Axolotls gills are gone!!!

Hello all, I just bought an Axolotl last weekend and within the last two days his gills have dissolved and he is not eating and is swimming to the top for air and swimming back down. What is going on? Water tested ok.

Are you sure it is an axie?

Can you please post a photo of him and the tank set-up. That will help us greatly in determining what is going on.

I do not have a camera. I can try to get one. I have read a lot on how to tell if he is an axie and I believe he is.

An axoltol swimming up for air is a definite sign of poor water quality. How are you testing your water - what sort of test are you using and how often do you test it?

Do you have a camera on your cell phone?

-Eva

I'm probably wrong in guessing this, but has he/she grown eye lids?

When an axolotl morphs, it grows eyelids and lose's its gills. I have no idea how fast this occurs or if its what is happening to your axolotl.

Maybe an expert could explain lol, Its meant to be very rare.

see : http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...olotl-free-all/51411-metamorphed-axolotl.html

I think a photo of the axie and the water parameters would be extremely helpful in trying to determine what is actually going on. Without those two tings, we are just taking stabs in the dark.

I agree. There have been many instances out here where members thought they had an axolotl morphing but actually ended up with a tiger salamander. When in larval form, they can look very similar.

Get a pic as soon as you can - even if it is from a camera phone. If it is a tiger or actually a morphing axolotl, it could end up drowning.

How do I post pictures?

This thread should help you and explain far better than I ever could: PHOTOS

Here is the only picture I have, my husband took this with his phone when we were at the pet store. He has since broken his phone so I cannot take more and my phone is old and does not take pics. We have smaller gravel in our tank because from what I read that is better. Hope the picture helps. As far as the water parameters that someone asked about...We have a test kit (not the strips) but we are out so we took a water sample to the pet store and they tested it with their kit and told me that everything was up to par for him. I will be purchasing a kit this week.

How small is the gravel?
Have you done any water changes? If your tank is uncycled ammonia can build up quickly, you need to be doing 20% changes daily.

Mel

The tank it already cycled but we have also been doing a wc every other day. As far as the gravel it is small but not really small I dont know how to describe it. The gills look like they might be growing back.

Hi Rachael,

the pic, that does look like an axolotl, not a tiger salamander. So just to put your mind at ease, no morphing should be happening. A spontaneous morphing of an axolotl is extremely rare so if you see his gills deteriorating again, it's a serious sign of something wrong going on - check your water levels immediately.

If his gills are coming back, that's good. Is he calming down now? Some of mine will go up for air gulps every so often - about once every 2-3 hours sometimes. Watch his gills, they will point forward in times of stress - the tips will face forward and his tail can curl right at the tip. If you see this at any time, it's a good indicator something's not right.

Gravel really should not be larger than 1mm to be safe. Most aquarium gravel is larger than this. Sand is safer and you can use children's playsand like you can get from HomeDepot, Lowe's, or even some Wal-Marts. If you want a different type of sand, Tahitian Moon Sand is used often and can be found at some pet shops or online. If you get playsand, it's a good idea to sift it for gravel first. Then rinse, rinse, rinse some more until you see the water run clear.

Once you have your kit, it will be easier. If you get your water tested at the pet shop again, make sure they tell you exact readings - telling you readings are within the norm or okay can vary from person to person and doesn't mean they're okay for axolotls.

He seems to be better now, he is eating again and is chasing some fish fry I threw in there for him. The gills are't completely gone so I will keep an eye on him and see what happens.

What are the water Parameters?

Rachael0805 said:

Here is the only picture I have, my husband took this with his phone when we were at the pet store. He has since broken his phone so I cannot take more and my phone is old and does not take pics. We have smaller gravel in our tank because from what I read that is better. Hope the picture helps. As far as the water parameters that someone asked about...We have a test kit (not the strips) but we are out so we took a water sample to the pet store and they tested it with their kit and told me that everything was up to par for him. I will be purchasing a kit this week.

Click to expand...

As I said in this post I do not have a test kit. I am out of some of the supplies. I will be getting a new one on Friday. Water has been tested though and it is fine. I do not remember the exact numbers off the top of my head but he is perfectly fine now.