Illness/Sickness: I don't think my Axie is doing too well. Help please?

Hi,
to start things off as I always do, I'll tell you about my Axolotl, Suki.
I'll have to call her 'her' for now as I don't know it's true sex - she just looks girly for now.
She's about 4 inches long, I've had her for a week or so now. Her tank is plastic and quite small at 21 litres. The gravel is around 1cm which I desperately need to change! (I can't find any cheap small bags of sand.) She has a small filter in her tank which is causing a bit of a flow which looks like it's starting to cause problems. I'm having a problem with dead food and water changes. Should I do a full water change in order to get rid of sunken dead things??
As for my Axie's appearance - Her gills are small and grey even though her feathers have grown a fair bit, they're just colourless. Is this a problem? Her gills are also facing forward but they 'flick' a lot. I've been feeding her worms for a few days but sometimes she won't take them from me. She is swimming around a lot and has done all day - are they not nocturnal?


To shorten it down a bit, my questions are:
1. Should I do a full water change to get rid of sunken dead things?
2. Are my Axie's small grey gills a problem?
3. Is it also a problem that her gills are facing forward?
4. Should I get Gold Fish/Guppies to clean the dead things or will they just eat the Axie's gills? (Or will the Axie eat them?)
5. What is the perfect tank size?


I'm in need of a lot of tips and helpful advice. Thanks everyone! Much appreciated! :happy:

1. Should I do a full water change to get rid of sunken dead things?
No you never do a full water change. Just do partial water changes frequently. Siphon the leftover food and feces from the tank as the water will quickly foul.
2. Are my Axie's small grey gills a problem?
I am unsure what you mean by grey as it may just be natural colouration. Post a picture and someone might be able to give you more info on that.
3. Is it also a problem that her gills are facing forward?
Gills facing forward are a sign of stress and I am not surprised. It sounds like your filter is too strong, Your tank is way too small and there is leftovers in the tank. Did you cycle the tank before you put her in?
4. Should I get Gold Fish/Guppies to clean the dead things or will they just eat the Axie's gills? (Or will the Axie eat them?)
Never mix axies with other critters if it can be helped. Both of the things you mentioned could happen.
5. What is the perfect tank size?
Two foot long is about the minimum size tank for one axie as far as I remember. I would urge you to get a larger tank asap but then you will have to do partial 20% water changes daily for the first month or so as it won't have had a chance to cycle.

Please read all of http://www.axolotl.org/ as it will really help you.

If i got anything wrong somebody please correct me!

-The lack of color or pigment, like your axie being pale can be due to stress, or not enough blood flow through out the body. It could be lack oxygen through out her body, oxygen which causes the pink/red coloration.
-The gill facing forward is also a sign of stress as you may know.
-Her flicking is her trying to get oxygen, that might be that there isn't enough in the water. Water flow may not be causing the water surface to break (making bubbles) so the filter might not be doing that good of a job of oxygenating the water.
-The little filter is probably to small to filter waste and left over food, also make sure that it doesn't need to be changed and if it does, then do so as soon as possible.
-To strong a flow could also be stressing the little guy out so make sure that there is a lot of current or movement in the water.
-Try fixing your filter to where is makes like a waterfall effect instead of just pushing the water around.
-When My Axie was laying eggs she was moving around a lot, so her being active could be that she is trying to push something out. Since you small gravel that could be that she swallowed one or many and is trying to digest it and push it out and that could be causing all this stress.

--Also a good size for one axolotl is a min of 10 gallons.
--Having fish and other animals in the tank can just cause more problems and more waste.
--When feeding your axie, only feed her what she can eat quickly, everything else remove before it rots.

--To take out all or most of the waste between the gravel, you can use a gravel vac., and that will do the job with out making a mess and stirring it all around.
Take out all the gravel even if you don't have any sand, no substrate is better than having gravel.

Like Jadore said, don't do 100% water change because all the beneficial bacteria will be gone. I would do a 50%-75% at the most and in two days do another water change (amount depending on the water condition.

Hope this helped, and hope she is okay.

Increased activity and stress can also be caused by a high water temperature. The tank temp should be between 16C - 18C (60F - 64F) anything above 24C (75F) is highly stressful and will cause health issues or death.

I would also do a full water parameter check. Either using a liquid test kit (Strips tend to be inaccurate) or most pet shops/aquarium shops will do comprehensive water checks.

EDIT: Yes they are nocturnal

One more thing to add. Make sure you have at least two hides for your little axie, without these she will be more stressed.

