Illness/Sickness: Dead axolotl

Hello Guys,

You might have been reading my other post about Tiki , the attacked juvi, she is doing remarkably well,

Unfortunately i have just found my adult axi dead (not floating) in his tank.

I am so confused as to why he had died? he should no signs of illness , but last night i saw him floating (like handstands) but as soon as i nudged him she swam off , the only alters i have made to their tank is sand and java ferns.

Also , what should i do with my other axi whom he shared a tank with???

Please don't think i don't look after my axi's i have just has an unlucky few weeks.

Thanks Guys c

How long had you owned it?

Mojojomo said:

Unfortunately i have just found my adult axi dead (not floating) in his tank.

I am so confused as to why he had died? he should no signs of illness , but last night i saw him floating (like handstands) but as soon as i nudged him she swam off , the only alters i have made to their tank is sand and java ferns.

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Hi Mojojomo,

I'm so sorry for your loss. :sad:

When you say the only alterations made to the tank were the additions of sand and java ferns, can you give a little further information on this...

What type of sand is it? Where did it come from? Was it rinsed thoroughly before being added to the tank?

Did you quarantine the java ferns before putting them in the tank? Where did they come from? Did they come from an aquarium, garden centre or other? To your knowledge could any plant fertilizer have been used on these plants before they came to you?

Was your tank cycled before you added the new substrate and plants?

For now, I would take the remaining axolotl out of the aquarium and keep him in a bucket or plastic tub with fresh dechlorinated water until you can rule the tank environment out as the cause of death.

Have you tested the water?

It's wonderful news about Tiki, I hope she thrives for you. :happy:

thanks for the reply,

i am new to plants in my tank , i got them from an aquarium and he just said they where fine to put straight in, i rinsed the sand thoroughly with boiling water before i put it in , they have been in the tank for about 2 weeks.

oh and the tank was cycled before i put the new plants and sand, the sand is a white colored sand, i will try and get more details.

i have had Mojo and Jomo for about a year now ,and they have never had any problems. there where no marks or fungus on them , when i found jomo his gills where grey and had like a "singed" look to them , my dad told me to put him in salty water incase he was not dead (apperantly you do this to fish when there playing dead) but he was well and truely gone

Mojojomo said:

i have had Mojo and Jomo for about a year now ,and they have never had any problems. there where no marks or fungus on them , when i found jomo his gills where grey and had like a "singed" look to them , my dad told me to put him in salty water incase he was not dead (apperantly you do this to fish when there playing dead) but he was well and truely gone

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Singed gills are usually caused by water quality issues.

Have you tested the water? If you could advise on your readings for Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate and pH that would be most helpful.

How frequently have you been doing partial water changes and how much water do you replace each time?

Also, how large is the tank?

When you added sand as a new substrate, did you scrub anything in the tank? If there is Ammonia present in the tank there is a chance the cycle may have been disrupted causing a toxic spike.

Please bear in mind that Axolotls are NOT fish and have very sensitive skin.

How much salt was in this 'salty water' (ie. how many grams of salt per litre of water) and how long was the axolotl left in the salty water for?

Depending on the quantity of salt in the water (salt baths for treating fungus quantity is 2-3 teaspoons per litre) the salt can damage an axolotls skin and in particular the gills if the axolotl is left in it for more than 15 minutes. If more salt than this was in the 'salty water' it would take even less time to start damageing the gills and skin.