Newbie Axolotl Owner From UK

HI name's Emma im from Lodon in the UK

Got a couple questions i need answering..kinda new to this axolotl business..bought 1 because i wanted 1 for a while now. had her for about 2 months..she's in a 30x15x12 tank with plastic plants, sand and hides..i do have a filter also which is turn't right down as i know they do not like alot of current.

when i first bought her she was jet black, now she's going grey/white on her back..almost the same colour as her belly. she also has loose skin around her back..is this shreading? is this normal? or have i done something wrong?

think the tank is still cycling because its still a little cloudy when you look at it from the side, but when you look straight on its fine. i am changing about 30% / 40% of the tank everyday / every other day using a gravel va. i then add fresh tap water and a little tap safe.

she eats frozen blood worms and live worms from wormsdirect.com and any waste i get rid of using a turkey baster.

I'm new too Emma. Welcome! I hope some of the others can help you with your questions.

I am new too. And I lost Albino baby axolotl today. She was fine last night but this morning she was gone. Gutted. Her brother Spike who I also have is fine and thriving. They are both 12 weeks old.

I would strongly recommend you get an API test kit (under £20 on ebay). You may already have a dangerous concentration of ammonia in your tank.

If you are cycling your tank you need to have an ammonia reading about 4ppm so that you can feed and grow enough beneficial bacteria to form a waste processing plant in the filter media. This will take about six weeks. Water changes will starve your bacteria and slow the process down, so are best not done until you have your cycle completed.

Your lotl needs to have zero ammonia. I would recommend that you put it in a separate tank and do very large daily water changes (up to 90% depending on how big the temporary tank is). You only need to have a shelter and maybe some Java moss in this, so you can keep the water really clean. ( I kept mine like this until they were six inches long with no problems)

If you try to cycle the tank with the lotl in it you have to compromise and have enough ammonia for the bacteria but not so much that your lotl suffers. A tricky balance, and one of the reasons that new lotl owners have poorly lotls after a few weeks.

Best of all, if you have access to a cycled tank, eg a friend with an established fish tank, you could ask for half their filter sponge (give them a new sponge) and put that into your filter for an instant cycle. Then your lotl could stay in the tank safely. Just remember that the sponge contains live organisms and should be transported in a bag with a little tank water, and put straight into your tank. Do not let the sponge dry out and do not wet it with chlorinated water as this will kill the bacteria.

Hope this is helpful.

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My tank was cycled for a month and included media from the breeders. I keep tropical fish too, and checked my water parameters every day. My axolotl was slowly introduced to my tank water, same as my other, after feeding and clearing up their mess and left over food. There're was not else I could do.

Ph was7 and ammonia 0.

Sounds like you're on top of the cycling. (Nitrite reading ok too?). From past reading of this site, changes in skin would concern me too. Are they cool enough? Mine are currently at 60 degrees and thriving. Perhaps someone who has experienced this may chip in?

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