A little skinny

I went away for about 5 days a couple of weeks ago and left my axies in the care of my mum. I told her not to worry about feeding them as I didnt have time to teach her the procedure and my little boy Simba is very fussy. When I got back Simba was very thin and his tail was crooked at the end. His slime coat also seems to be disrupted and slightly off him in parts (if thats possible). I put both of them into separate containers till I could insure that the tank levels were ok and that there wasnt any rotting material and things like that. Getting to the point though. Simba doesnt eat that much compared to his tankmate (a female) and he hasnt grown perceptibly since I got him and now he is really skinny and wont put on weight. Im feeding them worms from a worm farm I started up but I was wondering if there is ne thing I could supplement the diet with that might help him put on weight?

In addition to the above problem, I think my tank is cursed. Last time I tried to put my axies in the tank I found my little girl peeling by the next morning so I had to take them out again. I had checked the levels which were - amm: 0, nitrite: 0, nitrate: 10. I changed about 20% of the water then put them in and she was peeling the next morning. I did vac the floor of the tank during the water change. On top of that, the tank light blew a couple of days after. I will be getting a new 3ft tank but until then will the be alright in a plastic storage container? I do change the water daily. This whole thing is driving me nuts!

your readings look ok so i wonder if there is some sort of other problem. what is the ph like?

for the skinny one i would offer things like frozen axie food if you can get it, mealworms (fatty so not too many), bloodworms if possible and basically mix it up just incase hes not getting everything he needs from worms alone.

they will be fine in a storage container (btw, are the readings the same in this and the tank?) as long as its big enough for the both of them and you change water as needed.

pH is usually up around 7.8 since I put the bird grit in the filter, I was having problems with acid before that but it hasnt changed since the grit went it.

Our tap water (water in the separate container) is fairly soft and very alkaline (prolly close to the tank in pH, mabey slightly lower). I havent actually tested the tap water for ammonia and things like that but im thinking I should do that.

Im getting one of those big plastic storage containers on rollers to put them in and will be changing the water daily.

Poor Simba wont eat at all now and he is getting a little listless. Have to wait till payday to get some bloodworms and mealworms to try him on. Am getting worried. All his veins are showing and the tip of his tail is curved and red.

Cant wait till I get my 3ft. Totally new setup, filter and all. The other filter attached to my current 2ft is too strong. Could that upset their slime coat and make them peel? Feel like pitching the tank out the window. Grrr!

Try waxworms rather than mealworms. Mealworms are hard to digest and can bite.

Try anything soft-bodied.

If your filter is too strong, that will cause them to be stressed, not eat, show signs of infection (like skin problems). It's sometimes better to not have a filter at all than to have a filter that's too strong.

Try taking the one that's not eating, and putting it alone in a quiet, cool place, and offering food at night.

Well due to the above helpful suggestions I went and sourced out alternate foods. All I could get my hands on was blackworms and mealworms but when I put a few of the blackworms into his container he went for them so quickly. Lol, it looked like he was eating spaghetti. He even went nosing around for more so I fed him as much as he could eat. YAY! Am farming the rest so I have them on hand. Will try feeding a softer mealworm but if he don't go for them I can give them to my birds. I'll prolly behead them first so they cant bite him tho. They are now in an underbed storage container without a filter. I stole their hiding places out of the tank and put them in the container and they seem heaps happier now. Thanx guys.

Anna, decapitation is a good idea. Glad to hear he's eating though. Blackworms are a great food.