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Illness/Sickness: Killing Axolotls

digger

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I think at this point anything is worth a try!! you could always place a thin sheet over the tank to ty and limit the impact, I very often in the summer place something over my tanks because even though they are not in direct sunlight the room does become much brighter. As for the other 2 becoming ill it is quite possible they were sensing the distress from the other axie.
 
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Yaimfat

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That's an interesting thought. Does anyone have any further thoughts on the idea of the light from a T.V. or lamp affecting their circadian rhythms? Also the two surviving axies are doing much better, neither showing any recurring fungus at this point and both seeming quite calm and contempt, hopefully when they are returned to the tank all will be well, but for now they can enjoy the fridge. Also I was wondering if there is any problem with leaving water change water to sit longer than a night or two? I know sometimes I have left the water change water sitting before using it up to even 5 days but I always check pH (never seemed to change or be a problem). Is there any other issues with this beyond the pH, which doesnt seem to get affected? I cant seem to find anything specifically about it on the net, most threads tend to say just check pH and all will be well...
 

digger

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No as long as the water is the same temperature you are taking them from there should not be an issue, thats why people tend to keep a spare bottle in the fridge with the axies.
 

Yaimfat

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I mean more in regards to water changes for the tank, as in i will fill up a 25L bucket and usually use it for there tank maintenance within two days but on occasion I have left it, in room temperature for later use in the tank, for up to 5 days.
 

sheena22

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Hi jake try and get us some closer pictures of the axies it might help us a lot to see if there are any other things wrong.

I thought my axy was going to die and i read gravel could hurt their belly, thought it was rubbish, replaced gravel with sand and she pooped out some gravel! and didnt eat until she passed it all.

Id say keep the lights off, no matter how bright or dim it is when axies are unwell they prefer dark spaces like any other animal to keep them calm, id really try that!

I see your wild type is awfully skinny, im just adopting a really skinny one from a shop and im going to try and fatten him up, if i have any luck i can take him on for you or give you some advice on what i did that worked?

Your other axies dont look that bad to be perfectly honest, i cant see them that well, i reckon sand no light for a while if they are acting stressed and keep water quality to its best!
Get us some more pictures and if you struggle with the wild type and i end up getting my skinny one which is skinnier than yours back to health i can take your one on for you.

Try the sand see if they poop out gravel i was surprised when mine did :) x BEST OF LUCK X PM me if you want to talk about rehoming the skinny guy Id happily take on the other ones, but they dont look too unhealthy and i think you have got a good chance of getting them back on their feet again x
 

Yaimfat

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Hi,

They are in the fridge and the wild type passed away. There tank is being fixed up and the others are not too unwell, as I have stated prior, its just the length of time for which they have been stressed that is disconcerting...
 

James7

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Sorry to hear you are having problems. Killing an axie is definately not the answer if they have a chance of being ok. As already suggested rehoming would be a much more humane thing to do.

Sorry if this comes across as short or abrupt but there is clearly something going on which you need to get to the bottom of.

What water test kits do you use?
I have found some to be very inaccurate so I only use the API ones now.

Sand works much better than gravel.
Dont keep fish or anything else in with the axies
Dont add salt to the water
If your return pump is bothering them see if you can slow it down somehow or get a smaller pump etc
Dissolved oxygen is created by surface movement so if its not enough you could look into spraybars etc as well as air pumps so its not too turbulant in the tank
Tubing for aquatic use should be of the correct type. If you are not sure which you have change it. Most fish shops stock various sizes
Try no/less light and not worry about the plants till the axies are ok
Dont add any additives for plants or anything.
Driftwood is usually ok if its from a fish shop but if its collected from a river etc it could have something nasty in it.
If you think there is something which has contaminated the water put some good quality carbon in your filter for a few weeks.

If it was me I would remove everything which could cause a problem or contain any contaminants,do a large water change,add some carbon and start from there.
 

Yaimfat

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Hi, I only use the API ones aswell and as I have stated previously, killing any of them was never my true intention.

I have made a list much like the one you just made for me, I call it a treatment plan. I am in the process of completing all the tasks. I will post up what I have done and what I intend to do and hopefully within the next couple of weeks they can return to their tank!

Just a couple of questions; firstly do you think the non-aquarium grade poly-tubing could really be that much of a concern? I have pondered it for some time though you are the only person so far who queries it aswell, I will replace it anyway but I'm just interested in what could be being leeched from it, BPA or something?
 

James7

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Hope the axies are ok.
How are things now? What have you done so far in changing things around?

I am not sure what types of plastic are safe in an aquarium but I tend to play it safe with stuff like that and not use it just in case as I have heard of problems arising.
I have found that the best places to look for compatible things like that are on marine/reef aquarium websites although there are some differences between marine and freshwater you would probably be on the right lines following their advice on uses etc
eg from what I can make out some say abs plastic is ok some say not so its all a bit confusing! Of course there could well be different grades of these plastics so there may not be a right or wrong answer.

