that the fish nibble on the gills of the axolotl. There is also the possibility that the Axolotl tries to eat a fish that is too big for it and it gets injured.
6. Small snails
A safe tank mate are small freshwater aquatic snails* such as bladder snails (Physa acuta), great ramshorn snails, great pond snail and apple snails. Since the snails move slowly, there is no danger of them stressing the Axolotl.
The snails can also help keep the tank clean as they eat algae, dead plant matter and food waste.
Bladder snails grow to a maximum size of half an inch (1 cm) and can tolerate water temperatures from 39 to 90 °F (4 to 33 °C). Great ramshorn snails can grow up to one inch (4 cm) and feel comfortable at 39 to 78 °F (4 to 26 °C).
Apple and great pond snails belong to the larger snail species and can grow 0,7 to 2 inches (2 to 5 cm), great pond snails even up to 3 inch (7 cm), they tolerate temperatures between 64 to 82 °F (18 to 28 °C) well.
Here, too, there is the probability that the Axolotl eats some of them, therefore you should make sure that the snails are not too big, so that the Axolotl can eat them safely.
To make sure that the new tank mates do not bring any diseases, fungi or parasites into the Axolotl aquarium it makes sense to quarantine them separately in another tank for 30 days until you can be sure that they are healthy.
Conclusion
The safest tank mate for axolotls is always an axolotl of the same size. All other potentially suitable tank mates always pose a risk of injury and stress for the axolotl.
Generally you should make sure that the tank mates have the same water requirements and weigh the risks carefully. Especially in the beginning you should make sure that no problems occur during the co-housing.