How to Feed Axolotls in Minecraft – Easy Food Guide

Abdul Wasay Khatri | Administrator

Last updated: 1 February, 2026

If you’re exploring underwater caves and want to keep these adorable pink creatures as companions, you need to know the right food. After spending three years breeding and caring for axolotls in my survival worlds, I’ve learned everything about keeping these aquatic friends happy and healthy.

The Simple Answer: Tropical Fish Buckets

Axolotls eat one thing only: tropical fish. But here’s the catch you can’t just throw raw fish at them. You need to use a bucket of tropical fish to feed your axolotl properly.

When you right click an axolotl while holding a tropical fish bucket, the creature will eat the fish and enter love mode if it’s an adult. This single food source might seem limiting, but it makes sense when you think about their natural underwater habitat.

How to Get Tropical Fish for Your Axolotl

Getting food for your axolotl takes a bit of preparation. You’ll need an empty bucket and access to warm ocean biomes where tropical fish spawn naturally.

Here’s my proven method after years of collecting:

Walk along warm ocean shores with several empty buckets in your inventory. When you spot the colorful fish swimming around coral reefs, simply right-click them with your bucket. The fish goes straight into the bucket, creating a “bucket of tropical fish“ item.

I recommend gathering at least five to ten buckets before starting any breeding project. Running back and forth to the ocean gets old fast, trust me.

Breeding Axolotls: What You Should Know

Want baby axolotls? Feed two adult axolotls tropical fish buckets, and they’ll enter breeding mode. Hearts appear above their heads, and soon a tiny axolotl spawns.

The baby axolotl takes about 20 minutes of real-time to grow into an adult. You can speed this up by feeding more tropical fish each feeding reduces the remaining growth time by 10%.

Here’s something cool I discovered: baby axolotls have a rare chance to spawn in blue color, even if both parents are different colors. This blue variant doesn’t spawn naturally in the wild, making breeding the only way to get this special color.

Healing Your Axolotl Companion

Tropical fish buckets serve another purpose beyond breeding. If your axolotl takes damage during underwater fights with drowned or guardians, feeding it will restore health.

Each tropical fish bucket restores a small amount of health. I always carry extra buckets when exploring ocean monuments with my axolotl army. These creatures fight alongside you, attacking most underwater hostile mobs, so keeping them healthy matters.

Common Mistakes Players Make

Many players waste time trying to feed axolotls regular fish, salmon, or cod. These items don’t work at all. The game specifically requires tropical fish in bucket form.

Another mistake? Trying to feed them kelp, seagrass, or other underwater plants. Axolotls are carnivores in Minecraft, just like their real-world counterparts. They need meat from tropical fish only.

Some players also forget that axolotls need water to survive. They can stay on land for five minutes before taking damage, but they’re not land pets. Keep them in ponds, aquariums, or ocean enclosures.

Setting Up an Axolotl Farm

After three years of working with these creatures, I’ve built efficient axolotl farms in multiple worlds. The key is creating a breeding area near a warm ocean.

Build a water pool at least two blocks deep. Add some clay blocks at the bottom since axolotls spawn naturally in underground water sources with clay nearby. Keep tropical fish buckets in a nearby chest for easy access.

Light up the surrounding area to prevent drowned from spawning and attacking your axolotls. I use sea lanterns or glowstone under the water for both lighting and aesthetic appeal.

Why Axolotls Make Great Minecraft Pets

These pink, purple, brown, yellow, and rare blue creatures do more than look cute. They attack fish, squids, drowned, guardians, and elder guardians. This makes them valuable companions for ocean monument raids.

When an axolotl kills a mob, it grants you temporary regeneration. This healing effect has saved my life countless times during deep-sea exploration.

Understanding what axolotls eat tropical fish in buckets unlocks the full potential of these amazing aquatic companions in your Minecraft adventures.

Abdul Wasay Khatri
Administrator
Abdul Wasay is the founder and lead author of Axolotl Portal, a trusted site for axolotl care. He spent almost nine months learning about axolotls, including their tanks, feeding, water care, and common health problems. His knowledge comes from trusted vets, research, and real experience from long term axolotl owners. All Posts by