My only reason for being concerned about it was the lack of any single, easy to pinpoint cause for your problems.
 

James7

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Just re-reading your posts. Are they eating now?

I had a problem a while ago where mine was not keen on eating worms but he would eat pellets (which he has always liked) and after speaking to the company where the worms came from they said that they also sell different worms which are not liked by amphibians etc as they secrete something which tastes nasty and they think they may have been mixed up. Bit of a longshot but if they are not keen on the worms you have, have you tried any from somewhere else? Or the garden etc?

We got a new batch of worms and all is good now.
 

hdonahue

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Also sorry to sound dim, but what is a night crawler?

A night crawler is similar to an earthworm but about 12 times the size. Not sure about the nutrition content difference though.

Just read they are earthworms lol
 
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hdonahue

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That's an interesting thought. Does anyone have any further thoughts on the idea of the light from a T.V. or lamp affecting their circadian rhythms?

Yes just like humans the added light and sound from the flickering TV screen can seriously affect the circadian rhythms. Remember that these guys evolved in the bottom two very deep lakes. I'm sure they enjoy the plant life but the extra light from the TV or from the lamps may be stressing them out.

You may also want to check out about parasites and bacteria since you said you noticed the problems when you introduced the wild type (Sorry about your loss). I read that you salted them for fungus.

Try a cover over your tank to minimize light entering and try to keep the volume down on the TV espically at night. I know they are more active at night but messing with their natural cycle could very possibly be causing this problem. How is your sleep cycle? If the TV is on until the wee hours of the moring I definatly suggest covering it. Just make sure it does not increase the temperature.

Let us know how its going. We are anxious!
 
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iChris

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Yes just like humans the added light and sound from the flickering TV screen can seriously affect the circadian rhythms.

Try a cover over your tank to minimize light entering and try to keep the volume down on the TV espically at night. I know they are more active at night but messing with their natural cycle could very possibly be causing this problem. How is your sleep cycle? If the TV is on until the wee hours of the moring I definatly suggest covering it.

I have noted that they seem to act adversely to tv's.

I have a 50" plasma tv on the wall in my room, that is within sight of my axie tank and they don't seem to like it that much at all, so I have covered the back and sides of the tank with black card.
 

Yaimfat

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Hi,

Both of them are eating on a regular basis while in the fridge and seem to be getting alot better. I have completed all the changng of filter outputs, the return pump for the chiller, the airstones etc and only need to remove gravel and some materials now, then will do water changes to clean it all up. I have just had surgery though so may need to wait a week or two but they will be fine in the fridge. Everything seems to be going well.

I wont get too concerned about the plastic then, especially after reading about plenty of people using normal diy vinyl tubing etc on aquariums. They are going great and I look forward to moving them back to the tank.

The light from my tv and the sound is seeming more and more like the issue because them entering this tank was the same time as when I acquired the tv so there illness/stress has developed since then, and it is a 42" LCD that I generally whatch until around 12 at night. I will shield them from this also and see how that helps.

Thanks heaps to everyone for all the help and I look forward to giving updates, posting pictures and just in general seeing them get better!!
 

Yaimfat

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Hi,

I know that I really should replace the substrate before moving them back to the tank but this is still the one aspect that will take some time to complete. Given this, I was ust wondering if you could comment on the gravel on this setup from Axolotls.org, which I have used religiously along with caudata as a source of information.

Axolotls - Housing in Captivity

Thanks
 

Mandy6

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That picture is the one part of Axolotl.org I wish would be changed. I remember seeing quite a few other people commenting that it should be changed too. It was that picture that made me think the gravel I originally had would be ok, but I later found out it wasn't and when I switched to sand Alex was pooping gravel for ages.

I'd prefer to keep them on bare bottom than gravel now while waiting to get sand
 

Yaimfat

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Ok, thank you for clearing that up. It did make me a bit unsure also, seeing as how the gravel in that tank appears to be of the worst size for an axolotl as far as I understand.
 

MereB

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That picture is the one part of Axolotl.org I wish would be changed.
Many of us feel the same.
It's my understanding that this is being worked on as we speak :happy: I believe a new pic will be up in the near future it all just takes time.
The site is a WONDERFUL resource and once that pic is fixed it will be even better.

Looks like everyone else has it pretty well covered so I won't bother typing it myself ;)
I'm sorry for your loss but am glad that the others seem to be doing a bit better. Good luck hopefully all the cleaning and the rest of the treatment plan will get it all sorted out and you can enjoy your axies rather than stress over them.
 

e23ho

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I agree with the substrate bit, feeling like they may have swallowed some (could just be my paranoia) - and I totally understand the frustration, going through hours of axie care per day at the moment between my larvae (issues with food supply) and the adults (apparently a parasite, or gills, or something I'm not sure yet)...

To clarify with everyone else, a nightcrawler IS an earthworm, sort of like the ones you find in your garden (which are usually the invasive and less healthy European kind, if you're in Canada); I feed mine captive-grown Canadian nightcrawlers periodically and it serves them very well indeed!
 
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