Illness/Sickness: Leucistic looking pale and purple

hi, i have a Leucistic and about a week ago a got some small feeder fish, wasnt really interested and they were eating his gills so i took them out. i noticed today that he has gone kinda purple, like he has no oxygen or something, he is really pale and the veins in him arent pink anymore, they are a deep purple. also, his remaining gills are purple as well. he has been spitting his food out as well the past few days, except maybe 1 piece - beef heart cut into small strips like worms. not sure if his colour is normal.

We will need more information then you have given us so far I'm afraid.

How old is your axolotl and how long have you owned it?

What sort of feeder fish were they and did you quarantine them before you added them to the axolotls tank?
Is it possible you could post a photo of him. Sometimes a chance to see something properly rather then hearing a description is the better way to go.

Could you tell us about the tank you have him in?
Size?, substrate? (ie gravel), temperature?

Lighting?

Is your tank cycled?

Do you test your tank water using a test kit?

Do you carry out regular water changes?

Have you tried any other food apart from feeder fish and beef heart?

Once we have these answers and possibly a photo I'm sure we will be able to help you.

hi, i have had him for 2 weeks. not sure how old he is as i bought him from a pet store. he has the dark toes already though and he is 19 cm.
i bought the feeder fish from the same pet store and they said they should be fine and i didnt think to quaranteen them. the fish were just small barbs i was told. they were bought a week after i got him and were in with him for about 3 days until they ate half his gills. he did eat 1 though.
hes in a 2 foot tank 3/4 full of water with 2 filters. theres no strong current or anything. on the bottom i have washed river sand i got from the landscape place. i washed it thoroughly myself until the water was clear. i also have a few large pebbles around some live plants. not sure of the temp but theres no heater.
the tank is near a window but not in direct sun.
i have a neutralising block in with him.
since i have had him i have changed about 20% of the water twice (once a week).
he has had earth worms bought from the same pet store and some pork cut like worms. but mainly been on beef hearts - the fat has been trimmed off. he has been hand fed so there is no old food on the bottom.

he has been in the same tank as another one, a golden, and there has been no fighting or injuries. my golden looks pale and kinda blueish purpleish as well.

i will post pics soon.

This sounds like a good portion of stress to me and there might be a problem with your tank water. Try to get the readings Becky suggested - temperature and the most important water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate). Changing 20% of water once a week in an uncycled tank might be deficient. If the tank is cycling, you will have a buildup of toxic ammonia and nitrite. I do not know what a "neutralizing block" is? I would not suggest to add any chemicals to the tank apart from water conditioner.

The first action you should take would be to place the Axolotl(s) in a tank/tub/big bucket with clean, fresh, conditioned water. And try to get your tank water tested. If you do not have a testing kit, I think the guys at the pet shop could do it for you.

the neutralizing block keeps the ph the same without adding chemicals or uppers and downers. i, pretty sure its just bi carb and dissolves as necessary.

the tank the feeders were moved to now has very tiny worm like things all over the tank, mainly on the glass. their about 1mm and as thin as hair. i dont know what they are and i have googled worms and stuff but cant find them. they are also in the axolotl tank. you wouldnt even notice them unless you look very closely. any ideas?

I'm surprised they gave you barbs, since they're notorious for being fin nippers. It's no wonder they picked at his gills.

As for the worms, do you see any hanging off from the fish? Or do the fish have any abnormalities, like red spots, wounds, etc? I just want to rule out whether it's an intestinal parasite or not, even though it's quite uncommon. I've heard of pest species of worms similar to what you've described, whereby they dig into the silicon and eat it away, destroying the tank in the process. Although all of my experiences with them were with marine set ups. Sorry I can't be more of a help. Hopefully I've narrowed it down further so that someone else can identify the worms for you.

I think the 'worms' you are seeing are planaria. These are tiny organisms that feed on rotting food and waste. They can be found in a healthy aquarium, however if you have them in large numbers then it could be that you are not keeping your tank clean enough. A 20% water change every 2-3 days, along with removal of waste/ uneaten food when spotted will soon bring the little critters back into check. You will probably always have them, but in smaller numbers you won't notice them as much.
They shouldn't bother your axolotls but they are an indication of too much waste in the tank and too much waste leads to deterioration of water conditions which will obviously affect your axolotls.

i have emptied out all the tank water, got rid of the sand and now have large pebbles and i gave the tank a really good clean as i didnt want any nasties in it. they have their colour back and all is well. thanks for all the help and info.

So you're starting from scratch again. Sorry to be a pain but the large pebbles will be harder to clean under than the sand.
The planaria couldn't really be described as nasties as they are actually eating waste. You may still notice them reappear as they are part of a healthy aquarium. Just keep the waste to a minimum and it will be fine.

i did start from scratch. wiped everything out and put large pebbles on the bottom. it was harder to clean so now ive got basically a bare bottom tank wth a few scattered pebbles. i will be getting sand soon. it has been about a week now since i cleaned it out and have done 2 water canges - nothing drastic just about 15% and the water is now grey. the golden axolotl has gone a little bluish again so it went in a bucket of clean water over night. it helped. not sure about the water colour though. any ideas?

Do you mean that the water is a bit cloudy/has a milky hue?

If so, it could be one of three things:
1. The substrate wasn't rinsed through enough before being added to the tank. If that's the case, then I don't think it's harmful; just unsightly. Regular water changes will clear that up.
2. Cloudy water is a sign of a high level of ammonia.
3. I read this somewhere the other day in that new tanks (or ones re-cycling) usually get a bit cloudy due to the bacteria building up and clustering. I'm not sure if that's directly related to the ammonia level though. In any case, water changes and patience should fix the problem up.

...Unless the water really is grey like you said, not milky/cloudy, in which case I have no idea.

i only have a few pebbles on the bottom which were washed but it is mainly bare so its not from that. i will be getting an ammonia test kit tomorrow. its just a little milky looking and seems a little clearer than yesterday.

ammonia levels were .25 is this high or low and would it cause the milkyness?