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Fridge temperature??

Caesar

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Hi I am going to do a salt bath and fridging for my axolotl.
The fridge was under 41 F (4 c) and I just changed it to 46 F because that is as high as my fridge will go.
I just put a glass of water in there and I am anxiously checking the temperature.
How long will it take?

My axie is in bad condition :confused::sick:
 

auntiejude

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What is wrong with your axie? Fridging may not be the best course of action.

But ideally a fridge should be 8C/46F for axies.
 

Caesar

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Hi my axolotl had a slime coat covering and I was hoping he would heal on his own,
but today there are white slimy globs on his tail, hind legs, and gills.

I also noticed he has trouble swallowing food (he normally takes in the whole chunk of blood worms that float down)

Here are some pictures of him : :(
It looks like he cant even see out of his eye. :(


<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=16by4v6" target="_blank"><img src="http://i67.tinypic.com/16by4v6.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>

<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=33fcbpe" target="_blank"><img src="http://i67.tinypic.com/33fcbpe.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>


<a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=14j86sy" target="_blank"><img src="http://i66.tinypic.com/14j86sy.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>


I also just put him in the refrigerator so let me know if you think I need to change plans.
I plan on doing a salt bath tomorrow morning, and fridging him until he gets better.

Thank you!!
 

Skudo09

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Try posting the photos again. The links have not worked. Have you tested water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH and temperature?
 

Caesar

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Yes The results are as follows
Nitrate- 20/40mg
Nitrite-1
pH-7
KH-180
GH-180
Also, the temperature is always 74

Here are the pictures again.
9


9


6qe6c9



Im posting them again because those dont seem to open
http://tinypic.com/r/xgmhyv/9
http://tinypic.com/r/2hefsw3/9
http://tinypic.com/r/6qe6c9/
 

Caesar

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Try posting the photos again. The links have not worked. Have you tested water parameters for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH and temperature?

^ Its actually currently 71 degrees F. Does it need to be lower?
 

Skudo09

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I don't actually think fridging is necessary in this case. Just somewhere cool in the house would be OK. Your tank appears not to be cycled with the presence of nitrite. As mentioned in one of your other threads, test strips are notorious for giving inaccurate results. It would be best to get a liquid test kit and one that also includes ammonia. Ideal temperature is from 60-64°F so it would be best to lower the temperature in the tank.

Fungus is present everywhere but only causes a problem if there is something that has caused a breach in the protective slime coat layer on axolotls such as injury or poor water quality. Warm temperatures can encourage fungus growth and expose axolotls to a greater risk of disease. It is best to work out why your axolotl has an infection of fungus. Given your tank appears to be in the process of establishing a cycle, it is likely due to water quality and exposure to ammonia or nitrite. Have a read of the cycling article below

Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling

Make sure you are changing the water in the tub you have your axolotl in daily (100% of the water) using dechlorinated water of the same temperature. Do you have other axolotls in the tank?
 

Skudo09

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He is unlikely to eat in the fridge. But try offering earthworms as these are far more nutritious and far more suitable as a staple diet than bloodworm.
 

Caesar

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I don't actually think fridging is necessary in this case. Just somewhere cool in the house would be OK. Your tank appears not to be cycled with the presence of nitrite. As mentioned in one of your other threads, test strips are notorious for giving inaccurate results. It would be best to get a liquid test kit and one that also includes ammonia. Ideal temperature is from 60-64°F so it would be best to lower the temperature in the tank.

Fungus is present everywhere but only causes a problem if there is something that has caused a breach in the protective slime coat layer on axolotls such as injury or poor water quality. Warm temperatures can encourage fungus growth and expose axolotls to a greater risk of disease. It is best to work out why your axolotl has an infection of fungus. Given your tank appears to be in the process of establishing a cycle, it is likely due to water quality and exposure to ammonia or nitrite. Have a read of the cycling article below

Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling

Make sure you are changing the water in the tub you have your axolotl in daily (100% of the water) using dechlorinated water of the same temperature. Do you have other axolotls in the tank?


You are so helpful!

