HELP!my axololt died :( why??

Hey,

i woke up this morning to find that sir gillington was dead and i have no idea why!!! i thought he was looking a bit sick, but he was eating everyday.

i got him about 2 months ago. he seemed a little aggitated from the start. i only put the filter on every now and again because he didnt like the water flow. i did a water change last week and after that he seemed to have a little trouble balancing, was always at the top of the tank, and seemed like he was trying to get out of the water. i bought him a new underwater filter yesterday and he loved it. he sat in its stream and looked very happy. HE WAS EATING EVERYDAY. then i woke up this morning to find him dead

does anyone have any ideas as to why/how he died???

I don't know why but my condolences

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear this.

Could you possibly post a picture of his setup?
Do you happen to have water parameters/temperature?

Sorry for your lose, it's hard losing any pet. x

I'm so sorry for your loss. :sad:

sirdel said:

i got him about 2 months ago. he seemed a little aggitated from the start. i only put the filter on every now and again because he didnt like the water flow. i did a water change last week and after that he seemed to have a little trouble balancing, was always at the top of the tank, and seemed like he was trying to get out of the water. i bought him a new underwater filter yesterday and he loved it. he sat in its stream and looked very happy. HE WAS EATING EVERYDAY. then i woke up this morning to find him dead

does anyone have any ideas as to why/how he died???

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I suspect that the water chemistry had been fluctuating due to the filter being turned on and off. Every time you turned the filter off, necessary beneficial bacteria that live in the filter were being starved of oxygen necessary to their survival (filter provides this oxygen when it is running), and the bacteria were killed off as a result.

Without sufficient bacteria to help break it down, the ammonia (wastes) probably spiked to highly toxic levels, which can kill an axolotl very quickly if left unchecked. I think this may have been the case as the axolotl was trying to get out of the water - a strong indication that something was likely very wrong with the water quality.

For further information on the importance of water quality, and all other care needs for axolotls, and other aquatic caudates, please take some time to look through the articles linked in my signature bar.

Again, I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope this awful experience doesn't put you off owning another axolotl.

I would agree it sounds like water chemistry.

have you had an aquarium before? Are you aware of the "nitrogen cycle"? If you are, great, if you are not then use the search function (top menu) here or google and there is a lot of info out there.

Study up on that before trying again.

I also agree that having the filter on and off probably meant the cycle had trouble establishing.

Do try again, but do a bit more research before you do.

bren