You might not know it, but these axolotls have some unique features of lavender regarding calmness, beauty, and elegance. And you probably already know that axolotls generally are calm exotic pets, and if you didn’t know, they’re pretty cool to keep in aquariums.
Away from their natural habitat, Lake Xochimilco, they can beautify your home aquariums and become lovely pets. However, this isn’t about general axolotls but the lavender species.
Everything you probably know about axolotls pertains to lavender axolotls, but you may also be wrong in some aspects. For starters, if you intend to keep them as pets, you need to understand them before diving into the unknown or uncertain way to care for them.
Thankfully, there’s a guide here for you. We have all the information you need to know about and care for your pet lavender axolotl.
Why don’t you find out?
How Unique Are They?
Lavender axolotls are one of the over fifteen variants of axolotls. The most common are white, pink, and some even glowing-body types, but they are way more than that.
In fact, there are several unique and rare variants you probably know nothing of. For example, some rare ones are enigma, firefly, mosaic, and GFP.
What makes keeping lavender axolotls unique if there are other rare axolotls out there? How about you start by getting to know them?
- Species overview
Contrary to what you may expect, lavender axolotls are not a result of scientific experiments like some rare species. There really isn’t much information about the lavender axolotl morph, and this is because they are very scarce in the USA.
But what’s responsible for their color? This is due to the unique pigment cells in their bodies known as chromatophores. Lavender axolotls result from excellent chromatophore crossover, giving them a silver dalmatian color morph.
When it comes to their lifespan, they pretty much live for as long as other species. Lavender axolotls usually live between 10 to 15 years and can sometimes survive up to 20 years, depending on how well you take care of them.
Therefore, you can be sure to keep them for a long time if you’re up to the task involved in caring for them. But the good thing is they’re pretty easy to care for, probably easier than you imagine, depending on your initial thoughts.
- Lavender Axolotl appearance and color
One fascinating and nice thing about lavender axolotls is their color and how they look. It is one of the distinct features that make them stand out from others.
In addition, they earned that name because of specks that spread across their body, just like dalmatian dogs. They often have a silver color over their body.
You’re probably used to the regular pink axolotls morph, so you’ll get it with lavender axolotls if you’re looking for something different. They are sometimes called silver dalmatian due to their color between purple and lavender.
Their black eyes and grayish-red gills further enhance their beauty. And as they grow older, their color tends to change into gray or green; however, some maintain their purple color even in old age.
The ones with lavender color usually turn a darker shade of purple without specks. Whichever color your lavender axolotl has is brilliant and cool for your home aquarium.
They’re pretty, and they don’t lose their beautiful colors as long as you care for them.
- Size
Lavender axolotls usually grow between 10 to 18 inches with proper care. This is similar to other axolotls inches but quite bigger than some other salamanders.
Even with their noticeable size, axolotls can sometimes be hard to spot in tanks because of their camouflage feature, but their color is enough to make them distinct in the tank with the lavender species. Their size is big and small enough for you to handle and care for.
In addition, the size they end up growing depends on how well you feed and care for them. If you want a robust and healthy lavender axolotl, you should know what to do.
But we are not there yet. Caring for them isn’t difficult, but first, you need to know if you can handle their personality.
- Behavior and temperament
Lavender axolotls have a cool temperament, and they’re well-behaved in aquariums. Generally, axolotls are nocturnal, so they’re mostly under a shelter in the tank when they’re exposed to too much light.
They’re also friendly to their keepers, and you can bond with them over time. Moreover, they may actually never give any issues in the tank unless they’re juvenile lavender axolotls.
This is because the juvenile ones are usually cannibalistic and can attack other lives in the tank. More so, they can attack their other kinds in the aquarium, but the good thing is they can regenerate their limbs and other parts of their bodies.
The adults are more peaceful and can do well on their own in the tank. In addition, they are much better off in a species-only tank.
Are Lavender Axolotls Good For Home Aquariums?
All that we’ve been saying about them is all sweet and nice. Lavender axolotls are good, alright, have a nice story, unique, and seem well-behaved. But are they good for your home aquarium?
This should be a question you answer before starting your hunt for lavender axolotls. But the truth is that in the end, it depends on you, what you can handle, and your choice.
So, are they good?
Why are lavender axolotls good?
Owning lavender axolotls is totally cool. They’re rare, and finding them makes it feel like they’re priced possessions since you can hardly find them in aquarium trades or pet stores.
What makes them good for your home aquarium?
- They are interactive and friendly and won’t worry you much.
- Caring for them is easy and requires minimal active effort or monitoring.
- They are beautiful and will ignite your aquarium’s decor.
Why are lavender axolotls not good for home aquariums?
While lavender axolotls seem pretty cool enough to keep as pets, there are some downsides to them as well.