No there are no other axolots. So you think I should take him out of the fridge even after you saw the pictures I sent?
Should I fix the ammonia/nitrite before I put him back in?
How do I figure out if the fungus is due to temperature or bad water quality? Tysm
 

Skudo09

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Yes I would not have him in the fridge, just in a tub somewhere cool and do 100%water changes daily in the tub. I would keep him in there until you can rectify the water quality. I do think it is water quality causing this as your tank is not cycled and this has likely come about due to spikes in ammonia and nitrite. Whilst your axolotl is in the tub and seeing as no other aquatic life is in the tank, I would do a fishless cycle to get the tank fully cycled. Here is a guide below. Have a read through both this and the link on cycling and make sure you understand it as it is important for water quality and health of your axolotl. Also work on getting the temperature in the tank down as this is possibly also a contributing factor.

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community
 

Caesar

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Maybe these test strips really are corrupt
but now it is saying there is no nitrite and 20mg nitrate

So the best course of action would be to take him out of the fridge and put him back in the tank or still isolate him in a different tub until I can get the tank cycled?
 

Caesar

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Yes I would not have him in the fridge, just in a tub somewhere cool and do 100%water changes daily in the tub. I would keep him in there until you can rectify the water quality. I do think it is water quality causing this as your tank is not cycled and this has likely come about due to spikes in ammonia and nitrite. Whilst your axolotl is in the tub and seeing as no other aquatic life is in the tank, I would do a fishless cycle to get the tank fully cycled. Here is a guide below. Have a read through both this and the link on cycling and make sure you understand it as it is important for water quality and health of your axolotl. Also work on getting the temperature in the tank down as this is possibly also a contributing factor.

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community

cool but that website says to use household ammonia and I dont know how to measure 40ppm

can I use the fishless cycling as described in this website?
Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling
also do I have to buy brine shrimp, or do you think my bloodworms will work the same?
:eek::frog:
 

Skudo09

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Get the liquid test kit as it will give more reliable results. You need to test for ammonia as well.

You have two options. Return him to the tank and cycle the tank with him in it. However if you choose this method you would need to check parameters and do water changes frequently to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.25ppm whilst it is cycling. Also, for salt baths you will need to transfer him to a separate tub as salt baths should not be done in the main aquarium. The risk of this method is that if not diligent enough you may expose your axolotl to further ammonia and nitrite which will not help his recovery.

The other method (which I recommend) is to keep him isolated in a tub and do 100% water changes daily in the tub until the tank has cycled and he has recovered. This means you can use the fishless method and not risk exposing your axolotl to further ammonia and nitrite and you can monitor his condition more closely.

To do the fishless cycle, you can place the old water from your axolotls tub in the main aquariums each day when you change his water. Food can be used as an ammonia source but this method may foul the water as the food rots. If you do use household ammonia you need to use pure ammonia and not any ammonia that contains other soaps or chemicals. To measure to 4ppm you need to test the water for ammonia so again the first step is getting a liquid test kit that also has a testing bottle for ammonia. A little bit goes a long way so just add a few drops, wait half an hour and test again to see where it is at and add more drops as needed to get it there. But read both articles thoroughly as they contain a lot of good info.

Here is a link on fungus that you may find useful as well

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...-axolotl-general-discussion/96018-fungus.html
 

Caesar

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Get the liquid test kit as it will give more reliable results. You need to test for ammonia as well.

You have two options. Return him to the tank and cycle the tank with him in it. However if you choose this method you would need to check parameters and do water changes frequently to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.25ppm whilst it is cycling. Also, for salt baths you will need to transfer him to a separate tub as salt baths should not be done in the main aquarium. The risk of this method is that if not diligent enough you may expose your axolotl to further ammonia and nitrite which will not help his recovery.

The other method (which I recommend) is to keep him isolated in a tub and do 100% water changes daily in the tub until the tank has cycled and he has recovered. This means you can use the fishless method and not risk exposing your axolotl to further ammonia and nitrite and you can monitor his condition more closely.

To do the fishless cycle, you can place the old water from your axolotls tub in the main aquariums each day when you change his water. Food can be used as an ammonia source but this method may foul the water as the food rots. If you do use household ammonia you need to use pure ammonia and not any ammonia that contains other soaps or chemicals. To measure to 4ppm you need to test the water for ammonia so again the first step is getting a liquid test kit that also has a testing bottle for ammonia. A little bit goes a long way so just add a few drops, wait half an hour and test again to see where it is at and add more drops as needed to get it there. But read both articles thoroughly as they contain a lot of good info.

