RIP Little Buddy

I'm new to keeping axolotls and Ok this might be a little morbid, but I lost my axolotl (he was the first one I had) last night after a short battle with gill problems ( I live in Western Australia, its sooo hard to stop the water temp rising) :*(
So I thought Id create this thread for you all to share your memories of your little friends swimming in the sky.

His name was Spike, a golden albino axy, he was the first one I got and I did the best I could to nurture him, I dont know what conditions the pet shop kept him in
I take heart knowing he's not suffering any more and that he's loving the cool waters of that big lake in the sky.

Rest in Peace Spike, I'm gonna miss you little buddy.... :***(

im sorry for your loss. RIP spike.
I had an axie and his name was Larry, he was a handsome man. One day he decided he didnt want to eat after trying every bit of advice i received from here he passed away. I was shattered.
Now I have 2 beautiful axies and I love them with all my heart.

You never know you might enter the world of axies again
lea

Sorry to hear bout Larry, Lea


Thanks Lea, I want to get into them but my resources here are limited and I dont want them to suffer. I put Spike's death down to heat as my pH was good (neutralish) and thats all the diagnostic equipment I have out here... as it was hard to keep a low temp and as of Sunday he was eating and looked ok... His gills were slightly diminshed but he was his normal self. Then I went to feed him last nite and he wouldnt take anything. I then noticed black stufff on top of his gills which wasnt there sunday or monday. I tried to get him to eat pellets, meat cubes, whitebait even ham out of the fridge. I cleaned the filter, changed the water and even turned my r/c air con down to 16 degrees with the lid of his tank open, but it was too late Got any pointers to help keep them healthy, I had him in a 20L tank with a biological filter, changed 20 - 25% of the water bout every week, there was once when it was 2 weeks...

Thanks for your reply.

It sounds like spike might have had a bit of fungus and that could have been caused from high water temp.
It is really hard to keep the water temp down, our summers are very hot. I battled though last summer using frozen 3lt milk bottles and running a long hose through a tucker box freezer.
You know the bigger the tank the easier it is to mantain good water quaility and temp. Maybe save up and get a bigger tank and then think about searching the weekend shopper, ebay and trading post for a 2nd hand chiller. I would also get a water testing kit that tests for ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite.
Earthworms are the best food for axie. Mine wont eat them so I fed mine bloodworms and pellets.

Have a look around this site there is loads of info and if you cant find what your looking for there are plenty of helpful people around to answer your questions.
when the time is right you will know.
lea

I am sorry to hear about your loss.

You asked for pointers as to what went wrong / what to do better next time:

Spikester said:

I had him in a 20L tank with a biological filter, changed 20 - 25% of the water bout every week, there was once when it was 2 weeks...

Click to expand...

A 20L tank is much too small for keeping an Axolotl, and even more so when you have trouble with high temperatures - controlling the temperature in such a tiny aquarium is next to impossible, unless you have a stable and appropriate ambient temperature or an automated cooling system.
The temperature will fluctuate very quickly in such a small amount of water if you use ice bottles or the like.

So to sum it up:
Get a larger tank if you wish to continue keeping these wonderful creatures.
You have an aircon, perhaps you can use it to keep the temperature within acceptable ranges?

Good luck with it! :happy:

Regards Bjorn

Thanks Guys, What size do you recommend? I think I might wait till summer is over... Then start again. Thanks for the tips guys, I think Im starting to understand where I might have gone wrong with little Spike.

You should have about a 75L (20 gallon) tank to truly keep an Axolotl in good shape. If you plan to get another Axolotl make sure you are better prepared to handle the high temps (possibly a chiller). No sense putting yourself through the whole agony of loss again if you don't have a way to manage the heat.

Sorry for your loss.

Thanks Guys,

I pestered my wife since before we were married and she bought me the setup as a surprise. Awesome of her, unfortunately I was a little under prepared... Thanks Eric, your right I dont want to feel like a felt when I lost Spike again... So hopefully now with a larger tank and a bit more knowledge I can start again...

Can anyone explain the concept of fridging the axy? As everything with Spike happened so quickly it was too late, but if I can save the life of another one.... Thanks again guys, I love these little dudes and want to keep them, just sad I lost my first already

Fridging is fairly straight forward:

http://www.caudata.org/axolotl-sanctuary/Fridging.shtml