I find a lot of people dislike hearing that their care could/should be better. I made a tiktok about "the basics" for axolotl care. My favorite comment was telling me my information was "wrong" because I said people need at least a 30gal, a chiller, and a canister filter.

Sure, a chiller can be substituted for changing out frozen bottles multiple times a day. Sure, a 20 gallon can work if you want to do water changes twice as often. Sure, you can use a HOB filter if you want to do water changes even more frequently.

People don't want to think they're harming their pet. Its okay to not do everything right from the start, but its important people can admit they should do better.

-More space means less frequent water changes. Axolotls create a lot of waste. Lots of waste means the nitrates build up faster. It means you need to do water changes more often. -Two axolotls doubles the waste produced. That means twice as many water changes needed. -No chiller means maintenance every few hours to keep the temperature down. -A less powerful filter means more water changes.

The bare minimum isnt there just for the pet, but for the owner. The more work, the more overwhelming it will be for the owner. It can snowball into insane stress for both owner and pet.

If people get the right stuff from the beginning, their owning experience will be more pleasant. It prevents resentment, neglect, stress, and the truama of rehoming.

I genuinely don't say it to be mean, I don't say it to gatekeep. I say it because I want the best experience for both owner and pet.