Possible Sick Axolotl :(

HI Guys,
I have a little Juvi,
Somehow last night, my cats managed to push off the mesh lid and he has a cut in his lip,

this isnt what I am worried about though, because its not too bad and should heal in a few days.
He all of a sudden has a little white stuff on the one side of his gills (Right Bottom) - he never had it last night when i fed him

Its not fluffy, it just looks like a slight discoloration - sorry for the horrible pictures

Could it be stress?
I was in such a rush this morning that I didnt touch him, which i usually do, so it might have just been sand - but I doubt it.
Please tell me what you think and what I should do?

thank you

Oh, and I'll test the water again tonight - but it was 100% last time i tested it

I don't see any discoloration. I see a possible iridophore - shine a light and if it's reflective it's just a harmless part of his coloration. If it's not fluffy it could be a slime coat problem. Check your parameters & temp. Pop a few Indian almond leaves in the tank to help prevent fungus and soothe any slime problems Also your tank floor looks a little dirty. Is it uneaten food? If so it can cause your water to foul.

Hi Hayley,
thank you

I did a big water change yesterday - and that stuff was obviously under the bottom filter (Which i only moved this morning to check him out), I will do another one later though - the rest of the tank is spotless. What exactly is a iridophore? I've seen it on the forums before but I have never known what it is?

Also, we dont get Indian Almond Leaves here, is there anything else I could try?
I don't think its a slime coat problem because the rest of his little body is completely hundreds, Its just that on his gills

Oh, and its not uneaten food - because i feed by hand. I think it is probably just poo that was under the filter

You can use regular black tea in your tank too, it will yellow your water but it will be removed with water changes

Iridophores are the shiny/goldish pigments that wild types and goldens can get. It's just the name for the marking on their skin. They are completely harmless

Hi Hayley,
thank you. Our black tea here has caffeine in it, but we do have Rooibos tea - i have attached some info below. Would this be more suitable to use?

Also, do i just put the tea bags in the tank or do i make the tea first and then add it?
One more thing - if i make the tea first - do I need to make it with dechlorinated water?

"Rooibos is becoming more popular in Western countries, particularly among health-conscious consumers, due to its high level of antioxidants such as aspalathin[2] and nothofagin, its lack of caffeine, and its low tannin levels compared to fully oxidized black tea or unoxidized green tea leaves.[3] Rooibos also contains a number of phenolic compounds, including flavanols, flavones, flavanones, and dihydrochalcones.[4]
Rooibos is purported to assist with nervous tension, allergies and digestive problems.[5] Rooibos tea has been shown to inhibit in vitro activity of xanthine oxidase, but an in vivo study has not been conducted. Xanthine oxidase (XO) plays a role in conversion of purine to uric acid in humans and reducing the activity of XO could limit uric acid production, which would aid in treatment of gout. In in vitro tests only, for the specific concentration tested, the infusion was shown to be less than half as effective as allopurinol, which is the drug typically prescribed to inhibit XO activity in treating gout.[6]
Two flavonoids found in rooibos, quercetin and luteolin, have been known to have cancer fighting qualities.[7] Rooibos does not contain the antioxidant Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) found in tea.[8]
Traditional medicinal uses of rooibos in South Africa include alleviating infantile colic, allergies, asthma and dermatological problems"

You can use regular black tea, all black tea has caffeine (I think!). I know my tea I use does and it's perfectly fine to use. I wouldn't suggest using that tea only because it says it has low tannins - tannin is the good stuff you want for the axolotl

You can brew a cup of tea, allow it to cool and add to 10L of dechlorinated water and let him bath in it or add the cup to the tank.

If you don't want to use tea you can also use mops I driftwood

I'll use the tea thank you, i'll add it to the tank, im sure my other one will love it too

It might just be the axolotl shedding. You said in another post your water is 23C? In warmer waters axolotls start to shed and the gill stalks are probably a little harder to remove the skin.

You were right Hayley
I noticed this morning that he has turned more of a Golden Colour,
And i put my flash on, and you can see the little specks that I thought were white are actually gold reflecting

I have attached two very horrible pictures

OH and they loved the tea bath, even though my tank now looks terrible hahaha - i'll just do a water change tonight