I just wanted to advise you to remove your gravel IMMEDIATELY. As proven by my axolotl, they WILL swallow it (we had 1.2-1.5 cm), and he even swallowed 2 of the stones which filled him from top to bottom so to say. We had to take him to a vet and when I was shown the X-ray I nearly broke down because I thought we'd have to put him down now (it was so bad). The doctors took the risk of removing the gravel with small surgical forcepts... He is now fridged. Lated, a vet who get axies in all the time says it is such a common problem, and most people think they are fish and gravel is right for them. Sand (the right type as recommended on this site) or bare bottom for these animals! The little guts eat gravel of amazing sizes, and it its small they're likely to stuff themselves full of it in which case a surgery can be needed ...

I wouldn't wish on anyone to go through what me and my husband had last week with our monster...:sad:

See my Thread "Vets, please help! We think axolotl swallowed gravel!" in the Sick axolotl section. It has advice on fridging, gravel, impaction, water conditions + has our axies X-Ray... It would benefit you loads.

We were alerted my Rayson's comment about gravel, and WHAT A SURPRISE, our axie who Never eats Anything off the bottom even swallowed a body full of it!

Good Luck!

Angie

Hi Bessie

Sand should be readily available at any home depot. i used play sand with no additives and this is very cheap for LOTS of sand. I put it in a bucket and washed it out until the water ran clean. you can also use reptile sand "Repti-sand" from Petco. This will be more expensive but the colors are nicer. This has proven to be a great substrate for my axolotls. a 10 gallon at petco will also run you around $10.

Water flow can be a problem and regular filters do channel water current and can cause problems. Kerry1968 was right to provide hides, rocks, plants etc to impede the flow throughout the tank. Try to move towards external filters like the ecco 2232 for 35 gallon aquariums. these filters have attachable spray bars to decrease water current and you can adjust the intake and output valves to control the flow.

good luck!

Bessie said:

Hi,
to start things off as I always do, I'll tell you about my Axolotl, Suki.
I'll have to call her 'her' for now as I don't know it's true sex - she just looks girly for now.
She's about 4 inches long, I've had her for a week or so now. Her tank is plastic and quite small at 21 litres. The gravel is around 1cm which I desperately need to change! (I can't find any cheap small bags of sand.) She has a small filter in her tank which is causing a bit of a flow which looks like it's starting to cause problems. I'm having a problem with dead food and water changes. Should I do a full water change in order to get rid of sunken dead things??
As for my Axie's appearance - Her gills are small and grey even though her feathers have grown a fair bit, they're just colourless. Is this a problem? Her gills are also facing forward but they 'flick' a lot. I've been feeding her worms for a few days but sometimes she won't take them from me. She is swimming around a lot and has done all day - are they not nocturnal?


To shorten it down a bit, my questions are:
1. Should I do a full water change to get rid of sunken dead things?
2. Are my Axie's small grey gills a problem?
3. Is it also a problem that her gills are facing forward?
4. Should I get Gold Fish/Guppies to clean the dead things or will they just eat the Axie's gills? (Or will the Axie eat them?)
5. What is the perfect tank size?


I'm in need of a lot of tips and helpful advice. Thanks everyone! Much appreciated! :happy:

Click to expand...

Hi Bessie...I think most of this has all been answered but another vote in the poll can't hurt...

1) Only partial water changes - you can do this as frequently as 20% per day if you want - use a syphone/vacuum to suck out the gunk from the bottom.

2)Your axie's gills will be pinker when the blood rushes to it, after exercise or eating - when she is not moving, they are likely to be more pale.

3)As mentioned above, it's an indication of stress - there could be various things causing this - I would suggest looking on the axolotl.org website and looking at all the issues that can cause stress (water parameters, temp, filter, lack of hides, etc) and using a process of elimination - if any of them are wrong, it needs amending.

4) You could get guppies if you wish, however your axie WILL eat them. If you're looking for a cleanup crew, your best bet would be either ghost or cherry shrimp - they help get rid of a lot of debris, though your axie would eat the odd one. HOWEVER, anything you introduce to your axie tank will need quarantining for 30 days in a seperate tank AND, most importantly, you would need a bigger tank. To be honest, the tank you are using at present sounds too small for even just one axie on it's own - there would definately not be room for any additional ammonia-producers in there. Also, the shrimp would only be there to assist you and get the bits you've missed - if you can see dead things in the tank, then you need to be cleaning them up.

5) That is dependant on how many axies you want to keep - for just one on it's own, I'd say no smaller than two foot.

Hope this has helped!

Zoe x

Hi Bessie, here's a few tips which might help you and Suki.

Argos sell bags of sterile sand for children's sandpits which I can recommend. You get a 15kg bag for £2.89. Wash it before putting it into your tank, as spiro666 suggests, and make sure you don't put more than a depth of about 2.5cm any deeper and you risk creating anaerobic conditions where nasty bugs will thrive and spoil the water.

However, if I were you, I would just get the gravel out immediately and leave the bottom without any substrate for the time being. (until Suki seems happier) I think it's easier to get rid of uneaten food and axie poo without any sand or gravel. You might find a turkey baster is useful for picking up waste from the bottom of the tank.

