Axolotl sick?

Possible fungus on two axolotls

Hello everyone!

I just got my 2 axolotl this friday.

I've noticed that both have "lumps" on their skin, almost like zits but they have exactly the same colour of their skin. Its hard for me to explain what it looks like but its even harder to take pictures of it because its really small. Both Axolotl have them, one more then the other.
The one with most of the lumps wont eat, but the other one eats alot. I feed them a mixture of dried small shrimps, snails and anchovys. Could it be some kind of fungus? I keep the water at between 17-19*c. but they was in the aquarium store for some hours at 24*C togheter with some salamanders and a albino frog. Could it be that one of them wont eat because its sick or maybe it just dont want my food?

I was also wondering when i can see what gender they are.They are leucestiske and both are a little black on their feet.I cant see if their cloacal region is swollen or not, but maybe i have to wait a little more before i can determine their sex?

Can you post some pictures? That will be important in both sexing and determining what the lumps may be and hoe to take care of it.
Is the tank new or cycled. Do you have a test kit so that you can give us the parameters? How long are they? :happy:

Re: Possible fungus on two axolotls

Without pics, I'd say that the little lumps may simply be characteristic for them. Axies' skin is not perfectly smooth typically and appears wrinkly and a bit bumpy. How do their gills look? Are they fluffy and long?

What do you have in the bottom of their tank and how big is the tank? Mac's points are important as well.

The staple of their diets should be earthworms or nightcrawlers. Snails are okay as long as you have removed the shells. Dried shrimp and anchovies really are not suitable.

How big are they? Sometimes the darkened toes are not a sure way to tell maturity.

Im using a box as temperarily aquarium. I used some the water i got when i bought them, and i added some tap water. I change alot of water in the "aquarium" every day because I dont have a filter or plants yet. Im only using a airpump to help them a little. I dont have any test kit, but the water is almost totally fresh everyday, but it smells like **** after every day. It helps after i changed som water and syphoned up the debris on the bottom. Going to try taking pictures when i get home.

They are about 10-15cm.
I have som large stones in the bottom, that they cant swallow.

I bought the food at a pet store. Its for turtles and salamanders, but if you say that i shouldnt feed them that i better change. Can i use turtle pellets, and feed them live food occasionally?

Their gills looks fluffy and long, but they are looking a little pale. Could it be because of the water temperature?

If they are at rest, they tend to pale. Mine are brightest after eating and moving around a bit.

Are you using any dechlorinator (water treatment)? Axolotls are very susceptible to ammonia and chlorine. Both could be present in your tap water. The test kits will help with the ammonia and unless you have a private well, you most likely have either chlorine/chloramines in your water.

Nightcrawlers should be fed in the live state - what do you have in mind for live treats?

10-15cm is still a little too small to accurately determine sex. They sound really cute though!

I was planning on using earthworms, or maybe guppies etc. I think ensifera wouldnt be such a good option? Thoose are the only live food i can get hold of around here.

No im not using any treatment for chlorine or ammonia. Do i need a Nh test kit to test for ammonia and chlorine? if so im gonna buy one at way home from work.

Also, you didnt answer if turtle pellets works for feeding if i use it togheter with live treats.

I gues thats why mine looks pale. They sleep almost all day

They sure are cute!

if you're doing 100% water changes each day ammonia isn't going to be a massive issue, but you're only replacing some and you aren't removing the chlorine, that could be pretty harsh on the little fellas.

Get yourself an API test kit and test ph, Ammonia, Nitrate and Nitrites and post results here.

Also let us know what temperature the water is at.

These are far more important than aeration and filters in a temporary aquarium with frequent water changes.

Know that live food such as guppies should be quarantined before feeding them to your little guys. Normally this should be for at least 30 days.

I would definitely use a dechlorinator like Aquasafe or Prime. You should have test kits for pH, Ammonia, nitrites/nitrates - all these can be bought together in a Master Freshwater kit. Ammonia and pH would be best for now if you want to save a little money.

Oh sorry! Are they the floating type? I tend to stay away from floating foods as this can potentially cause them to swallow air in addition to the food as they are little vacuums! Some do use Reptomin turtle pellets for theirs, but I prefer to use sinking salmon pellets for mine - made by Rangen. It is my understanding that Zoo Med has a form of these as well. With pellets, make sure to remove leftovers immediately to prevent clouding the water. Typical rule is whatever they will consume in 20 min. or less.

I also use frozen bloodworms - a little messy but my guys love them! If you have an empty jar, you can submerge it and "inject" the thawed worms into the jar with a turkey baster. Doesn't take them long to figure out where the food is and the jar makes for easier clean up.

Are you planning a cycling a tank for them?

Im planning on building one. On the concept of open bottom fish tank (look them up at youtube).

My pH is at about 7-7,5 and the ammonia level is at 0,01ppm.

Here are the pictures.
Voltrata:
Ohmr:

They are both at 15cm. And if you cant see the warts im talking about they are behind voltratas gills and at ohmr backleg. Got a hunch of what sex they are?

Bought some plants and a special filter that use a air pump to filter the water too. So i hope they are pleased Im also trying to catch some earthworms and try feed them

By the way. The little glass bowl was just for taking pictures of them.

