Paddy died

I went to the tank yesterday morning to feed Paddy my small wildtype and found him lying on the bottom of the tank with his head under the bogwood. I picked him up, he was dead. I was so very upset, but not actually all that surprised. He never seemed to eat well (though wasn't overly skinny), never seemed to grow much and spent 99% of his time at the surface of the water. He was a disabled axie when I got him, missing half his gills and a crippled front leg. Bless him, I hope he didn't suffer too much.
When I got him out the water his mouth was slightly open and his 'chin' area looked a little swollen. I never saw this swelling when he was alive, but I wonder if it was a mouth rot kind of thing.
I have been closely watching the other two axies that shared the tank and so far no problems (phew!). Is there anything I should be doing to ensure they stay healthy?

Sorry for your loss. It is not pleasant, but it happens to all of us. (Don't you dare tell anyone I tend tear up when I lose a critter)

My standard procedure for a death is complete water chemistry test, just in case. I also tend to quarantine any other tank mates and observer them in detail for at least a week, just to be safe.

While folks are in quarantine, I do in depth tank maintenance, mostly to poke about in the tank and see if I can find anything abnormal. I also clean and sanitize all my nets and other tank equipment, just in case.

My last step is disposal. To protect critters in the wild, I desiccate the corpse in rock salt, the kind used as ice melt in winter. When I lived in the city I would pack the corpse in a sealed plastic bag before taking it to the veterinarian for proper disposal. Some vets will charge a small fee for this, others will do it for free. Since I am living back in the sticks again, I have "Viking Funerals" in my fire pit.

Thanks Johnny,

I am keeping an eye on the water chemistry at the moment anyway and performing daily 20% changes as I messed up my water (see previous thread - http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=61962 )

If I keep the water in the tank clean and cool will it be OK to leave the axies in the tank? Or are you talking quarantine in the fridge or different container?

Sorry to hear of your loss!!

I too lost axies over the weekend
3 babies i'm gutted!
I am worried it was my fault altho i've done nothing different with the others who are still ok

But now i'm worried everytime i check them in case of the worst!!

Best Wishes
Mel

Kerry1968 said:

Thanks Johnny,

I am keeping an eye on the water chemistry at the moment anyway and performing daily 20% changes as I messed up my water (see previous thread - http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=61962 )

If I keep the water in the tank clean and cool will it be OK to leave the axies in the tank? Or are you talking quarantine in the fridge or different container?

Click to expand...

I am the paranoid type, so I quarantine each to their own plastic shoebox. No need for 'fridging unless they show signs of poor health and you have a cool place like a basement to keep them at for a few days.

Truthfully though, it is really up to you. I tend to "nuke" everything I do, including caudate paranoia.

Hi Kerry,

I think your concern comprises of two parts. Firstly, water fouling due to presence of dead animal (poor water chemistry) and secondly, risk of disease transmission.

If you have quickly disposed of the dead axie, did some substrate 'vacuuming', water testing and changes, the water quality in the main tank shouldn't be an issue. I would tend to still let my axies remain in the main tank but watch them carefully over the next two weeks or so. I would not go so far as to fridge the axie or isolate them at this stage.

Because your deceased axie was a long term resident in the tank with the others since the beginning, there is a reduced risk of a primary infectious agent causing its death. (Opposed to lets say a new unquarantined animal being introduced). I would speculate that since it has always been inappetant and runty, there could be a big part of just poor constitution or even developmental insufficiency (organ abnormalities). A new microorganism being introduced to the tank is unlikely. Even if there is a component of infectious illness, the microbes tend to be already opportunistic residents in the tank.

If you keep your water parameters and temperature under control and provide good nutrition, the rest of the healthy axies should have no problems.

Cheers