Nitrate poisoning?

[Pudrin]

Hello,

My partner is very worried and local museum will take axolotls. We had her tubbed for a couple of months while we got the pH back down in the tank and made sure it was cycling she had ammonia burn.
Since back in the tank gills started to uncurl but the floofs on the ends have started to fall off and after a test yesterday

pH - 7.6
Nitrites - 0
Ammonia - 0
Temp - 16 degrees C
20 gallon tank

nitrates I believe we 60-80 so I did a water change and the next morning it looks like nitrates are still 50-60. My partner is getting home from work and will tub her and do another 25-50% water change. But this morning I noticed her gills are now white which they weren’t last night.

The tank is cycling fine I’m hoping once the nitrates are back to normal and she heals and goes back in it will be the end of it I messed up I didn’t check the parameters enough when she went back in the first time.

Can anyone let me know what’s going on with her.

 

[wolfen]

unlike ammonia which is caustic and causes burns nitrates are like nitrites in that they affect the blood, the treatment for nitrate/nitrite toxicosis is methylene blue baths.
add 3.5g/l non-iodised salt to any water containing your axolotl, this helps to protect/reduce the effects of any nitrogen compounds as well as help heal the gills, this can be reduced to 2g/l once healed to act as a protective, alternatively 50% holtfreters + 0.1g/l magnesium sulphate can be used, holtfreters info here.. Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity

 

[Pudrin]

unlike ammonia which is caustic and causes burns nitrates are like nitrites in that they affect the blood, the treatment for nitrate/nitrite toxicosis is methylene blue baths.
add 3.5g/l non-iodised salt to any water containing your axolotl, this helps to protect/reduce the effects of any nitrogen compounds as well as help heal the gills, this can be reduced to 2g/l once healed to act as a protective, alternatively 50% holtfreters + 0.1g/l magnesium sulphate can be used, holtfreters info here.. Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity

Just so I am understanding I am wanting to do this to the tubbed water each day and not give salt bath, just use this low concentration in her regular water?

We have notoriously soft tap water here in Halifax so would it be best to always have some salt in the water once she is fully healed again? I assume there is a test kit I’ll be able to buy for testing?
Thanks

 

[wolfen]

test the kh and gh, both of these come as liquid drop tests, if your kh is low using bicarbonate of soda will improve it, if gh is low adding minerals will improve it.
for ideal and tolerant levels see.. Water Quality Explained: How It Can Affect Your Axolotl's Health - WSAVA 2015 Congress - VIN
low level of salt acts like a tonic and helps to prevent conditions that axolotls are prone to ie.. gill fungus, osmotic edema etc.. as well as helping to protect against nitrogen compound spikes.
50% holtfreters + 0.1g/l magnesium sulphate contains salts and minerals that make the water more suitable for axolotls whilst protecting them.

 

[Pudrin]

test the kh and gh, both of these come as liquid drop tests, if your kh is low using bicarbonate of soda will improve it, if gh is low adding minerals will improve it.
for ideal and tolerant levels see.. Water Quality Explained: How It Can Affect Your Axolotl's Health - WSAVA 2015 Congress - VIN
low level of salt acts like a tonic and helps to prevent conditions that axolotls are prone to ie.. gill fungus, osmotic edema etc.. as well as helping to protect against nitrogen compound spikes.
50% holtfreters + 0.1g/l magnesium sulphate contains salts and minerals that make the water more suitable for axolotls whilst protecting them.

Great thank you so much, do you know why this only just happened after two years?

 

[wolfen]

by the looks of the gills it looks like the beginnings of a fungal infection, fungal infections can happen at any time.