Illness/Sickness: Red spots, ragged slime coat, curled tails

I'm on the brink of a panic right now guys. I've been raising around 80 babies, and for the most part it's been smooth sailing. I've been feeding them frozen blood worms and doing daily water changes, their water has been between 65-67 degrees fairly consistently, and I haven't had any mass die-offs or anything like that. My babies have largely been very healthy, aside from one or two who were born with deformities. A while a go I separated the babies in different containers by size, with 16 individuals per container.

Yesterday, I did a water change and gave them some blood worms before leaving the house for the night to visit my parents.

When I arrived home just now, I went to check on everyone. I currently have 5 containers of babies. Everyone looked good until I got to my container of my littlest guys. The first thing I noticed was that there were leftover worms, so they didn't finish eating. That's normally very unusual, as the babies are pretty good at eating pretty much all of their food. The next thing I noticed was that one of my goldies was covered in red spots, as if it had been scraped and had bled a bit. I noticed it on others as well, and even found 3 babies that have their tails curled. Out of the 16 individuals in that container, only 4 don't show signs of red spots or a ragged slime coat.

I have no idea how or why this is happening. The only thing that I could even think of, was before I tended to them yesterday I had mopped my living room floor (a room away from the axolotl room) with a pinesol solution, but I had made sure that my hands were thoroughly cleaned before I dealt with the babies, and I hadn't gone anywhere near the axolotl's room with the mop, and I certainly hadn't sprayed anything into the air.

The only other thing I could think might have happened is that maybe my cat might have done it somehow. These marks look like injuries, not fungus, (to me, anyway) so I wonder if my cat may have accidentally jumped into a container, or worse if he had pawed at them or something. I'm really not sure, but I'm just hoping it's not some strange and random disease.

Only the babies in this one container are affected; everyone else seems to be doing great. I've now moved the injured babies to their own containers, isolating the most severe cases, and keeping the less severe cases in a tub together. The babies with the curled tails are kept together, but I know a curled tail is a sign of deep stress, so I don't know how much hope I should have for those little guys

Attached are pictures. Any help or advice would be hugely appreciated. I feel bad for these guys, because they're already the smallest runts as it is, and I really don't want them to die

Pictures.


Edit: One thing I forgot to mention is that I've been keeping small stalks of elodea in the containers. The babies have seemed to enjoy perching on it or hiding under it, but I don't know if it might have anything to do with this. I kept the elodea in a separate container for about a month before I added it to the baby tubs.
http://imgur.com/a/HzzkV

I'm of the opinion that it's a water issue - quality or contamination.

Is there a possibility you got something in there accidentally?

If you've moved them to clean fresh water you've done all you can for now. But unfortunately the hooked tails are not a good sign - I think you're going to lose some o them - sorry

Since they didn't finish their food, is there a possibility they were nipping each other?

Nipping usually results in missing gills & tails, cat attack would result in linear scratches or missing axies. The pattern of damage here suggests an environmental issue rather tha injury.

I have never raised babies but it looks like my axolotl girl after being in the mail and getting her tail torn, Unfortunately there is not much you can do. I highly doubt you could have contaminated one bin and not the others.

Do you have stresscoat?

Also it does not look like your cat did this ... It looks like they brushed against a rock though I know thats not possible.

I have had elodea and marimo moss balls in with my babies and haven't had any issues. In fact they love the cover it provides.When my landlord changed a hot water tank in my apartment complex I lost most of my clutch. Water was aged dechlorinated and all that. Just one of those freak things that can happen I guess. But my point is that I agree with Auntie Jude and it is most likely something in the water. Best of Luck:yin-yang:

Looks like septicemia/ bacterial infection.

Axolotls - Health & Diseases

Update?

Sadly I've lost a few of them. The smallest ones didn't make it. I euthanized the ones with curled tails because it seemed as though they were starting to grow fungus and they wouldn't eat.

After the initial 4 that didn't make it, there have been a few who have passed in the days after. The remaining survivors have stabilized, though, and the injured ones (in the pictures with the blood spots) have completely healed.

After I isolated them and gave them fresh water, their spots began to heal and there's now no sign of anything having ever been wrong with them.

Thank goodness! Oh, Embry, you must have been so worried. I have to admit, I thought the same as Julia (Septicaemia) because of the blood spots. But I'm so glad you've saved a few!

Worries about stuff in the area can really plague you. I live with my parents and my Mum is an avid fan of spray air fresheners. I woke up after a nap one afternoon and found the air suspiciously vanilla-scented. When I realised she'd sprayed the hall outside my room, I quickly shut my tank lid (I leave it open during the day so I can blow a fan across its surface), and I was a bit worried the aerosol had already got into the water. But my axxies seem fine.

I hope your survivors enjoy good health from now on.