Filters for your axolotl tank are essential in keeping your pet healthy by eliminating waste and providing beneficial bacteria that breakdown harmful waste chemicals. Axolotls absorb oxygen through their skin, making a suitable filter even more critical to their wellbeing.
“Axolotls produce ammonia that dissolves into their water environment,” noted Laurie Hess, DVM, an exotic animal veterinarian at Chewy. When breathing or feeding on air or drinking from containers with ammonia in it, these toxic waste products come into direct contact with these creatures’ digestive tracts, thus leading to exposure of their toxic waste products. Filters provide mechanical filtering of large particles while good bacteria break down ammonia into less hazardous forms of chemicals.
Not every aquarium filter is suitable for axolotls; in particular, substrate filters (also referred to as under-gravel filters) which are installed inside your tank and often cover its entire bottom, usually beneath your substrate (usually sand or gravel) can be hazardous as these mechanisms of filtration tend to disturb material at the bottom which could harm an axolotl.
“Dr. Hess advised against this type of filter for axolotls because these reptiles tend to consume small objects that fit easily in their mouths, such as substrate particles like sand or gravel that may block their gastrointestinal tracts and lead to life-threatening illnesses,” as stated on The Spruce Pets.
With help from Dr. Hess and numerous research sources, we were able to select the optimal filter for axolotl tanks of any size. For small tanks, our pick is the Penn-Plax Cascade Aquarium Canister Filter due to its ease of assembly and use; while for larger tanks we suggest the Aqueon Quietflow Canister Filter due to its easy setup process and quiet operation.