- They are rare and may take a long time to find. And if you do, they can be a bit pricey.
- Irregular water parameters and quality can affect their gill’s health, fluffiness, and beauty in general.
As we mentioned earlier, these things may not matter if you’re ready to give all it takes to have and care for lavender axolotls. Once you get them, it’s up to you to care for them as you should.
However, if you feel these are enough red flags, it’s okay if you don’t want to get them.
But before you do that, we need to remember that caring for them is pretty easy, and you should know more about that.
How To Create A Habitable Home For Lavender Axolotl
If you want your lavender axolotl to thrive and use their lifespan to their maximum, you need to ensure that you make the aquarium habitable for them. That entails that you need to get the right tank size, temperature, water parameters, tank mate, set up, and general care.
How do you go about that?
- Tank size
First, you need to get the tank size right. This will contribute a lot to whether your lavender axolotl will have a swell or uncomfortable time in your home aquarium.
It matters because of the lavender axolotl’s size and the inches they’ll grow to, decors, and enough swimming and hiding space. For starters, a 20-gallon tank is enough to house a lavender axolotl.
The depth and breadth of the tank matter, and if you intend to keep more axolotls and other aquatic life, you can get a larger tank. But generally, you need at least a 20-gallon tank to keep your lavender axolotl.
- Tank setup
Lavender axolotls have very specific tank requirements that will help them thrive. If you want them to live long, you must be ready to have some things in place to ensure that. What do you need to set up?
- Filtration
Filters are cogent essentials in an aquarium, whether you’re keeping a lavender axolotl, fish, or other aquatic life. A good filtration system helps you maintain a clean and healthy aquarium habitable for your pet.
It helps to prevent messy aquariums due to waste from your pet or food. An external canister or sponge filter will go well with your 20-gallon tank.
This will help preserve your pet’s lifespan.
- Substrate
Lavender axolotls have sensitive skin, so they need something gentle on their skin. The bare glass tank would be gentle, but it can mess with their mobility in the tank.
This is why you need the right substrate. The substrate should either be fine sand or large rocks and keep them smooth. Smaller pebbles can pose a danger when ingested to their digestive system.
- Lighting
Light isn’t totally necessary in your lavender axolotl tank because they are nocturnal. You only need to put minimal lighting to model their natural habitat.
Get a moderate LED light for the tank to prevent your lavender axolotl from stress.
- Decor
There’s nothing really special about decorating your lavender axolotl tank. You can decide to be creative with it and choose the decors yourself.
But it’s good to make it beautiful because why not? We suggest you add some plants, a cave, and rocks to the tank. The most important thing is to leave enough swimming room and create hiding spots for your pet in the aquarium.
- Water parameters
Routine water maintenance is necessary for lavender axolotls’ health. It also helps to keep their skin and gills healthy for as long as they live.
The water should be free from ammonia, nitrite, bio waste, or high nitrite and toxic materials in general. To do that, you need to:
- Maintain 20% regular water changes
- Keep pH level at 6.5 to 8
- Maintain between 60 to 65° Fahrenheit
- Check water temperature at all times and other necessary water parameters so that they are at the right level.
- Ensure tank water doesn’t have a high current as it can stress your lavender axolotl.
- Monitor water at all times and remove waste to prevent it from building up.
- Tank mate
Lavender axolotls can do fine on their own. They can live without tank mates if you don’t plan on any. In fact, they are better off on their own and can act cannibalistic towards other variants or other animals in the tank.
But if you intend to put a tank mate in the aquarium, ensure they can’t prey on your lavender axolotl and vice versa. They must not be aggressive and are solitary like your pet.
Also, you need to confirm that the water parameters in their tank align with the kind of tank mate you choose, so you won’t need to worry about their health too.
Basically, ensure you research the tank mate and caring tips. If that’s too much for you to handle, you shouldn’t let your lavender axolotl live with a neighbor.
General Care Tips
When you’ve sorted out all the necessary things you need to, you also need some general care tips to help you along the way. Here are some helpful general care tips:
- Avoid holding your lavender axolotl in your hands for a long period because they are sensitive to touch.
- Keep their meals highly proteinous and meat-based.
- Don’t try to breed them too early until they are about 18 months old.
- Have a separate tank or container ready to transfer them into when you need to clean their tank.
- Have tools for checking water temperature, ammonia, and nitrate level.
- Monitor them for any unusual behavior.
- Take care of your unwell lavender axolotl as soon as possible.
Conclusion
Lavender axolotls are totally worth it if you really want them. But before you get them, be sure that you are ready to give all the care and attention they need to thrive.
With the ultimate guide you already have, it should be a lot easier for you to do. How about you start hunting for this cute, beautiful, and smiling face pet for your home aquarium?
We hope you find it soon. Good luck!
