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Help very sick looking Axie

Christopher2389

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Hey this is my first post, I've looked all over the forums to find out my problem but it seems different yet similar to many I found. Please forgive the long post I just want to make sure I get all my bases covered

I got my Axolotl (Kirby, cause he/she is an albino so pink and sucks food up :p) around October of 2013 as a young ling that just developed its legs, everything was going great for a whole year until in late November I noticed a small problem, his gills started to shrink.

Kirby looked fine though, and I thought it was just a phase as he was great otherwise (a chubby bastard). However over time its gotten a lot worse. Here is a list of problems I have noticed.
. Decreased appetite
. Not many poops (I have noticed a few maybe I just miss some)
. Significant weight loss
. Missing toe tips, red
. Paler Eyes?
. Less movement at times
. Rougher look
. Gills significantly smaller
. Orange tint
. Mouth is often slightly open


I may have forgotten some problems or not noticed. Here are some more details.
Substrate: Super Natural Premium Aquarium Substrate (Sand) (I believe it is fine grain)
Filter & Parts: Aqua Clear 30 Gallon Filter w/ Foam, Activated Carbon and Ammonia Remover
Temperature: 16 - 18 Celsius Usually, Max peeking at 20 - 21 for short periods
Diet: A mix of frozen blood worms & frozen brine shrimp but recently I cut out the brine shrimp to see if it helped, it didn't.


I just did a complete water & substrate change and tried to clean his tank (although idk how great of a job I did) today because I moved his tank to a different spot as I needed more room and got him a proper stand. To do a large water change I have to manually empty water into a bin and take it downstairs and dump it outside, rinse repeat about 8 or more times until empty then I have to fill the bin with the new water from a separate rooms bathtub and use the dechlorinator & water clarifier when its filled.The filter parts I changed just last week and for now Kirby is in a large plastic bin until his tank is ready.

I have used TopFin tap water dechlorinator and water from my bath tub to fill his tank, I don't think I have changed this sense I first got him.

If you need any more details I would be happy to provide them, me and Kirby are buddies...I don't want him to suffer or die, so please any tips and help would be appreciated as I am still not knowledgeable at all. I think it may be a bacterial infection but I'm not sure. Some forums recommend Furan-2 to get rid of it.

I know taking him to a vet would be the best option, however it isn't very doable as I don't know any vets in my area that do aquatic animals let alone Axolotls, I have a very tight schedule and I only have a part time job and have no where near the funds I would need to take him as I have many costs I have to keep up with, but I could still buy things online or from pet stores.

The pictures should go in this order (In Octoberish time 2014, End of November 2014 (2 Pictures), April 18th 2015 (multiple pictures). His tank set up April 18th 2015.
 

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Skudo09

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I would not medicate him until you know what it is. Although I can see some red there and a bacterial infection may be present. Ideally, I think it would be best to take him to a vet. Furan 2 is listed as a safe product for the treatment of bacterial infections in axolotls. Someone with more experience hopefully though can confirm whether it would be worth using this treatment at this stage as this is not something I have dealt with much other than reading threads.

However, for the best chance for your axolotl to recover, we need to ensure that his environment is in good shape ie: good water quality, diet etc. Did you test your water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia before conducting the water changes? If so, what were the readings? How did you clean his tank? When you changed the filter media, did you change all the parts at once? If you changed the filter parts all at once or used straight tap water without dechlorinating it to clean the filter you may have crashed your cycle. I do notice you have those stick on testing things. I would not rely on those as they can be very inaccurate. I would invest in a liquid testing kit if you don't have one as these are much more reliable. I use the API Freshwater Master Kit.

Frozen blood worm and brineshrimp is not nutritionally enough for an adult axolotl (good for young juveniles but they need more nutrition as they grow). I would switch to earthworms such as nightcrawlers or good quality axolotl or newt pellets. These options would provide much more nutrition.
 

Christopher2389

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I would not medicate him until you know what it is. Although I can see some red there and a bacterial infection may be present. Ideally, I think it would be best to take him to a vet. Furan 2 is listed as a safe product for the treatment of bacterial infections in axolotls. Someone with more experience hopefully though can confirm whether it would be worth using this treatment at this stage as this is not something I have dealt with much other than reading threads.

However, for the best chance for your axolotl to recover, we need to ensure that his environment is in good shape ie: good water quality, diet etc. Did you test your water for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ammonia before conducting the water changes? If so, what were the readings? How did you clean his tank? When you changed the filter media, did you change all the parts at once? If you changed the filter parts all at once or used straight tap water without dechlorinating it to clean the filter you may have crashed your cycle. I do notice you have those stick on testing things. I would not rely on those as they can be very inaccurate. I would invest in a liquid testing kit if you don't have one as these are much more reliable. I use the API Freshwater Master Kit.

Frozen blood worm and brineshrimp is not nutritionally enough for an adult axolotl (good for young juveniles but they need more nutrition as they grow). I would switch to earthworms such as nightcrawlers or good quality axolotl or newt pellets. These options would provide much more nutrition.

Ok I'll get him on a better diet as soon as possible, I have been looking into vets for a while now and I can sadly say that it would be nearly impossible too. I didn't check the ammonia or anything before the change though, and I don't just use the stick on testers I have also been using API 5 in 1 strips. I just started using the stick ons this water change.

I used the strips today and the conditions are perfect in terms of ammonia, water hardness, ph, and nitrates. I cleaned his tank by washing all his tank and accessories outside with a hose and brush then drying them with towels as that was the only place I had enough room to clean it.

I always dechlorinate the tap water before putting it in, and the filter media all were cycled properly I believe (or however you refer it). If changing his diet and making sure his water conditions stay proper does not work do you know if the Furan 2 would harm him if I used it without it being a bacterial infection or would it just end up being pointless but still safe? And what do you think would be a good parameter time to watch for improvements?
 

Skudo09

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Ok I'll get him on a better diet as soon as possible, I have been looking into vets for a while now and I can sadly say that it would be nearly impossible too. I didn't check the ammonia or anything before the change though, and I don't just use the stick on testers I have also been using API 5 in 1 strips. I just started using the stick ons this water change.

I used the strips today and the conditions are perfect in terms of ammonia, water hardness, ph, and nitrates. I cleaned his tank by washing all his tank and accessories outside with a hose and brush then drying them with towels as that was the only place I had enough room to clean it.

I always dechlorinate the tap water before putting it in, and the filter media all were cycled properly I believe (or however you refer it). If changing his diet and making sure his water conditions stay proper does not work do you know if the Furan 2 would harm him if I used it without it being a bacterial infection or would it just end up being pointless but still safe? And what do you think would be a good parameter time to watch for improvements?

I haven't used Furan 2 before so hopefully someone with more experience can chime in there. I would still look into getting a liquid test kit as the test strips can also be inaccurate. watch the parameters closely.
 
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