Illness/Sickness: My axolotl is slowly losing his gills!

Hello everyone, I'm a new axolotl owner and my little friend is losing his gills so I thought I'd ask the experts here for help.

I got henry about two months ago from a friend on Facebook. He seemed fine up until about two weeks ago when he started to lose the gill feathers on the right side of his head. Now the other side of his head has been affected... He's lost all the gill feathers on the right except the bottom set. And he's completely lost the actual gill post that holds the feathers on that side. On his left side he's lost lots of feathers and it looks like he's about to completely lose the end of his top set of gills.

I had his water tested at the first signs of trouble and he's nitrites were 60, ammonia was .25. Im getting it tested again this week when some of the ice outside clears up. His temp is 21c, and he's got a new filter pad. He eats regularly (ibfeed him an earthworm a day) and he poops and swims around like normal (although he's seemed slightly more timid)

I've been doing daily water changes.

Please help me I don't want to lose my friend henry.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ulphovoh9pe9j44/VVkO9cRrdF
Here are pictures, some before some after

Invest in your own test kit. I swear this is the single most valuable investment you will ever make for your axoltol. The API master test kit for freshwater is very very good.

Axolotl's are a lot harder to care for than people initially think. Daily water changes are necessary for an uncycled aquarium. You will need to test your tap water's quality to really know the situation. I was once using a water source that would add .25ppm ammonia each water change. Not fun.

21C is a bit high. Probes used to measure temperature can be off as much as 5 degree and most are not calibrated and have large offsets. You could be keeping your axolotl at a temperature higher than you suspect.

Look into lowering the temperature and replacing the water with a source that contains no ammonia or nitrites. If this means purchasing a water source labeled as spring water, then this might be a better solution for now.

I hope you find what is causing your problem because you have a very cute axolotl.

Best of luck.

How should I measure his water temperature then? What would be the best permanent solution to lowering his temperature?

Also do you mean add spring water until his tank is cycled? Or permanently. That seems like it willbe awful expensive!

Thanks, I know he is adorable

21 c is pushing the boundaries of temperature tolerance. 18 c is generally recommended. Is it just so warm because the tank's in a well-heated house, or…?

I have two simple glass thermometers of different brands in my tropical tank, on the thinking that if they agree with each other, they can't be too far off.

The loss of his gill fimbriae/filaments could be due to a combination of heat stress and being burned off by the build-up of ammonia and nitrites. You're doing the right thing by doing regular water changes (what percentage are you changing), although as Elise said, you should get your tap water tested too. Perhaps take a bottle along (clearly labeled to distinguish it from your tank water!) when you get the tank water tested.

If you know the name of your water supplier, they might have the chemical break-down of their water online (to show how much fluorine/chlorine is added.) So you could check that too.

Also, does the place you get it tested use strip tests, or liquid tests? The latter is more reliable than the former.

Investing in your own freshwater liquid test kit really is a good idea. They're not too expensive to buy online, and they have many, many tests in them.

I hope your Henry feels better soon.

Yes its winter and very cold. we have a small home it is well heated.

The tests were liquid tests up at the pet store. It was a fish store specifically.

Its very difficult for me to judge the volume of water I'm changing becwuse I only have a small gallon jug ATM. I use it to gauge how much water to add and subtract. Hes got a ten gallon tank that is only about one third full. I've been changing roughly two gallons worth of water.

Will he morph if he continues down this path? Can he still breath?! What are the first signs of morphing?

With nitrites reading at 60 I'd say that's most likely your problem and not morphing.

If you don't know about cycling here's a good guide. Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling

You need your water to be 0 ammonia, 0 nitrate and below 40 nitrates. During cycling if the axolotl is still in the tank you need to ammonia and nitrate to read as low as possible so the water isn't too toxic.
At this point I'd be doing a few large water changes or removing the axolotl into a tub of clean water with 100% daily water changes whilst he is in the tub.

As said above, having your own test kit is very useful. They're very cheap online from amazon.

Do you use dechlorinator in your water? Also, an aquarium fan can help reduce the heat in the tank by a few degrees.

He is very unlikely to morph - axies don't morph except when exposed to a specific set of checmicals or hormones or they are genetically disposed to it. He can breathe fine.

Why is your tank only one third full? No wonder you are getting a build up of waste products, there is not enogh water to dilute them. This will also contribute to heat - a small quantity of water heats up quicker than a full tank. Fill your tank up, there's no reason to have it less than full. And get it cycled ASAP.

You would do well to invest in a large water container - I have a large builders bucket (30L) designed for mixing plaster, I think it cost about £5. It makes water changes much easier.

Water tests are water tests - fish or axie it's the same thing.

Yes, spring water is a very silly idea as it would be way too expensive. Check your tap water - it should be fine. Most tank thermometers won't be that far out - what are you using? You can buy relatively cheap room thermometers, that should do fine. Turning the thermostat down in your house would lower the tank temperature if you can cope with it, alternatively move your tank to a cooler room.

When you go out to the fish store to have your water tested, see if you can get to a hardware store and pick up a couple of buckets. Or you can get those online, too. (I had to order my lidded buckets online.) And yes, having a full tank will help dilute waste, stop it from building to toxic levels as quickly, and be a temperature buffer.

You can get Aquarium thermometers ("floating" ones with suction cups to attach them to the tank side) on Amazon for ~5 USD. Are there any rooms in your house which aren't heated as much? Could you move the tank to the floor? (Warm air rises.)

You don't need to worry about his breathing; axolotls develop rudimentary lungs so they *can* take gulps of air from the surface. But it's also worth keeping in mind that oxygen dissolves more readily into cold water, so aside from heat stress, he'd not need to use those lungs as much is his water was cooler.

What you could do, is move Henry to tupperware and keep him somewhere cooler, changing his tupperware water every day, and tip his waste water into the tank to feed the cycle.

Incidentally, I hope your tank has a lid. Axolotls have been known to jump (and unfavourable water conditions can make them agitated and this behaviour more likely as they try to escape said conditions!)