@Daz: I said at the first post that i keep the water at 17-19*C

Finally i got Voltrata to eat Seems like she only wants to eat food thats moving and not from my hand. Ohmr is really enjoying hunting, "he" eats everything i give him

Well, unfortunately, I can't get your pics to show up. If you are using Facebook or something like that, make sure your settings are set to public and not private. I'd love to see them - you can also create an album on your profile page.

Glad to hear they are eating!!!! At 15 cm, they are really still too young to accurately say what sex they are. Glad to hear you got a filter - what kind is it? I ask because axolotls don't like fast moving water and internal filters can raise the tank temp. Keep the temp monitored and if you have more questions or concerns, don't hesitate to ask.

Look forward to seeing your finished project! Take care. Keep up the good work, sounds like you are trying to get them set up properly.

I used imageshack. Worked for me when i just right clicked and opened in a new tab. Anyway i created two albums at my profile. go check them out!

The filter was something like boyu super filter biochemical (Aqua Legend AquaGear Bio Aquarium Sponge Filter Large - The Aquarium Shop Australia) A picture of it. Great thing is that it dosent produce heat or flow in the water because the filter is just connected to a hose to a air pump.

I cant wait either to get my aquarium to gether too! Getting all the pieces togheter tomorrow. So i hope they can move in at friday or something. Maybe i should make a worklogg?

Well... I can't tell from the photos. It looks like it could be an injury... or possibly a fungus. Maybe someone smarter than I (Shannon!) can get a look and tell you.
How big is the box you are using? Are you planning on building the open bottom bit on top of the box? Axolotls don't care too much about vertical space. The bottom less tank set ups seem to emphasize height over length and width. If you have an adequate horizontal area then the added height isn't needed. I doubt an Axolotl would even go up there.
The sponge filter you got will help. but it depends on the size of the tank as to how much it will help.
Definitely get a water treatment like Prime that removes Chlorine and Chloromine. If the water smells then it's dirty.
Is the tank you are assembling a kit or ? :happy:

Yeah, I think I read somewhere that sometimes this site doesn't like pics from other sites like that but I did check out your albums - they are cute!!!

I saw those bumps you were initially concerned about too. I'd just keep those under observation, could be part of a shed and may go away naturally or maybe a cyst. Unless it gets larger (fuzzy looking as Mac mentioned fungus), I wouldn't be too concerned as long as it doesn't cause them any problems. They need some plump worms to get their weights up but otherwise they look good. Is Ohmr missing a foot? It looked like it in the pic.

Nice and simple filter, very cool! That along with a bunch of real plants should do well for you. Mac and I love lots of filtration but people do make your type of proposed set up work and work well. Get your test kits ready, get that tank built - let's get some cycling happening, man! Mac brought up a good point about the floor space - that is much more important than height. Your floor space should be at least 90+cm long for the two. Watch the residue from the silicone when you assemble your tank though, sometimes it can affect your water chemistry a bit at first so Friday, may be a bit premature for moving but looking forward to seeing everything. A work/picture log would be great! We love pics out here! Take care -

I am not sure what the lumps are, but there is a possibility that it could be a parasite. The conditions they came from do send a few alarm bells. I think keeping a very close eye on these would be wise and if anything changes let us know.

Mac Myers said:

How big is the box you are using? Are you planning on building the open bottom bit on top of the box? Axolotls don't care too much about vertical space. The bottom less tank set ups seem to emphasize height over length and width. If you have an adequate horizontal area then the added height isn't needed. I doubt an Axolotl would even go up there.
The sponge filter you got will help. but it depends on the size of the tank as to how much it will help.

Is the tank you are assembling a kit or ? :happy:

Click to expand...

The Aquarium im building from scratch is 60,4cmx50cm. I know the axolotls wont bother climbing the tower but still it look awesome the tank im using now is just a large plastic container about 60-70cm long and about 30cm wide. I know the size isnt so big, but i cant fit a bigger tank, so im just going to try make it as good as i can for them :happy: If it gets to small for them ill just have to consider making some space and buy a larger tank, or give away/sell one of them i feel kinda bad putting them in there when you said 90cm+ :/ I should reconsider it, though i allready ordered the glass What a dilemma xD

I hope the lumps isnt bad, i really care for thoose small fellows

I found some large worms today, but they are really hard to find when the soil is so dry. I tried watering som soil and putting a plastic bag over it, i hope it will attract some worms.

About Ohmrs leg. He isnt missing one, though it looks like he is growing one or two new.

How is it feeding them maggots or mealworms? i consider them alot easier to get then digging for worms

Also what do you mean by a cycling tank? xD

PS: i have forgotten all about thanking all of you for your opinions and tips! this is one serious forum with alot of experienced user

I would be leary of maggots for fear of disease and mealworms are very difficult for axolotls to digest and should only be used as an occasional treat. Earthworms will be best overall for your guys. If unsuccessful at home, maybe you can find them at a local baitshop or online. You can find a kit online to start your own wormery if you want - it's pretty easy and more economical or just buy them in bulk online.

Cycling info is available here - CYCLING. Your tank has to go through a nitrogen cycle where bad bacteria becomes good bacteria and creates a stable environment for your new little friends. If after reading, you still have questions, just ask or do a search under the tanks sub-section - we've all been through this process and some of us have been more successful than others but there are lots of great pointers throughout.

I hope that those little bumps are harmless but as mentioned, keep them under a watchful eye.