Here is a link on fungus that you may find useful as well

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...-axolotl-general-discussion/96018-fungus.html


Alright so I have not cycled my tank yet but these are the parameters currently (using the api freshwater drops)
pH- Reads 7.6
higher pH-8.2 (does this just read the ph that it couldn't in the first test)
Ammonia-0-.25ppm, looks closer to 0 because it is almost completely yellow
Nitrite-0ppm
Nitrate- 0ppm

Are my readings almost all zero because there is currently no food/fish in there?

Do I still need to cycle the tank? ty :eek:
 

Caesar

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Get the liquid test kit as it will give more reliable results. You need to test for ammonia as well.

You have two options. Return him to the tank and cycle the tank with him in it. However if you choose this method you would need to check parameters and do water changes frequently to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.25ppm whilst it is cycling. Also, for salt baths you will need to transfer him to a separate tub as salt baths should not be done in the main aquarium. The risk of this method is that if not diligent enough you may expose your axolotl to further ammonia and nitrite which will not help his recovery.

The other method (which I recommend) is to keep him isolated in a tub and do 100% water changes daily in the tub until the tank has cycled and he has recovered. This means you can use the fishless method and not risk exposing your axolotl to further ammonia and nitrite and you can monitor his condition more closely.

To do the fishless cycle, you can place the old water from your axolotls tub in the main aquariums each day when you change his water. Food can be used as an ammonia source but this method may foul the water as the food rots. If you do use household ammonia you need to use pure ammonia and not any ammonia that contains other soaps or chemicals. To measure to 4ppm you need to test the water for ammonia so again the first step is getting a liquid test kit that also has a testing bottle for ammonia. A little bit goes a long way so just add a few drops, wait half an hour and test again to see where it is at and add more drops as needed to get it there. But read both articles thoroughly as they contain a lot of good info.

Here is a link on fungus that you may find useful as well

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...-axolotl-general-discussion/96018-fungus.html


By the way, my axolotls fungus appears to be gone, if not very minimal

How long can my axolotl stay in the tub while I'm cycling the tank?

(Btw sorry for qoutoing you I just don't know how to make it so that you get a notification! :rofl:)
 

Skudo09

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If the fungus is nearly gone you can probably stop the salt baths and maybe offer a black tea bath as this is a gentle treatment with mild antibacterial and antifungal properties and will help soothe the skin.

Your axolotl should be fine in the tub with daily 100% water changes until the tank is fully cycled
 

Caesar

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If the fungus is nearly gone you can probably stop the salt baths and maybe offer a black tea bath as this is a gentle treatment with mild antibacterial and antifungal properties and will help soothe the skin.

Your axolotl should be fine in the tub with daily 100% water changes until the tank is fully cycled

Okay thank you.
The white fungus went away but there's still some over his eyes.. Should I continue salt baths?
 

Skudo09

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Hmmm I am tempted to say to continue the salt baths but swap to tea baths as soon as you see improvement in the eyes. Maybe some more experienced members here may chime in who may advise whether this is the best plan of action from here or whether you could stop the salt baths now.
 

Caesar

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Hmmm I am tempted to say to continue the salt baths but swap to tea baths as soon as you see improvement in the eyes. Maybe some more experienced members here may chime in who may advise whether this is the best plan of action from here or whether you could stop the salt baths now.

Okay so here is a picture of him after the salt baths,
He looks great everywhere on his head except for over his eyes. If you zoom in on the pictures you can see the bubble over them.


Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting

Image - TinyPic - Free Image Hosting, Photo Sharing & Video Hosting

:// I've searched all over and I can't seem to find anyone with the same problem.
I guess I will continue with the salt baths because they don't really seem to bother him! :rolleyes:
 

Skudo09

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The Left eye looks normal but the right eye still appears to have a mild film over it. I would maybe stop the salt baths since salt baths are very irritating to the skin and it has mostly cleared up. A tea bath will help soothe the skin and you may find the mild antifungal properties in tea will be enough to get rid of the rest. Or you could also try Indian almond leaves as another less irritating alternative. Below is a link on how to do this.

Caudata Culture Articles - Illness Part 2
 
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