ezinyk
New member
My name is Evan and I started caring for two axolomeh back in May 2014 and have been using caudate.org as a resource since then but only just decided to join the community. I don't know what has kept me away so long. haha. I had always wanted Axolotl for years now but only recently broke down and actually got them. Smart decision I think.
When I first started out I had a 20 gal tank with black sand, live plants, and a tunnel/tree hide. I started with two 3 week old axolomeh I bought from Big Al's Aquarium Supercentre in Edmonton. My melanoid axolotl I named Salazar and he had quite the personality. Would always swim to the tank glass and watch me or follow me around the room. My other axolotl was leucistic and named Fiery, who was almost the complete opposite of Salazar and would hide all the time. Overtime she became more social. Both of them would curl up together in the food bowl of snuggle in their hide. I even got a smile out of Fiery! haha.
Salazar came down with some fungus on his gill stalks about 2 months after I had them. I fridged him and did mild salt baths. It cleared up in about a week and then I reintroduced him back to tank life in a weeks process. I was shocked though at how in only 2 weeks Fiery had grown significantly bigger than Salazar had.
I think the fungus came with the plants I had recently bought from PETsMART because I also got snails and some sand worms as well. That is the point where my tank went through some hell the next couple of months. I got rid of the snails finally but what I originally thought were planaria were actually some sort of detritus worm that were massively taking over the sand and glass. I ramped up cleaning but it seemed like a never ending battle. So I decided to change my tank completely and start over. I removed the sand and got black slate for the bottom of the tank, fake plants, and some large rocks (as I had done my research and didn't want compaction). Since I was starting from a non-cycled tank this time I followed the directions I learnt from this site, which did state that this wasn't a good idea cuz it causes stress, and I changed the water daily and kept track of the ammonia. However, one day I came home from work and the tank was very very cloudy and Salazar had peeling skin and Fiery was red and their gills had been singed. They got ammonia burn. I immediately fridged both of them and ran to the store to get tank colonizer and a better water test kit.
I decided to keep my pets in the fridge until they got better. It has been 3 weeks now since that happened and Fiery is no longer red and her gills are beginning to regrow. Salazar unfortunately did not make it. He looked as if he was recovering after a week but then one day when I went to change his water 3 of his legs had curled under his body, his eyes were hazy, and he barely moved his 4th leg or his tail. The pet that use to follow me around the tank and smile at me was on death's door and I felt terrible. I stayed with him for a while and then put him back in the fridge. The next morning when I went to check on him he was dead. My family wanted me to keep him for a few days more to make sure because they didn't want to part with him yet either but he was gone. After a small funeral and burial next to the dog I began my search for another tank mate for Fiery.
As of today: The tank is still empty but the water is testing in the correct levels for ammonia, nitrite, nitrates, alkalinity, and pH. Fiery is still recovering in the fridge but I think by next week she can be moved back into the tank. Lastly, I am still looking for another axolotl. It's hard finding one that is 5-6 inches long that can be shipped in/to Canada. I don't want one any smaller because I fear cannibalistic behaviour from either of them. The search continues.
Anyways, that was a lot longer and more detailed than I expected it to be. Now you know about my tank from the last 5 months and a little about me. I'll post some photos that I have taken of my pets. I am open to any suggestions or criticism, anything helps. Hi again! :happy:
When I first started out I had a 20 gal tank with black sand, live plants, and a tunnel/tree hide. I started with two 3 week old axolomeh I bought from Big Al's Aquarium Supercentre in Edmonton. My melanoid axolotl I named Salazar and he had quite the personality. Would always swim to the tank glass and watch me or follow me around the room. My other axolotl was leucistic and named Fiery, who was almost the complete opposite of Salazar and would hide all the time. Overtime she became more social. Both of them would curl up together in the food bowl of snuggle in their hide. I even got a smile out of Fiery! haha.
Salazar came down with some fungus on his gill stalks about 2 months after I had them. I fridged him and did mild salt baths. It cleared up in about a week and then I reintroduced him back to tank life in a weeks process. I was shocked though at how in only 2 weeks Fiery had grown significantly bigger than Salazar had.
I think the fungus came with the plants I had recently bought from PETsMART because I also got snails and some sand worms as well. That is the point where my tank went through some hell the next couple of months. I got rid of the snails finally but what I originally thought were planaria were actually some sort of detritus worm that were massively taking over the sand and glass. I ramped up cleaning but it seemed like a never ending battle. So I decided to change my tank completely and start over. I removed the sand and got black slate for the bottom of the tank, fake plants, and some large rocks (as I had done my research and didn't want compaction). Since I was starting from a non-cycled tank this time I followed the directions I learnt from this site, which did state that this wasn't a good idea cuz it causes stress, and I changed the water daily and kept track of the ammonia. However, one day I came home from work and the tank was very very cloudy and Salazar had peeling skin and Fiery was red and their gills had been singed. They got ammonia burn. I immediately fridged both of them and ran to the store to get tank colonizer and a better water test kit.
I decided to keep my pets in the fridge until they got better. It has been 3 weeks now since that happened and Fiery is no longer red and her gills are beginning to regrow. Salazar unfortunately did not make it. He looked as if he was recovering after a week but then one day when I went to change his water 3 of his legs had curled under his body, his eyes were hazy, and he barely moved his 4th leg or his tail. The pet that use to follow me around the tank and smile at me was on death's door and I felt terrible. I stayed with him for a while and then put him back in the fridge. The next morning when I went to check on him he was dead. My family wanted me to keep him for a few days more to make sure because they didn't want to part with him yet either but he was gone. After a small funeral and burial next to the dog I began my search for another tank mate for Fiery.
As of today: The tank is still empty but the water is testing in the correct levels for ammonia, nitrite, nitrates, alkalinity, and pH. Fiery is still recovering in the fridge but I think by next week she can be moved back into the tank. Lastly, I am still looking for another axolotl. It's hard finding one that is 5-6 inches long that can be shipped in/to Canada. I don't want one any smaller because I fear cannibalistic behaviour from either of them. The search continues.
Anyways, that was a lot longer and more detailed than I expected it to be. Now you know about my tank from the last 5 months and a little about me. I'll post some photos that I have taken of my pets. I am open to any suggestions or criticism, anything helps. Hi again! :happy:
