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Help! Reddened body and scratched up limbs!

franktank

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When I took my axolotls out of the tank to change the water, I took Frankie (pink) into the light and saw that all of her limbs were red. Her back right leg has what appears to be a scratch on it. Her front left foot looks like a chunk is taken out of it and she only has two toes on that foot. The front left leg looks the worst; it's the reddest and has some red lines (scratches?) around it. The tip of her tail is weathered and a teeny bit is gone. It has a red line as well. Her back and tail are a bit red as well.

The weirdest thing about it is that her tank mate is perfectly fine. None of her limbs are red, darker, or swollen. None of her limbs, gills, or tail is missing. I'm worried that she may have attacked Frankie, but I've never seen them fight and the redness on Frankie is too organized. I'm sure it's not a water issue or disease because both would show signs of stress or Frankie would have given it to the other axolotl.

Other than the redness and missing limb parts, Frankie is fine. She swims around, uses all of her limbs, responds to me, and eats her food whenever I offer it. I think that the texture of the cave that was in their tank was too rough, and would scrape her when she swam between the cave and glass corners. She would get stuck and I had to take her out of the corner sometimes. Gunther (other axolotl) didn't do this as often as Frankie. I have removed the cave, so all that's left are some fake aquarium plants.

The water is about 70 degrees, which I know is a little too warm. I completely change their water every few weeks to clean out waste. They eat bloodworms. I used to feed them brine shrimp, but Gunther wouldn't eat it. It's been a while since they've eaten night crawlers. I really hope Frankie is okay. Should I fridge her? Isolate her? Does she need medicine? :(

Frankie is pictured. The lighting makes her look a little yellower. The last picture is of them about a month ago. The black one looks the same.
 

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EggAndSausage

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First, I think you should do a water change every week and what do you mean by " cleaning out the water completely"? Second, how old are your axies (might be a problem if still juvenile). Thirdly how big is your tank and how many axies do you keep in there? Fourthly, send a pic of your tank ( to look for problems). Fifthly, I think night crawlers are the best diet but your axies are fat so, food isn't an issue. The temp is ok because mine stays around 70 and my axies are just fine. I think you axies foot might of got crushed under something causing the bruise and the missing toes. Also. I think you should call a store with lots of info about axies for medicine. If it is a open cut, use melafix by api( it sometimes causes your axies to not eat). Also, can you show more pictures of your axies tail? I hope I can help you.
Also, before you saw your axie hurt, were you gone for the day without feeding them?
 

franktank

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1. It means that I completely empty the tank and put all new water in it. Should I empty all the water or just some?
2. About two years old
3. About 20 gallons, two axies. I think I accidentally crushed her foot when I lifted the cave to look for her so I could clean the tank :'(

These are all the tank pics I have right now. They show where she gets trapped. I'll get better ones in the morning (it's midnight where I live).

As for the feeding, I usually feed them between 6 and 7 p.m. every night, sometimes earlier if they're more active. But yes, I have gone a day without feeding them, but I never noticed anything severe until today. She's in a bucket of cold water by herself right now.

Her tail actually looks better then when I first noticed it, so that's good.
 

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Twigwise

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Ohhh my goodness. With any tank, from axolotl to cichlid to goldfish, you should never take out all the water. It disrupts the bacteria cycle and means that your ammonia and nitrite levels will be all kinds of out of whack and dangerous to what's living in your tanks. As a general rule you should only change about 30% of the water at once. And never change the filter at the same time as the water. You can find out more information about that here Cycling the aquarium - an essential part of starting a fish tank

In addition, 20gal is too small for two adult axies. I'd personally say a 20 long is suitable for one adult axie, and you should add an additional 5 to 10 gallons per axie after that, but that's just my opinion. I would even add more than that per axie. That will give more space and reduce the possibility of them fighting each other or accidentally hurting one with tank decor.
 

EggAndSausage

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Hello again for sending more info! Ok, Taking away all the water in the tank is bad because all the cycled water with good bacteria is thrown away and the new water introduces new bad bacteria still needed to be treated. You should only do a 20 percent water change which is about in between 5-4 gallons. Second, don't worry about the tail. Salamanders re grow their tail especially axolotls perfectly since they are missing something in their body which can make them do that. Thirdly, you tank is a little too cramped so mabye remove a few plans decorations so your axies have a lower chance of getting stuck again or hurt. Also my axie hasn't eaten for 3 days since he cut himself on something and I added medicine called melafix which might of ruined his hunger.Can you help me? Also, if you want a better hide-e-hole for you axies use the one down below. It's from Petsmart and dosnt cut my axies or hurt them even though it is a pain to clean since they poop in there. Also, does one have an open cut? Oh... one more question. Do you have a lesser siren?( just wondering)
 

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franktank

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Thanks for the help guys! Frankie is doing a lot better! Her coloration is normal now and her limbs look way better. I took out the cave; it was their favorite hiding spot but they're not biting each other anymore. :love:
 

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