Dorsal fin seems to be disintegrating or something...?

The dorsal fin of my axolotl seems to be disintegrating....? The strange thing is that i didn't notice it at all a few days ago but today is really obvious that the fins basic form has changed... My axolotl is a juvenile...about 3.5 inches long.... Could be just be developing wrong? Or its something making his dorsal fin disintegrate? He did not always look like this. There's been no change in water source, and i use dechlorinator and i also age my water

There are no other animals in the tank with him....


Any help would be appreciated

I attached a before and after picture..the first one is when he is a bit younger, but his tail looks normal and the other 2 pictures you can see that his dorsal fin looks like it's disintegrating.

I can't quite make out what is going on there on his/her tail from the photos (though it may be due to the computer I am using at the moment). Could he have accidentally damaged his tail on an ornament of filter?

Have you tested the parameters for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH and temperature? Is your tank cycled?

Well, I'm a new axolotl owner, so I don't know if maybe some develop this way but his dorsal fin used to make a straight line from his back to his tail, uninterrupted and now there's a divet there, to me it looks like it is disintrgrating or something...but his gills seems fine...there are no other animals in the tank, and I don't think his little hiding cave could have made that.... Is he just developing that way maybe?

I am not sure why those pictures sent in upside down... I will try to send in a better one.

He is swimming around fine....

The good news is that it probably isn't a serious problem ... yet.

Does it look sort-of like it is folded over? Sometimes that is bacterial, and bacterial infections are more likely if the water parameters are off. If it is water conditions, most of the time for something like that, just improving the water conditions will make it go away.

So, what are the water parameters? How big is the tank? How often are you doing water changes?

He is currently in a 10 gallon tank, with a sponge filter that has been cycled. Before that he was in a smaller tank that wasn't filtered but i did a daily water change.

So... The10 gallon tank was his home until i got a plant from a pet store that i noticed was growing a white fungus on it... I got nervous so i pulled out the plant and put my axolotl somewhere else until i could really clean out the tank. I cleaned the tank with water and vinegar, and also boiled or removed all substrate.

Ph is about 7.8. I haven't checked nitrates or nitrites yet. What else do you recommend checking?

As for the trail being folded sometimes it does look like it is but other times it isnt..... ? Where he's albino it's a little hard to see. But sometimes i think it does look a little folded and other times it looks normal...other than the recent divet...but the divet isnt from a fold in the tail.

If it is bacterial, how would i fix that?

Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate are the big 3 to test for, along with pH and temperature. If the tank really is cycled, the ammonia and nitrite should both be 0 ppm. If not, bringing them down (with water changes) is the first thing to do. Nitrate should be kept below 40 ppm (well below is even better).

I suggest a "wait and see" approach. I suspect it will get better on it's own, whatever the cause. Make sure the current tank conditions are good, make sure any left-over food gets taken out immediately, and consider doing larger water changes. (You should be doing at least 25% a week, and more isn't bad.)

What is your water source? I assume you are dechlorinating it?

I don't think you need to see a vet, but you may want to find out if you have an amphibian-qualified vet in your area. (If you ever do need one, it will probably be an emergency, and you will want to have found one ahead of time, or know that there isn't one.)

7.8 is a bit too high a pH. try getting it down to 7.2 - 7.6. don't use commercial pH down, just treat your water with a conditioner before adding it to the tank during weekly changes.

It's possible that you have a fungal or bacterial infection, which is kind of hard to test for. I would say to add some aquarium salts, but it sounds like you already have really hard water in there.

Check out the requirements page and the health page over at axolotl.org or ask your local aquarium store employee for guidance in selecting a water treatment. Just make sure to check the chemicals in it against the list of chemicals that are harmful to axolotls over at axolotl.org

Good luck

7.8 is not too high. See Guide to Axolotl Husbandry. Fortunately axolotls are very tolerant to pH. I have mine at 8.2 with no problems, and have very high survival rate of hatchlings. I suspect generations of hobbyist breeding is extending their tolerance, since people like me tend to keep the nicest looking babies babies to breed, and those obviously tolerate the local water well.

Salt might help, and should not hurt. 1 tablespoon of aquarium (NOT iodized salt) per 5 gal of water is what my vet recommends. It is a mild antibacterial, and will not hurt the filter.

LSuzuki said:

7.8 is not too high. See Guide to Axolotl Husbandry. Fortunately axolotls are very tolerant to pH. I have mine at 8.2 with no problems, and have very high survival rate of hatchlings. I suspect generations of hobbyist breeding is extending their tolerance, since people like me tend to keep the nicest looking babies babies to breed, and those obviously tolerate the local water well.

Salt might help, and should not hurt. 1 tablespoon of aquarium (NOT iodized salt) per 5 gal of water is what my vet recommends. It is a mild antibacterial, and will not hurt the filter.

Click to expand...

Not how I said "a bit too high." axolotl.org requirements page recommends 7.4 to 7.6. sure, they can survive in a slightly acidic environment, and will tolerate pH of up to 8, but 8.2 is way too high.

Axolotls can handle much more dissolved salt in their water than your vet recommends (laboratories use a few grams per litre) but when your pH is already that basic I wouldn't risk adding more.