Illness/Sickness: What could do this so fast?

What could make an axie this sick so fast? He gobbled up his worm bits yesterday. Looked fine around noon today but didn't eat. Just a few hours later he looked awful, gills were curled and really pale. Now he looks like this. The pics don't really show how awful he looks. His gills are beyond pale. They don't appear to have any color at all. Also looks like his slime coat is sloughing off. I did put some tea in his water, hoping it might help but I don't think he'll make it through the night.

Derpy has had his own private tank since we noticed his unique body shape and size. One of his back legs didn't grow correctly. He's always been short and stocky. And we think his mouth is also on the small side. He stayed on BBS for quite a while before he was able to eat chopped up frozen blood worms.

As far as water parameters go, he was not in a cycled tank. He had complete water changes at least once a day, depending on his poo. Temps usually stay around 67-68 but have gone no higher than 70. He gets 1/3 of a nightcrawler everyday. Sometimes he eats it all and sometimes there are leftovers.

I have two kids very upset that they are going to lose their beloved Derp-a-lotl and I"m worried this might spread to our other axies since I use the same bucket and whatnot. Any ideas as to what could could make an axie so sick so fast?

I hope this doesn't come off as rude or offensive, words don't agree with me sometimes. So for starters, your little guy looks like a dwarf. Stunted body which is oddly proportioned plus his feet look a little odd to me. I have had several dwarfs, some more sever and some less than him but he certainly looks like one. Anyway what I was working up to is dwarfs can have internal issues that just spring up abruptly without warning. I lost my first dwarf at a little over a year old and he was very similar to your guy in shape and size. Okay I'm babbling, in short it could be something internal that you can't do anything about, but it could have something to do with your worms. Do they come from a safe source? Also was the water dechlorinated etc.

Not rude at all. :happy: I thought he was a dwarf. I understand they can have internal issues, but his symptoms look bacterial in nature.

I get my worms from walmart DMF bait , none of my other axies (4 adults, 20 juvies) have had any problems. I use prime dechlorinator.

The only other thing I can think of that has been different is I had to buy another dechlorinator last week in an emergency. I used Tetra Aquasafe for reptiles and amphibians. That stuff was nasty. Crashed the cycle in two different tanks and drove my juvie axies nuts. I had to wait until the LFS opened the next morning to get the prime. Once I changed out the aqua unsafe water, everyone seemed happy again.

To me it looks like an external factor is affecting it rather than internal. So it could of well be that emergency dechlorinator you used if it crashed cycles and drove them crazy. Stick with fresh cool water with tea. Hope all works out.

A problem to progressing so quickly is usually a water quality issue. The visible red veins point towards that as well - it could have been something to do with the conditioner.

There is no harm in putting an axie in untreated water for a short while - it has been recommended as a treatment for fungus.

I agree with Hayley and Auntie Jude - this looks like a water quality issue and probably does relate to the crashed cycle. If that is the case, the tea bath should help soothe his skin. You could also try Indian almond leaves.
At this stage, what he needs is scrupulously clean, cool water, a stress-free environment and good nutrition so he can recover.

Little guy didn't make it thru the night. Thanks for trying to help.

I honestly don't think it was water quality. He was in his own little tub that got 100% water changes at least once a day. He was never in one of the cycled tanks because of his size. Unless there was some sort of contamination in the tap water. But everyone else seems to be doing fine.

Im really sorry for your loss. It is kind of odd that none of the others are having the same issue if its an outside source. What matters at this point though is to keep an eye on them, and that you loved this little one up to his last moments. Life is harder with dwarfs because they can seem fine one day, and pass away the next without warning :/