Young Axolotl in New Tank, Sickly, Help!

Honnahlee

New member
Joined
Jun 16, 2015
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Indiana
Country
United States
Hi! My name is Hanna, I have a 3-4 month old Axolotl named Armstrong. Armstrong recently out-grew his starter tank so I got him a larger one. It is 36 gal, I cleaned it well with pet friendly all natural cleansers, as well as the substrate and decorations. There is a filter in the tank but it is low flow, meant for shallow reptile and amphibian tanks. It seems very mild but I can see his gills moving like they are blowing in a breeze when he's on the same side of the tank as the filter. No lights, nothing small enough for him to swallow. I used water conditioner to treat the tap water we filled it with. Its for fish and does not say if it is safe for amphibians or not. Its called Aqueon, it contains sodium thiosulfate, disodium EDTA, sodium carbonate, and polyvinyl payroll if ones...... Within an hour of placing him in the tank he turned pale. He's albino and usually pink body and dark pink gills. He's now almost white with light pink gills. He is also not eating in the tank. He seems to react when I put the feeding jar in, like he can smell it, but isn't finding it. I had to put him in a smaller bowl to get him to eat. He is also being very lethargic. Any thoughts?
 
I would change out the water and treat the new water with a conditioner you know is safe. I would suspect some of your cleanser wasn't fully rinsed or something. I haven't used it but have seen "Seachem Prime" suggested as an axolotl-safe conditioner. I would rule out water quality first, then if he's still doing poorly the experts will be more likely to weigh in. :)
 
The cleaners for sure. I only use water and a brand new scrubber when cleaning. I heard someone say they use lemon juice but I've never tried it.

Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
    +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
    +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
    +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
    +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top