Axolotl Help ASAP!

Hey guys!

I just got my first pair of axolotl babes yesterday in the male. They had a two day travel, and when I put them in the tank they were stressed (obviously) but seemed to be doing fine. After a while they were both swimming around and doing just fine and even interacting with me. One of them has her limbs regenerating but I warned about that from the breeder earlier.

But this afternoon when I got back from work I noticed one of them was floating near the top. I touched him and he acted like he was dead (not reacting to me, etc.) but then he floated down to the ground so I decided to try and move him. He freaked out then and started to move fast.

I took both of them out and placed both of them in separate containers of water (cleaning the water) and gave them one pellet of blood worms. In the container, the troubled axolotl started to jerk and convulse almost like he was having a seizure mixed with hiccups. He's swimming around now for sure, trying to get out, and so is the other one.

They haven't been eating a lot, but they have been eating some. There is a tiny bit of sand at the bottom of my container leftover from when I tried to get all of it out after changing my mind about the build up of the aquarium. My filter is broken (we're working on that), but the water should be clean (I used a water cleaner).

What could be wrong?!

Well... Uh...
The filter being broken is probably what's wrong. What's water cleaner? The only way to clean water is to replace it by doing a water change. You need to dump 50% of the water using a siphon and bucket, and then refill the tank with fresh dechlorinated water. You'll need to do this every other day if you have no filtration. Also depends on tank size, if it's like a 50 gallon then you can go a little longer but a 10 gallon would definitely need constant water changes with two axolotls and no filter. Seachem prime is a good product for dechlorination.

Also axolotls are weird creatures that do weird things. The water could be totally fine and he could just be acting silly. The temp needs to be below 70, but anything below 74 wouldn't cause them to freak out like that. How big is the tank? Are lights on? They don't like long periods of light.

Thank you so much for the response. We just got a new water filter and a new test for the water. I meant to say I used a dechlorinator but was wondering if my water still isn't good enough and off balance? Water is 72 degrees and it's in my room which just has normal lights. It is a 10 gallon tank.

I'm going to clean out the enire tank, test it, replace the water filter, and watch them again.

I sure hope they're acting silly!

Sadly, one of them has died. :/

Well that's a bummer. This your first aquarium? You said babies, just how little were they? Axolotls under 3" usually aren't shipped as they typically aren't hearty enough to safely make the two day trip in a bag.

Were you planning on upgrading the tank sooner than later? I mean two axolotls can't stay together in a 10 gallon tank after more than like 6 months at most. Now I suppose you don't have to worry about that, although a 10 gallon will still be pushing it for one axolotl after about a year.

Did you use any chemicals to clean the tank prior to setting it up? Was the water dechlorinated prior to them going into it? What were they put into and how long were they in it? If they were small bowls the water would have become riddled with ammonia within a day.

Yeah, it is a bummer. I am scared the death the melanoid is going to die right now too. He's scaring me a little. He isn't moving as much as he was and he's starting to float vertically. He still reacts and moves fast when I touch him.

This is what I did after I noticed they were acting strange. I took them out of the aquarium, put them in seperate bowls with food, and then dumped out all of the water. I changed the filter (I got one that works now), put in new tap water, and used an API dechlorinator. I tested the water that the one died in and it said everything was okay with the chemicals and such. Am I missing something?

The one that died was 2 inches small and had two limbs missing sadly. The breeder warned me about this prior, though, that one of her siblings had nipped them off.

Well honestly if everything you say is true it sounds like it might not really be your fault. I can't say for certain obviously, but usually the axolotls that get bullied are weaker "only the fittest survive" kind of thing and it could have been a combination of shipping too young, being a runt, etc.

How long did the food sit in the bowl? Food deteriorates fast and is supposed to be taken out of the tank if not eaten within half an hour or so. If you had the little guy in the bowl with a block of blood worms for a day then that could be the reason he died.

He was only in the bowl for just an hour or so.

But yeah, this is my first aquarium. I am watching the melanoid like a hawk right now! Paranoid mother! He was floating vertically for a while and it scared me, but now he's swimming about and resting on his feet thank goodness.

I am sorry to hear you lost one .

72 fahrenheit is a little high. It would be best to get the temperature a bit lower if possible. What tests specifically were you testing for? Given this is a newly setup tank and not cycled before hand, the parameters are likely to spike which, if not watched carefully, can cause great harm to the axolotls. Below is a link on tank cycling.

