Hi there!
Back in February of this year, I bought two axolotls (one leucistic and one GFP golden albino). When I got them they were roughly about 3 inches long and are still juveniles. At first, Mac (golden albino) was smaller than Kip (leucistic), but has since far outgrown Kip. One night, Mac got nippy and bit the tip of Kip's tail along with his gills and one of his legs. Luckily, they were just minor injuries. I then separated the two of them so Kip could recuperate and placed him in a netted breeder box (for about a week) clipped to the side of the tank. When Kip was released into the tank again, I noticed that he would periodically twitch erratically. He was trying to scratch his gills with his back leg (much like a dog would do). At the time I figured it was probably just his gills healing that was irritating him. A few days later I saw Mac doing the same thing as well as shaking his head frantically. I have no idea what is causing them to do this. :sad:
The only recent changes I have made, is that I added an extra filter to my tank as my previous one was not efficient enough for a 40 gallon tank and that I changed their diet from pellets to earthworms. I have, however, recently noticed some tiny white creatures on my aquarium glass. I have dealt with (worm-like) planaria before, but these look completely different. These 'bugs' appear to be like little balls with two antennae and a tail. Through research, I believe them to be cyclops zooplankton, but I am not 100% sure on it. They jitter across the glass rather quickly, unlike the planaria I had before.
Also, where I live it is beginning to warm up and so has my aquarium's temperature. The tank's temp. is usually around 68F, but has been around 73F in the past few days. I haven't noticed any mucus on my axis and they both still have a very healthy appetite, but I thought this might be another possible cause. On a side note, I'd like to see if anybody has any suggestions to help keep my tank cool. I currently have a fan blowing across the tank at all times, but the temperature is still getting a bit too high. I'm a little iffy about using the frozen bottle technique because I don't want to shock the poor axolotls.
Aside from the little critters and the water temperature, I have no other ideas what is bothering them. If you could offer any advice, we and our axolotls would greatly appreciate it!
Aquarium parameters:
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrites: 0ppm
Nitrates: 10ppm
Water Hardness: 300ppm
Alkalinity: 180ppm
pH: 7.6
Tank Size: 40 Gal. - 20"x20"x20" cube
Planted Vegetation
Water Changes: 20% - 60% one to two times a week
Below I have attached a few photos of our axies - sorry for the poor quality. I tried to get a picture of the little critters, but they are far too small for my camera. Thanks again!
Back in February of this year, I bought two axolotls (one leucistic and one GFP golden albino). When I got them they were roughly about 3 inches long and are still juveniles. At first, Mac (golden albino) was smaller than Kip (leucistic), but has since far outgrown Kip. One night, Mac got nippy and bit the tip of Kip's tail along with his gills and one of his legs. Luckily, they were just minor injuries. I then separated the two of them so Kip could recuperate and placed him in a netted breeder box (for about a week) clipped to the side of the tank. When Kip was released into the tank again, I noticed that he would periodically twitch erratically. He was trying to scratch his gills with his back leg (much like a dog would do). At the time I figured it was probably just his gills healing that was irritating him. A few days later I saw Mac doing the same thing as well as shaking his head frantically. I have no idea what is causing them to do this. :sad:
The only recent changes I have made, is that I added an extra filter to my tank as my previous one was not efficient enough for a 40 gallon tank and that I changed their diet from pellets to earthworms. I have, however, recently noticed some tiny white creatures on my aquarium glass. I have dealt with (worm-like) planaria before, but these look completely different. These 'bugs' appear to be like little balls with two antennae and a tail. Through research, I believe them to be cyclops zooplankton, but I am not 100% sure on it. They jitter across the glass rather quickly, unlike the planaria I had before.
Also, where I live it is beginning to warm up and so has my aquarium's temperature. The tank's temp. is usually around 68F, but has been around 73F in the past few days. I haven't noticed any mucus on my axis and they both still have a very healthy appetite, but I thought this might be another possible cause. On a side note, I'd like to see if anybody has any suggestions to help keep my tank cool. I currently have a fan blowing across the tank at all times, but the temperature is still getting a bit too high. I'm a little iffy about using the frozen bottle technique because I don't want to shock the poor axolotls.
Aside from the little critters and the water temperature, I have no other ideas what is bothering them. If you could offer any advice, we and our axolotls would greatly appreciate it!
Aquarium parameters:
Ammonia: 0ppm
Nitrites: 0ppm
Nitrates: 10ppm
Water Hardness: 300ppm
Alkalinity: 180ppm
pH: 7.6
Tank Size: 40 Gal. - 20"x20"x20" cube
Planted Vegetation
Water Changes: 20% - 60% one to two times a week
Below I have attached a few photos of our axies - sorry for the poor quality. I tried to get a picture of the little critters, but they are far too small for my camera. Thanks again!