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Sick axoltl- ammonia burns?

notanaxoltl

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Hello,
I got my first axoltl(a lucy called plato) 3 weeks ago. When I got him, I brought up to the aquarium staff that he seemed out of shape(red colour, janky-shaped tail, small gills) but they assured me it was fine. Anyway, he seemed to be doing better in his new home(a generously sized 40 gallon tank that he now shares with my wild type, aristotle) however, I recently tested the ammonia and ph after some concerns as his skin started to turn red again and the ph was fine at 7, but the ammonia was at 0.25. I switched to using prime as my water conditioner, as I know it detoxifies ammonia and have been doing water changes every few days of around 25-50 percent however nothing seems to bring it down. My wild type seems to be doing fine, however my lucy just seemed to be getting worse so I decided to quarantine in case it was a bacterial infection rather than ammonia burns. They’ve both been eating fine, their gills aren’t forward, and their tails are(usually) straight. However I’m so so stressed about my lucy’s condition and am not sure what to do, as he now has red marks on his feet and a really tiny one on his tail. I know I need to test the nitrite and nitrate as well, however the test kits are insanely expensive in Australia, but I will undoubtedly test them soon. I really tried to do my research and everything first before getting my axoltl and yet this still happens, needless to say I am disappointed and heartbroken. I have a few questions: If it is simply ammonia burns is it ok for me to put him in the tank and add a capful of prime daily as well as water changes until the ammonia comes down, or should he still be quarantined. Is there anything I can do for him(almond leaf, tea baths?) to help sooth his skin and make him more comfortable?. my set up consists of fine sand, live plants (anubias and java fern), 1 large piece of driftwood(with room to hide in and around), 1 smaller piece and a small low flow internal filter with some aqua 1 bio noods inside it as well as the filter sponge. The last thing I want is to give him up, but if comes to it would it be unethical to give him to a local person I know who takes in sick axoltls for free? I know I should have tested all the water parameters before adding any axoltls, but the people at the aquarium store(which is trusted well in my city) assured me running the tank for a few days would be fine. Thank you so much for your help.
 

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notanaxoltl

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Also- I know he may seem a bit skinny, but he is significantly better than when I got him, and is gaining weight at a comfortable rate, so I’m not concerned on that front.
 

notanaxoltl

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I keep forgetting to include things, his temperature is good, between 15 degrees at the lowest and 20 at the highest, lately in the hot summer it’s been sitting at around 20 so I’m going to get an aquarium fan instead of using frozen water bottles, I am struggling to find one however.
 

Cgilliam9x19

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20° isnt TOO warm, definitely dont let it get any higher though! Have you testes your tap to compare with your tank in regards to ammonia? Sometimes esp with prime you can have a slight green tint, hinting at .25 when its actually fine. Also, if your tank is cycled it should be able to handle .25 ammonia with no issues. Can you post pics of the ammonia and a tap test? Maybe a tap with prime too just incase?
 

notanaxoltl

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Hello, thanks for your reply. I tested my tap water and it showed up as 0 ammonia, I haven’t tested it with prime however will do so when i’m home tomorrow. My most recent test showed up only slightly green and my axie is looking a lot better now, which relieves me so much. As I had recently added a new axoltl to the tank, i’m assuming the ammonia may have spiked with the addition of the new bacteria? Although i’m not really sure. Thanks for your help, i’ll post pictured of my tests tomorrow if they show up worryingly!
 
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