I’m personally a big advocate of live plants in any aquatic environment (fish, amphibians, reptiles, etc). However choosing the right plants for your setup is very important because different plants need different things to thrive. If you have an axolotl tank you typically have cool water and low lighting so if you put in a plant that needs a lot of bright light it will probably end up dying (and decaying plant matter = ammonia).
What are the benefits to adding live plants?
- Live plants are great for helping boost your beneficial bacteria. Beneficial bacteria love living on the surfaces of plant leaves.
- Plants help add O2 to the water, so with plants you will have a higher amount of dissolved oxygen in the water.
- Plants use nitrates as food.
So as you can see plants aren’t just for decoration, they actually perform a job in helping keep a tank healthy.
Axolotl Friendly Plants: (You can purchase plants on our store! Vegas Axolotls Online Store )
- Any variety of Anubias (I personally like Anubias Nana and Anubias Barteri)
Anubias is a rhizome plant meaning it can be attached to driftwood or other decorations instead of being buried in a substrate. - Java Fern
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Java Fern is also a rhizome plant allowing for attachment to driftwood and decor. - Java Moss
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Java Moss is one the easiest growing moss varieties and will grow on most surfaces. - Frog Bite
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Frog Bite is a floating plant that resembles mini lily pads. This plant is great for tanks with brighter light because it helps give coverage to your axolotl. - Duckweed
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Duckweed is also floating but the leaves are very small. This plant reproduces quickly and can be used as food for other aquatic animals. - Moss Balls (Marimo Moss)
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Moss balls are simple and need very little care compared to other aquatic mosses.
Vegas Axolotls 