You can often lower the output rate on an internal filter, but if yours has no dial, you could still fit a spray bar onto the nozzle or maybe you could try directing the nozzle at the side of the tank or even a rock.

Best tip I can offer is to grab a coffee and a packet of biscuits and park yourself in front of a pc and check out all the articles on http://www.axolotl.org/

You will also enjoy http://www.caudata.org/cc/species/Ambystoma/A_mexicanum.shtml

and http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/articles_newcomer.shtml

I think the most important article to get your head round is http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

It's sometimes easy to get bogged down with all the information available so if there is anything you are unsure about, just keep asking.

I have had my axies two days now and im like an overbearing mother. worried by everything they do lol. i was wondering whats the best way to oxygenate my tank more as i dont think theres enough. i have three live plants and a filter but as its quite warm wanted to add abit more oxygen if poss. pls help? one keeps 'flapping' its gills too x

I just wanted to mention you really shouldn't use the Repti-sand / Calci sand. There are coloured sands suitable for aquariums, but the "reptile" sand typically has additives you don't want in an aquarium in it (some is even called "Calci-sand"). This sand is often harmful to the actual land-dwelling reptiles stores try to push this on, too, bleh.

Remove the gravel ASAP. It doesn't matter if the tank is bare. It might not be attractive to you to have it bare, but it won't harm the axolotl, whereas the gravel will. It can be bare while you find something else.


1. Should I do a full water change to get rid of sunken dead things?

Get a turkey baster to help with daily waste removal. For now, remove the gravel and use a siphon to remove any remaining debris.

Do you already have a siphon for water changes or something else ?

2. Are my Axie's small grey gills a problem?
3. Is it also a problem that her gills are facing forward?

For both of these, pictures would help. A degree of forward-facing is normal, however, a larger degree can indicate stress.

I use a simple sponge filter in my tank. Effective and very little flow.

4. Should I get Gold Fish/Guppies to clean the dead things or will they just eat the Axie's gills? (Or will the Axie eat them?)

No. They will produce more waste than help and your axolotl will eat them and can choke to death on them if they are too large to be swallowed.

Gold fish are the typical "bowl fish" but they are MASSIVE waste producers and will far outweight any "good". They shouldn't ever be kept in bowls, but that's another issue.

I keep guppies from a breeder in my tank. You have to quarantine them for 30 days if you buy them from a pet store. You probably shouldn't have adults in there, either, unless the axolotl is very large as they are also a choking hazard. They WILL be eaten. I would not recommend this unless you want to start a guppy breeding project and only keep 1/2 size guppies in there. And, still, that's not going to help with waste - just contribute to more of it.

Use a turkey baster to clean out waste daily, such as poop or after a feeding. This will keep it perfectly clean.

5. What is the perfect tank size?

If you don't plan on getting any other axolotls, a 20 long size tank. Since axolotls "walk" around a lot and swim horizontally unless they're going up for air, the "floorspace" matters much more than the vertical room.

Hi Folks,

This thread is almost three years old now, and the poster hasn't posted since August 2009...I don't think she's going to respond.

karena said:

I have had my axies two days now and im like an overbearing mother. worried by everything they do lol. i was wondering whats the best way to oxygenate my tank more as i dont think theres enough. i have three live plants and a filter but as its quite warm wanted to add abit more oxygen if poss. pls help? one keeps 'flapping' its gills too x

Click to expand...

Hi Karena,

You're more likely to receive responses if you start your own thread, rather than resurrect very old ones.

The filter should provide adequate aeration. You can add a couple of airstones if you are very worried about it. Information on gill flapping can be found here: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...-general-discussion/78950-flapping-gills.html

How warm is "quite warm"? Axolotls are cold water animals, warm water temperatures in excess of 23C can kill them.

Welcome to the forum!

i have an internal filter that is constantly running and i made sure it was adequate for my tank, to decrease the flow (it has a spray-bar type attachment but there still was flow), i put a piece of foam against the opening.

Im just wondering, does the water get stagnant if theres not much flow? or is it okay

Jacquie said:

Hi Folks,

This thread is almost three years old now, and the poster hasn't posted since August 2009...I don't think she's going to respond.



Hi Karena,

You're more likely to receive responses if you start your own thread, rather than resurrect very old ones.

The filter should provide adequate aeration. You can add a couple of airstones if you are very worried about it. Information on gill flapping can be found here: http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...-general-discussion/78950-flapping-gills.html

How warm is "quite warm"? Axolotls are cold water animals, warm water temperatures in excess of 23C can kill them.

Welcome to the forum!

Click to expand...

Thanks jacquie,
its only about 21 degrees. so not too warm just wanted to reduce the temp slightly.
thanks for the tip x