Carolina Axolotls

25/01/2025

The Aquatic Expo is the largest freshwater and saltwater expo in the Mid Atlantic. They have high quality Axolotls, fish, plants, coral and merchandise that you won’t see at stores. It’s a great opportunity to talk directly to the breeders and support the aquatic community.

08/01/2025

Power outages and fish

Thank you Shelly DeCorte for this valuable information.

For those in the path of the storm, here are some tips that Shelly DeCorte from the Raleigh Aquarium Society has collected.

If you expect a power outage because of the storm, Use this guide to prep:
• Do water changes ahead of time
• Stop feeding your fish – They can go weeks without food.
• Clean/sanitize your buckets and fill them with additional water
• Charge any USB Power Banks ahead of time
• Take a hot shower
• Make some hot tea or coffee
• Clean/sanitize your tubs and use a piece of plastic to cover the drain hole and fill the bathtub for your water.
Additional Power Ideas:
• UPS: APC UPS
• USB Power Banks – Consider Solar ones
• Power Station
• Inverter with Car Charger
• Indoor-rated Propane heater (Do Not use Outdoor ones)Make sure it says Indoor Safe and has a “Low-oxygen safety shut-off system”!
o Requires a stable area to set on and additional propane.
• Your Car – Fill with gas and you can charge the power banks there, as well as warm up yourself – Do not do this in the Garage!
Heat Ideas
• Candles (Use obvious care) You can place the fish in a smaller jar and surround with candles. The local dollar store may have those 8” White Glass Jar Candles that will burn for 80 hours each. Plus you can make the Emergency tank candles with them.
• Create an Emergency Fish Tank Candle that will go into your tank and not float
• Hot Hands Hand Warmers – They can last up to 18 hours and you can place them under blankets when you cover the tanks. Secure with tape to the side of the tank, or float in the tank contained within a Large Freezer Ziplock bag. You may want to test this first, before placing in a ziplock.
• USB Hand Heaters can provide rechargeable warmth for tank – placed on the sides of the tank and under the blankets. You may want to test this first, before placing in a ziplock.
• USB Heating Pad is also a good solution for heating next to the tank and under a blanket.
• USB Heating Stick is also a good solution for heating next to the tank and under a blanket.
• You can always go old school with Sterno.
Air Ideas
• Sponge filter
• USB Air pump
• Airstone
o Connect the air pump to a Power Bank and you’rein business! Most power banks will have 2 or 3 USB ports on them, so if your tanks are close enough, two air pumps can share the power bank. You can also add a splitter and use one air pump for two sponge filters, most hobbyists have extra air hose around here somewhere…

Miscellaneous Ideas:
• Cover tank with Emergency Blanket or any blankets – use chip clips, clothes pins, or tape to secure.
• Use water from the hot water heater and you can float that in a ziplock, fill up hot water bottles and put those in the tank, or dechlorinate it to do a water change. Same with heating water on gas stove or on a BBQ Grill.
• Cold water contains more oxygen than warm water – consider lowering the temp to save on a UPS battery life.
• You can use a cup or pitcher to pour water gently into the tank to aerate it, if you don’t have a sponge filter.

22/12/2024

Merry Christmas to all my wonderful friends and customers ! Wishing you a day filled with joy, love, and laughter. Thank you for your continued support and friendship. May your holiday season be as joyful as a tank full of happy axolotls! Cheers to a wonderful Christmas and a happy new year ahead! 🎄🎁🥂

07/11/2024

OMG! Axolotls have become sooo popular. They were the Girl Scout Cookie Mascot this year. Now they will be selling plush axolotls at school Book Fairs.

02/11/2024

This hilarious and true!

Fun Fact: Axolotls are able to completely regrow their limbs, tail, gills, brain and heart in just a few weeks. 🦎✂️🦵

12/10/2024

Thank you to everyone that came out to see us at Carolina Aquarium Workshop. Had a great time talking with everyone about Axolotls, fish, bettas, plants and scuds.

I’m having a great time at the Carolina Aquarium Workshop (CAW) 2024. Video of Lucy’s getting ready to load up this morning.

01/10/2024

The Raleigh Aquarium Society (RAS) is pleased to announce the return of its Carolina Aquarium Workhop on October 11-13, 2024 at the Millenium Hotel in Durham, NC The workshop features 3 speakers (5 talks), a shrimp bowl contest, vendors and a “swap meet/tag sale”, a field trip to East Coast Koi Imports, a banquet, and our signature auction of aquatic fish and plants. Our workshop is a unique opportunity to share information and enjoyment with amateur and professional aquarists and this will be our 37th workshop!

This show will feature some of our favorite familiar faces from the local aquatic scene, as well as awesome breeders from all across the country!

SPEAKER LINEUP
* David Ramsey (Live foods & 55 Years of Fish Breeding)
* Chris Teem (Discus & Macro Algae)
* Grant Eder (The Art of Shrimp Keeping)

SCHEDULE
Friday Oct 11 (Field Trip):
* 10AM Field Trip to East Coast Koi Imports hosted by Bobby Wang. (Signup here)
Saturday Oct 12 (Vendor Room, Tag Sale & CAW Educational Events):
* Vendor Room and Tag Sale (9AM-5PM)
* Shrimp Contest (9AM-5PM)
* 10:30AM Chris Teem on “Macro Algae”
* 1PM David Ramsey “55 Years of Fish Breeding”
* 2:30PM Grant Eder “The Art of Shrimp Keeping”
* 4PM David Ramsey “Live Foods”
* 6-8:30PM Banquet, Award Winner Presentation and Banquet talk: Chris Teem on “Discus”
Sunday Oct 13 (Fall Auction):
* 9-10AM Auction Registration and Check In.
* 10AM - 5 (??):
* Open to the public (sellers & buyers)
* Plants/fish/shrimp/invertebrates
* Registration and more details coming soon.
Mark your calendars now for a memorable experience and stay tuned for further details.

We will have axolotls, axolotl merchandise and Galaxy Koi Plakat Bettas available on Saturday. The vendor room is free and open to the public.

Hope to see you there!

12/09/2024

I visited Flora Fauna WF in Wake Forest NC this afternoon and was very impressed. They have an amazing reptile and amphibian set up. So many plants and supplies. They have aquatic plants and bettas too! Stop by and check them out.

10/09/2024

Petco is having a sale on the aquariums i use at expos. 3 gallon for $27.49

Simplicity meets elegance! The minimalist design of a frameless aquarium helps accentuate the natural beauty of any flourishing aquatic ecosystem.

06/09/2024

We will be in Charlotte NC on September 21 & 22 for the All American Reptile and Plant Expo. We are bringing 4”-5” Lucy’s, Dirty Lucy’s, GFP Lucy’s and Albinos. We have fun axolotl merchandise available. We bring something new to every show. Stop by and see us!

Experience the All American Reptile & Plant Expo in Castle Rock, CO, on April 27-28! Discover everything for reptile & plant lovers at 500 Fairgrounds Rd.

06/08/2024

We will be at Raleigh Repticon this weekend August 10 & 11 at the Expo Center on NC State Fairgrounds. Come and see these cuties in person.

24/05/2024

Love Bettas? We have Neon Koi Dumbo Plakats aka Glow Bettas. Come see us at RRepticonRaleigh this weekend May 25 & 26.

23/05/2024

We will be at Raleigh Repticon this weekend May 25 & 26. We have golden albinos, Lucy’s, GFP Lucy’s and coppers available. We have adorable Axolotl merchandise.