Sick Axies Need Help ASAP

Hey guys,
i have a serious problem. I had four axies in a tank suitable for that amount of axies. The temperature has been fluctuating heaps. I had three (Gold, White & Olive) axies die in 1 week. Their water temperature wasn't excessively warm. They all off a sudden stopped eating and died. I have one axie left, my black one. I took him out of the tank and put him in an ice-cream bucket. I sat the ice-cream bucket in a Polystyrene box with ice bricks in it and then sat the ice-cream container in it. I've got an air stone in there as well as a couple of fish. I've put a fish medicine in there called mella fix to kill the germs he's got. He still is not eating and is very thin he was my first axie so i don't want him to die. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

(Message edited by bec on March 30, 2007)

Did you test your water parameters at all? If you temperature had been fluctuating heaps it may not have helped. Did the axies have other companions in with them?

Also, are the fish you mentioned in with your axie? If so remove them. How long has he been

Sorry, but what germs does he have? As long as you put him in dechlorinated water and get your tankwater tested; and change your container water daily and he's kept cool.

Do you have a thermometer in tank?

The ph was at 7.0 as far as i know that is the best ph for axies. Mmm in the tank there was a gold axie, a olive axie, a white axie and a black axie. We had feeder fish in with them also. Theres a single feeder fish in with the only axie left in case he does decide he is hungry. He had a fungal infection when we took him out of the tank and put him in the ice cream container. As far as we know the fungal infection had only recently developed after the first axie died. His water gets changed everyday. We use tap water but we put water neutraliser in there also. Yeah there is a thermometer in the tank, his current temp is 14 degree celcius

Other than pH, did you test for ammonia or nitrites?

Feeder fish are dirty - they carry diseases and parasites, and excrete a LOT of waste. Did you quarantine the feeder fish before introducing them to your tank?

I would seriously think of removing the feeder fish from the icecream containter.

Fungal infections usually develop when an axie is stressed and their immune systems are lower; usually heat/temp fluctuations and/or water quality and can sometimes occur if other axies/fish are introduced without first being quarantined - 30 days. Have you tried feeding it live blackworms (or earthworms rather than fish)?

(Message edited by kapo on March 31, 2007)

No i didn't quarantine them but i removed them from the tank after the first 2 axies died and they have been out for ages now. I didn't test the ammonia or nitrites, is there a kit you can get for testing those ones? His fungal infection has gone now but he still isn't eating. We bought another white axie today she is a little girl, so we are hoping if we out harry back in with her that he may see her eating so he will eat and he will have company since now he is only by himself and may quite possibly be lonely

Another question i bought a new axie yesterday and she jumped out of her tank last night. I don't know how long she was out of water for but she was put back in water this morning. She is very red as if she has been burnt. What can i don to help her and prevent her from dying?

Don't put Harry in with her! All new axies have to be quarantined for 30 days to ensure they're healthy and don't make your current one sick. AS Harry isn't too well anyway, then that is a definite reason not to put them together until the quarantine period is up (this applies to any subsequent axies you get in the interim - all to be quarantined separately!)

Axies have poor eyesight so may not see her eating but the food moving around her as she snaps at it. Doesn't mean he'll eat.

As for your girl axie, remove her from the tank and put her in a similar container to Harry, of dechlorinated water too and change like Harry's.

Until your tankwater parameters are sorted out, it probably isn't the safest for her to be in there till you know what they are. The redness is probably stress from the fall; she's had a shock to her system.

When you do eventually return them to the tank, you need to put a cover/lid on the tank so they don't jump out. The water may have irritated her skin or may have been stressing trying to settle into the new environment and she jumped in fright.

You can buy a master freshwater test kit which tests for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, high pH and Low pH but can be a bit expensive but well worth the money in the long run. Alternatively you can just buy individual Freshwater test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate.

As you don't currently have them - take a sample of your tankwater into the local petshop and ask them to test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate and write the results down for you. Remember don't buy anything to fix the tank; petshops tend to give the wrong advice especially where axies are concerned.

Also another thing don't add any melafix to the girls container; you could probably stop with Harry's as well. As long as you keep up the regular waterchanges and there are no fish in with him he should improve. Some fish medicines can be toxic to axies so you have to be careful what you put in your tankwater and the doseage.

Thank you so much you really are a great help. The little girl "missy" looks like she has broken something under her. She is extremely red and her skin under her belly is open. She is in an ice cream container to with fresh water and water neutraliser. Harry is getting better and is more active but still won't eat. I will take some water into the pet shop thursday and get the readings. There are no fish in with either of the axies. I'm hoping my axies both get better. Any other tips on them?

If she is still looking red and stressed she may need to be put in the fridge. This will keep her calm and slow her metabolism down enough to hopefully give it a chance to heal.

When you say her skin under her belly is open, does it look torn as a in a cut or scratch?

mmm like graze the skin is ribbed open kinda but only surface skin. She looks like she make have broken something under her near her neck

Is there anything that could hurt ur axies in the tank?

Hey Lorie no there isn't the tank is completely safe. We took her "missy" to the pet shop we usually go to as the lady out there is really helpful and knows alot on axies. She nearly passed out at the sight of her belly as it looked to be scabbed. Harry did pass away and we realised that he swallowed a stone, but at at the moment we are focusing on getting missy better