Are these guys healthy?

I just got these 2 guys a few days ago. One male and one Female. I notices some gold kina spots and never owned them before so i want to know if its normal. Sorry about the blood worms in the pictures i just fed them. Also any suggestions on the tank. I am new to these guys and want to make the best for them.

The one on the left looks good, the one on the right looks like it's gills are abit short but that might just be it's genetics or a previous illness. I'd suggest adding a small air pump just to give the water more oxygen, I find it helps. The water also looks abit murky, perhaps it's the photo though.
Over all, it looks fine, just keep it clean and cool and your Axolotls will do fine.

Ian

E.T.A- Gold spots are just markings, they can randomly develop them, so nothing to worry about.

The water is murkey...The filter is going but has not helped. I dont know how to get it more clear.

Do a partial water change, and then let the water settle.

ok ill try that tonight. Thanks. I also wanted to know is it safe to use water conditioners and Chemicals with Axtolols? I am mainly asking about the stuff to clear cloudy water

No. Only use a dechlorinater.

The gold spots are a perfectly normal part of their coloration. Nice looking animals!

The water isn't very murky, I wouldn't worry about it. If you keep up the regular partial changes (20%) it will eventually clear on its own. You know about cycling the tank and watching out for ammonia, right?

Yeah but i do have to get an amonia test kit

You also might want to add some more hiding spots. Axolotls like to feel secure. Creating caves and hides makes them feel safe, and it makes your tank look interesting. You can also try live plants.

oK i did add a moss ball but they did not seem to like it so i am going to get some material plants tomorrow and also another cave.

G'day, AmandaLyne,

You will have to quarantine the plants first to prevent the introduction for unwanted snails, Hydra, and other pathogens. Bathing the plants in 10 mg/L of potassium permanganate for 10 minutes will effectively remove most of these critters. The plants will have to rinse thoroughly before being put back into the Q-tank.

NB. Potassium permangante will stain clothing and hands. Make sure you wear gloves and unattractive clothing, unless you wish to look like Barney the Dinosaur

Jay.

kira said:

No. Only use a dechlorinater.

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adding any kind of chemicals to the tank can cause serious illness for axolotl!

thya said:

adding any kind of chemicals to the tank can cause serious illness for axolotl!

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YOU NEED TO ADD DECHLORINATER TO THE WATER BECAUSE CHLORINE AND CHLORAMINE WILL KILL YOUR AXOLOTL.

Alice this is a commonly KNOWN fact!!!!!!!

Hi AmandyLyne - welcome to the world of axolotls, and the Forum!

If your water is still murky, you can check your filter; it may be full of gunk and need a cleaning (a good idea every couple, three months). To clean the filter, fill a bucket with water from the aquarium and rinse the filter media in that - that way you disturb the bacteria in the filter less than by running it under tap water.

Fake plants don't need to be quarantined (they also don't require light or specific temperatures, which is why I have long preferred them to live plants).

As you can see, water conditioners are somewhat disputed. There are some solutions you can add to an aquarium that have aloe vera and are supposed to help maintain healthy skin. So far I have never seen conclusive evidence that these help, nor has it been proven that they do or do not hurt an axolotl - so in that case I'd say it's best to leave them out.

Then there are "starter bacteria" solutions. These generally are bunk. There is one called BioSpira that apparently really contains live bacteria - it is kept in the fridge at pet shops, although also reputed to be difficult to find. This solution is only intended to help kick-start the biological filter (cycling a tank).

Dechlorinators are certainly the most commonly sold/recommended solutions. The trick here is to know whether you need a dechlorinator at all. To do so, you need to call your water company or check its website and find out if you have chlorine and/or chlormaines in your water supply. For example, here in Germany, we don't; in the US and Australia, they do. Chlorine will evaporate - if your water contains chlorine, it is enough to fill it into a bucket with a hard spray (like from a shower head) and let it stand a bit (minutes, hours, overnight...) before adding it to the tank. Chloramines, however, will not evaporate. If your water supply contains chloramines, you need a dechlorinator to remove them.

Although it seems at first to be necessary, good, and even fun to add chemicals of various sorts to your tank, many are not beneficial, some may be harmful, and all are an additional expense in the long run.

By the way, I think your axolotls are awfully cute. Look well fed, too.

-Eva

thya said:

adding any kind of chemicals to the tank can cause serious illness for axolotl!

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I am sure Alice meant anything other than dechlorinator.

John said:

I am sure Alice meant anything other than dechlorinator.

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Alice mentioned this on another post. Hence, my comment.

"ad.: i forgot something important- do you use any kind of water conditioners?
because it is important to keep them out of the water, axolotl cant deal with the normally used conditioners and often get very, very ill - the use of conditioners results in long-term damage of an axolotls health."

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58642

May I hijack this thread and ask my own question about water conditioners?

From what you've said, I assume it's not a good idea to use a 'tap safe' product such as I would use before putting water in my fish tank. Is that so? Better to just sit the water overnight?

And secondly, I've tested our water and found it too acidic according to guidelines I've read (6.4ph). I'd hoped to find a product to raise the ph. Is this ill-advised, too? If so, what steps would you take to achieve good ph levels in naturally acidic water?

floxie said:

From what you've said, I assume it's not a good idea to use a 'tap safe' product such as I would use before putting water in my fish tank. Is that so? Better to just sit the water overnight?

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I'm assuming 'tap safe' is a dechlorinator? If your water has only chlorine in it, then you may just let it stand overnight and the chlorine should evaporate. The advantage of dechlorinator is that it works instantly and you can use the treated water a few moments after for a water change. Letting the water sit overnight gives no guarantee that the chlorine is gone - for peace of mind I always use dechlorinator.

If your water has chloramine in it however, then this will not evaporate and the only way to remove it is to use a dechlorinater. You need to ensure that the dechlorinator states that it removes both chloramine and chloramine as if it only treats the water for chlorine it's no good for water with chloramine present as it will have no effect and if any chloramine remains in the water and you add it to the tank, this will kill the axolotl and will also wipe out your beneficial bacteria.

For futher information, I would suggest you read this.

floxie said:

And secondly, I've tested our water and found it too acidic according to guidelines I've read (6.4ph). I'd hoped to find a product to raise the ph. Is this ill-advised, too? If so, what steps would you take to achieve good ph levels in naturally acidic water?

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Chemical pH uppers and downers should be avoided at all costs as axololts are highly sensitive to chemicals. Natural methods to adjust pH such as using shell grit or coral sand (both these raise pH) are far better as these keep the pH at a maintained constant. Chemical uppers and downers are constantly fluxuating which stresses the axolotls and can make them sick.

If you use shell grit, you just need to put it in a pantyhose leg. Ensure you rinse the stockinged grit thoroughly before adding to the aquarium - otherwise say hello to cloudiness lol. I would add a cup at a time, wait a few days, test the water and if needed add more shell grit to the stocking. Keeping the shell grit in the stocking gives you the control on the pH levels.

There's really nothing nasty in dechlorinator. It amazes me that anyone would advise against.