Scales Tails Wings and Things, What is Aquarium Cycling? How to Cycle your Tank

For now, I would place the axolotl into a tub of fresh, clean, dechlorinated water so you can monitor him closely. You will need to change 100% of the water in the tub daily so it may be easier to keep a second tub next to him pre-prepared each day so you can transfer him into the clean tub and dispose of the old water and re-fill with fresh water ready for the next day. The old water can be poured into the tank to help with the cycle. In the meantime, not having the axolotl in the tank will allow you to do a fishless cycle. Below is a link. You will need to be patient as cycling a tank is not a quick process and takes weeks to establish.

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community

Thank you so much for your support and advice! It means so much to hear from you guys.

I have a couple of quick questions.

I have a fan that I can blow on the water to get it colder, but it'll cause movement in the water. I'm afraid it'll stress the little guy out too much. What do you think?

Also, do you think I could do the fishless nitrogen cycle and still keep him alive? I did so much research for this guys (apparently not enough) and did not come across the cycling until right now! So thank you SO much for showing that to me. But I'm afraid that a part of the reason that killed the other one was the stress from moving them in and out of containers that were unfamiliar especially right after traveling. So I want to keep him in his tank to keep him from stress as much as possible.

Fans would probably only create movement on the surface of the water but shouldn't really affect the axolotl. Doing a fishless cycle method is far safer in my opinion as when he is not in the tank during the cycling process, he won't be exposed to potentially harmful levels of ammonia and nitrite. If you keep him in the tub and simply transfer him to a pre-prepared tub of clean water each day it shouldn't be that stressful for him. I suspect the death of the other little one is more likely to do with the transport and the damage had already been done by the time you received him.

Okay thanks! How big should the tub be so he has enough room to swim around? Should I also include something he can hide in?

Fans are definitely great just make sure they don't fall in the water. A small fan can lower the temp a solid 5 degrees which is a big difference. As for the tubs you can use Tupperware containers and daily 100% water changes, each with dechlorinated cool water.

The tub doesn't have to be huge but enough for him to move about comfortably and if you can fit a hide in there as well, that will help feel more comfortable.

Just out of curiosity. How warm was the travel during shipping? This time of year with all the heat waves, I would be leery of having any amphibian shipped anything less than over night during summer months without an ice pack.
These guys may have been cooked before you even got them :-( I sent out some snails a couple weeks ago and my friend received steamed escargot!!!
Summer months can even be tricky for sending aquatic plants.


I run a 12" fan on high on my 40 gal. It only agitates the water down to about 1/2 inch. Your babywill be fine with a fan, and you do definitely need one.
If you or one of your parents is crafty.. I built a chiller for under $90.00 and it drops my tank 30 degrees on a 70 degree day, and 20+ degrees on a 90+ degree day.

If you have a dollar tree where you live. Go get 3-4 sheets of the foam core board they have. Remove the paper coating, Cut it to fit all sides of your tank. Minus the top and front. I would do 3-4 layers per side, over kill never hurts. Be sure to do the bottom too. This will help insulate the tank while the fan is on, thus keeping your water cooler. Seriously, this is an awesome and cheap method that is commonly used. On really hot days, I even cover the front.
Keep in mind, you will have to replace water every other day due to evaporation. Buts it's totally worth it.

Btw, the dollar tree will also have the Bettie Crocker plastic tubs you need too.

Also, I am truly Very sorry about your loss :-( I've got 2 that I'm really worried about.

If you have a friend with a healthy fish tank, see if you can get some of his filter media and get a good jump on cycling the tank. Seachem also makes a bio bacteria for starting a cycle. I found that my 55 gal Palludarium tank cycled twice as fast as a fish less cycle done with pure ammonia and fish food. Fish food is also good for a fish less cycle.
I don't recommend the raw shrimp method. It's just gross lol especially when it starts to dissolve.... And will stink up a small tank ?

And yes, you need a small hide for your guy. Stress affects everything the same way. It weakens the immune system. A hide will help him relax. If you can, float a couple live plants in the container. And do your best to keep his temp down. If you can keep it at a constant 62-65, I do believe he will recover faster. But be sure to keep up on the water changes. At this point I think too high ammonia would kill him.
Definitely get an API master test kit, that is an absolute must.

Do you by chance know the ph of your water, and the ph of water that your guy came from? You may have to ask the seller. But this would be good to know. Your two PH's may have been drastically different too. If that was the case, you would need to acclimate them for a longer period of time.

I hope I didn't confuse you, but I threw out at you what I know

I wish you much luck and am sending good vibes to your little non fur baby


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When asked: Why?
Because I couldn't stop at just one dammit!!!

Oh yea, I don't know what kind of hood you have, but it will be useless when you go to use fans. Lmk if you want to see what I did/made. It still let's light through, meaning you can still use the lite from your hood, and it will let air flow from the fan in as well. I've done this will all my tanks because of how well it's been working