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PSA#%# sick axie answers.. Fridge and salt bath methods..Are they good or bad

Axolotlee

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So lately I have been seeing a lot of sick axolotyl post. It is really. Sad. I want to just put some suggestions in the thread as I was a newbie not long ago but by following these steps all of my axies are alive,happy and eating well. They are spoiled and healthy. So I thought I would share my secrets and my suggestions. First please stop fridging you axolotyl look at it like this would you want to be put in a small container and shoved into a dark plain fridge with all types of smells around you not knowing when your going to get out????? I don't think so that seems to me to be a very scary situation and I would never do that to my axies. The answer to any sickness is natural cures use cattappa leaves a few in the tank should do and change the water 1 time 90% a week to get rid of 90% of the ammonia and nitrates . you can do this while cycling your aquaneat corner filter. Get a aqua corner biomechanical filter. Not a hang over they hate that trust me . Cover the filter with an small blk sponge they sell at pet co or somthing. It slows the suction. Get an Exo terra small plant to clip over it to help with current.
Make their environment as amazonish as possible live plants, silk plants some large rounded aqua fin rocks and a few hides. With little black sand substrate. Not recommended for 4 inches and under.
They are very comfortable in my 40 gallon breeder setup. They need room so no to a 20 gallon ...30 gallon breeder tanks and up will do.
Remember your Axie deserves to live comfortable so make sure you have enough money to spare you'll need it.
Put black national geographic substrate only under the hides and around the plants. Leave the middle bare with the large rounded rocks a few for them to grab on and push off.
feed one medium size not large earthworm a day to larger axolotyl. Maybe some blood worms here and there as a treat as they mess up the water quality so I only use them in tubs because I can turkey baster it right out after.
In the wild they are huge I'm sure they eat more than every other day. The short fat worms will do night crawlers are huge that's why they say Feed every other day so I just feed one medium earthworm every day instead. I don't bother with pellets another water hazard to me.
Feed 2 red wigglers super small worms to babies 2-4 inch axolotyl or as many bloodworms they will eat. They always refuse food when they are full they are not stupid I noticed. Clean up any mess after.
Babies do not like tanks so keep them in tubs until they are about 4-5 inches and big enough to swim to the top for air. and not be tired...in the wild the canals they are in are about 3-5 feet deep so they should be fine
Feed babies brine shrimp every day and change the water every day after. Put in cattappa leaves back after the change with a few drops stress coat
Important%%## YOU MUST GET AN AIR CONDITIONER AND DEDICATE A ROOM OR THE BASEMENT SOMEWHERE THAT STAYS BETWEEN 50-68 degrees and does not fluctuate much. OR YOU MUST GET A CHILLER, YOU MUST KEEP THEM COOL NO MATTER WHAT.!!!!! THERES NO FAN OR ICE BOTTLE THAT WILL HELP TRUST ME IT WILL JUST FLUCTUATE TEMPS STRESSING THE AXIES.
THAT IS THE MAIN PROBLEM WITH ALL THESE SICK AXIES. WARM WATER SO BACTERIA ,AMMONIA AND FUNGUS THRIVE. OR. FLUCTUATING TEMPS CAUSING SICKNESS. OR THE CHEMICALS IN WATER CONDITIONERS USED. THEY CAN GO RIGHT IN TAP WATER WITH A CATTAPPA LEAF ALONE AND BE FINE. THEY JUST NEED TO KEEP THE SLIME COAT.
IF YOU AGREE TO GET ONE MAKE SURE THATS THE FIRST THING YOU SECURE...THE TEMP. WOULD YOU WANT TO BE IN A HOT TUB FOR MONTHS?? No because its uncomfortable and would probably make you sick drive you crazy right? So please keep you're axies cool at all TIMES!!!!
YOU CAN CYCLE YOUR TANK WHILE THE AXIES ARE IN IT DO 90% water changes for the first few months gradually decreasing to 45% as time goes on. And your tank cycles although as I said they hate filters so you. Can use a plastic bottle if that's all you have to slow the water in the filter. You should only use a small amount of Stress coat ap . I really only use it to replace there slime coat. Only half the dose because the axolotyl needs hard water and breaths air just fine anyways. The chlorine will go away and cannot harm the axolotyl mabey kill some bacteria though...As long as your tap water is drinkable and makes the white residue on the tank it is hard and ok to use if not its soft.
I find if you leave the cattappa leaves in, the water at right temp, feed them right and engage in them everyday so they don't get bored you will have a healthy axie. I have two blue gills,some juveniles a few 3 inch and babies only millimeters and they are loving life hope this helps...ps get the cattapa leaves ,elder cones, loose the filter get a clear biomechanics corner filter for 20 gallon or the 40 gallon filter for larger tanks
Filter needed :https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B079M732S6/ref=sxts_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526682667&sr=1
Cattappa leaves for any fungal bacterial,and stress,natural cure,generally wellness of the axie
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M9GI2IK?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title
Get a cooler or an air conditioner..winter you can leave the window in there room open and close the door . tape off any heat conning into the room from the vent. . whew okay well hope all this helps..I never did fridge or salt my axie.. That has to be the worst thing ever. Burning for 15 minutes no thankyou kattappa leaves for me
If they are not eating they are probably not comfortable,don't have a big appetite,over fed,blockage issue. Warm water issue. Keep the ammonia out they poop a lot even if you have a filter change the water 30% every week on a cycled tank.
If they have bad skin problems its the water for sure use cattappa leaves for natural water conditioner and stress coat every time you change water.
NOTE---Please make sure you give your axie love,attention and a nice habitat they are beings as well as we are so be nice Hope this helps everyone suffering with a sick axie please again don't fridge or salt him or dose him up or put any small rocks only national geographic blk sand substrate under the hides only keep the tank as clean as possible you'll have a healthy axie
 

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xxianxx

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A few corrections to your post
Hang on filters are fine , it's water flow which is a potential stressor not the style of filter.
Fridging and salt baths are accepted methods of treating a number of problems, almond leaf is not a cure all btw
Babies are fine in tanks, I have raised thousands in tanks ranging from one to six feet.
Feeding and water change regimes are not standardised, they should be done as appropriate, some axolotls want to eat more than others of the same size, this is especially true of females pre and post laying. The feeding regime ie frequency and type of food, water vol , temp and wether the tank is planted or not will determine water change percentage and frequency.
Amazonian set up ? A blackwater river set up ? A naturalistic setup for this species would be a mud bottomed heavily planted tank with little to no water flow.
Black sand is not vital, there are numerous suitable sand types.
 

xxianxx

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Forgot to mention that cycling a tank with an axolotl in is considered cruel by many keeper as it gets exposed to ammonia.
 

Tye

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Yeah I'm glad someone pointed out that cycling with the animal in is not only dangerous but exposing them to toxic compounds on purpose.
It's much, much safer to just avoid getting the animal until you have a safe, cycled, tank to put it in.
Especially considering how many people have axolotls with ammonia burns and nitrite poisoning in various threads. Not many people have the dedication, time, or energy to do large volume water changes sometimes twice daily to keep up, and large water changes make cycling take longer anyway.
Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do it.
Why take risks when you can just spend the time ahead of time and do it right and safely?
 

Biev

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Please keep in mind that just because this setup and these methods work for you, doesn't mean they are the best or the only valid ones. It's good to let others learn from our mistakes, but we should be careful when sharing our successes.
 
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