sick axie, advice please

ive had my axie for a year now, im not sure what sex he or she is but she used to be really lively and eat well. i have a 3ft tank wich is plenty big enough and i have no gravel or small bits that she could of eaten, just recently shes stopped eating and doesnt seem to move much. she has black spots all over her head and back, what do i do, and what can i give her to eat? she usually eats, blood worm, liver and garden worms.

Hi,

it would be helpful if you posted your water parameters. It could be a water quality problem. What are your ammonia, nitrate, nitrite and PH readings? What is your tank temperature? If you post these it might help narrow down the issue!

i havent got a home testing kit for my water but i will go and get it tested at the weekend as i cant get to it on week day. my temp is 20.c. i have got pictures of her in her tank but i dont know how to make them smaller to post on here

Hi Maggzmum,

If you are using a digital camera change the mega pixel rate as low as it can go the pictures will lose some resolution but you will be able to fit it to upload.

Without a picture it is hard to tell what the spots are.

My Axie Still Wont Eat Anything, I Cant Get Her Water Tested Till The Weekend So Ive Put Her In The Fridge For A While With Some Bloodworm And Ill See How She Goes, Ill Post Some Pics In A Minute But Is It Safe For Me To Put Her In The Fridge, Shes In An Open Tub With A Few Inches Of Water?

Pictures

Hi Maggzmum,

If you put him in the fridge, set the fridge to above 5 degrees. Please note that putting him in the fridge will not encourage him to eat - the fridge slows his metabolism down - he wont eat as much if at all.

The fridge will aid him in passing obstructions though and will be a good haven while you find out what the tank water conditions are. Just ensure he is in fresh dechlorinated water and keep bottles of dechlorinated water in the fridge for water changes to keep the water temp constant for him - this will need to be done daily.

I'd cover the tub with a teacloth so he is not alarmed by lights on and off when the fridge door is opened and closed.

The black spots look like natural markings to me - he looks very pretty.

With the swelling of the cloaca I'd say it's a boy. Although to my untrained eye it looks a bit too swollen to me...Any thoughts anyone?

my ph is 7 nitrite 0.2 and amonia is 0. ive been advised to use a course of safe water, what do you think?

Don't use chemicals. Try 20% water changes daily to bring down the nitrites. The markings are normal.

im still trying to get my water parameters right but shes not moved in days and not eaten anything for about a week, ive tried alsorts with no luck. what do i do now?

Your pictures show a reasonably well fed almost certainly male leucistic axolotl with a nice normal pigment pattern. I'd prefer to see it in a slightly larger container so it can lay straight.

Axolotls eat very little in the fridge, one worm a week maintains the weight of one of mine. You can keep it there for weeks without it coming to harm. Some axolotls do not overeat and become less active and hungry when they stop growing. Sub adults eat vast quantities and the change in appetite of mine when they stopped growing was quite a surprise. They also become a lot less active. It is possible the high nitrite has made your axolotl lethargic but maybe it has just grown up!

Take your time sorting out the raised nitrite, let the axolotl enjoy rest in the fridge and do not worry about the lack of appetite. Try leaving one small earthworm in with the axolotl, after a day or two it may suddenly vanish. Earthworms do not seem to drown in cold water. For now you have no need to panic about lack of food.