Can Axolotls Live With Fish?

No, axolotls should not live with fish. The pairing creates problems for both species and rarely ends well. Fish either nip at the axolotl’s exposed gills, causing injury and stress, or the axolotl eats smaller fish whole. Their care requirements clash too axolotls need cold water (60-64°F) while most tropical fish prefer 74-78°F. Even cold-water fish like goldfish produce excessive waste and often bite axolotl gills. The safest approach is keeping axolotls alone or only with other axolotls of similar size in a species-only tank.

Temperature and Compatibility Issues

Most popular aquarium fish come from tropical regions and need warmer water than axolotls can tolerate. Keeping the tank at 75°F stresses your axolotl, speeds up their metabolism unnaturally, and shortens their lifespan. Dropping the temperature to 62°F makes tropical fish lethargic and prone to disease.

Cold-water fish seem like the obvious solution, but they bring their own problems. Goldfish are messy eaters that produce tons of waste, overwhelming your filtration system. They also grow large and develop a habit of nibbling anything that moves including delicate axolotl gills. Koi have the same issues on an even bigger scale.

White cloud minnows tolerate cooler water and stay small, which sounds perfect. The problem is they’re fast swimmers that stress out slow-moving axolotls. The constant activity agitates axolotls and prevents them from resting peacefully. Plus, adult axolotls will hunt and eat minnows whenever they get hungry enough.

Behavioral Conflicts

Axolotls have poor eyesight and react to movement. Fast-swimming fish trigger their feeding response constantly. Your axolotl will spend hours stalking fish instead of relaxing, creating chronic stress even if they never catch anything.

Fish get stressed too. Many species investigate new tank mates by nipping, testing if they’re food or friend. Axolotl gills are soft, fleshy, and impossible to protect. Even gentle nips cause bleeding and infection risk. Damaged gills don’t regenerate as cleanly as limbs, sometimes leaving permanent scarring that reduces breathing capacity.

Feeding becomes complicated with mixed species. Axolotls are slow, methodical eaters while fish dart in and steal food right from under them. Your axolotl might not get enough nutrition if aggressive fish dominate feeding time. You’d need to target-feed the axolotl separately, which defeats the purpose of a community tank.

Disease transmission works both ways. Fish carry parasites and bacteria that don’t normally affect axolotls, but stress from poor tank mates weakens immunity. Treating sick fish often requires medications that harm amphibians, forcing you to choose between your pets’ health.

Quick Questions

What about snails or shrimp with axolotls?
Large mystery snails usually work fine axolotls ignore them. Shrimp get eaten immediately. Small snails like bladder snails survive in the substrate but might overpopulate.

Can baby axolotls live with guppies?
No, guppies need warm water and will nip at baby axolotl gills. The temperature difference alone makes this pairing harmful to both.

Do axolotls get lonely without tank mates?
Not at all. They’re solitary creatures that don’t seek companionship. One axolotl alone is perfectly content.

Has anyone successfully kept axolotls with fish?
Some people report short-term success, but long-term (years), stress-free cohabitation is extremely rare. Most attempts end with injured or dead animals.

What’s the best tank mate for an axolotl?
Another axolotl of similar size, or nothing at all. They genuinely don’t need company and thrive in species-only setups.

Abdul Wasay Khatri
Administrator
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