Rescue axolotl Help

[Matty_Patty]

I just had to emergency take in an axolotl, he Has a red tail and inflamed skin. However the tank isn’t cycling and i’m afraid he may be sustaining ammonia burns. I’ve been doing 20% water changes wand adding prime to the tank but the ammonia has been giving me a run for my money. the temp has been at 63-64F ph 7.5 NO3 5.0ppm and nitrate NO2 Oppm. However the ammonia is inbetween .25-.50ppm. Can someone give me advice. he also appears to have red leg which i’m afraid to treat with a salt bath because it may harm his skin.

 

[axolotl nerd]

I just had to emergency take in an axolotl, he Has a red tail and inflamed skin. However the tank isn’t cycling and i’m afraid he may be sustaining ammonia burns. I’ve been doing 20% water changes wand adding prime to the tank but the ammonia has been giving me a run for my money. the temp has been at 63-64F ph 7.5 NO3 5.0ppm and nitrate NO2 Oppm. However the ammonia is inbetween .25-.50ppm. Can someone give me advice. he also appears to have red leg which i’m afraid to treat with a salt bath because it may harm his skin.

tub him immediately while the tank cycles, he will need 100% water changed daily. i also suggest using tea baths or methelyene blue to help soothe the skin. i am not a vet, and cannot diagnose red leg/septicemia, but it doesn't look like it to me

 

[Matty_Patty]

Thank you,
If you have any other advice it would be appreciated. I don’t have much experience with axolotls and don’t want to harm him. However he had no other place to go. He’s in a 40 gallon tank with a sponge filter and air stone. I keep his water around 60-64 degrees and have been feeding bloodworms and night crawlers.

 

[axolotl nerd]

Thank you,
If you have any other advice it would be appreciated. I don’t have much experience with axolotls and don’t want to harm him. However he had no other place to go. He’s in a 40 gallon tank with a sponge filter and air stone. I keep his water around 60-64 degrees and have been feeding bloodworms and night crawlers.

everything sounds alright from what you've said. i keep my tank slightly above 65 because it suits my axolotl best. i will always reccomend lots of live plants and hides. keep him tabbed until the tank is fully cycled, it's much safer for him to be tabbed during the process. bloodworms are more of an occasional treat, but nightcrawlers are great. if he ever gets picky, try red wiggles as a substitute. pictures would be appreciated!

 

[wolfen]

I am not sure if you are confusing nitrites and nitrates, going by your first post you put "no3 5ppm and nitrates no2 0ppm" no3 is nitrates no2 is nitrites so your over all parameters are temperature 63/64°f, ph 7.5, TAN (nh3+nh4) 0.25/0.5ppm, nitrites 0ppm, nitrates 5ppm, at the level your TAN is at the nh3 (toxic free ammonia) is only 0.0052ppm which is very low and unlikely to cause burns, if on the other hand by no3 you mean nitrites then your axolotl needs to be removed from the tank asap and given methyline blue baths as 5ppm nitrites is highly toxic and deadly.
always house an axolotl in water that contains 2g/l salt or 50% holfreters (holtfreters is better as it contains minerals as well as salt)
although worms ie.. blood, earth, black does tend to be part of an axolotls diet they are lacking in vitamin A which can be received by eyed food ie.. shrimp, fish etc.. always feed a varied balance diet.

 

[Matty_Patty]

Update
He has been transferred to an open cycled tank I acquired through the aquatics/ reptiles program I work with. Wolfen there are no nitrites present in either tank however the original tank started having ammonia issues. I have brine shrimp I use with my other fish, would those be effective for providing Vit A/ be a viable feeding option because of their size?

 

[wolfen]

good to hear about the nitrites, brine shrimp are fine though due to size frozen would be easier to feed as a large amount rather than live swimmers, mysis and krill can also be brought frozen, chopped deshelled prawns and king prawns, live river/ghost shrimp, live fish, any food source with eyes tend to have vitamin A.

 

[axolotl nerd]

Update
He has been transferred to an open cycled tank I acquired through the aquatics/ reptiles program I work with. Wolfen there are no nitrites present in either tank however the original tank started having ammonia issues. I have brine shrimp I use with my other fish, would those be effective for providing Vit A/ be a viable feeding option because of their size?

i personally use ghost shrimp a lot. they can tolerate the low temperatures and also work as fantastic cleaners, usually the last a few months before i need to replenish their numbers. i continue feeding regularly, but she does snack on them when im not looking. they're very cheap, (59 cents apiece where im at) and help to keep things clean. even better if if you can get them to have eggs, i have several females carrying eggs right now, and hopefully i can raise the babies to adulthood.