Photo: Pinky and Brain photo shoot

Axylover12318 · May 24, 2010

My beautiful Axolotls. Pinky is (obviously) the pink one with no gills (can anyone tell me why??) and Brain was

() the grey one. Sadly he died last week.

Shizeric · May 24, 2010

A pic of the entire setup would be helpful...and do you know the water parameters (pH, nitrates, nitrites, and especially ammonia).

What temp is the tank and how long have you had them?

Axylover12318 · May 24, 2010

Shizeric said:
A pic of the entire setup would be helpful...and do you know the water parameters (pH, nitrates, nitrites, and especially ammonia).

What temp is the tank and how long have you had them?

Hi,

I don't know the pH, it's water from the tap that I leave to sit for around 5 days and then put it in the tank. The ammonia and nitrates/nitrites are 0. I've attached a picture of their set up. The tank is about 2 feet long by a foot deep with a pump that sprays the water onto the side of the tank so as not to disturb the water too much, and the water is 18C. I've had them about a year. Before me they were in a tank without a filter or anything and before that they lived in a laboratory.

Brain was fine and then one day I noticed he had white fuzzy stuff on his back, so I came on this website and loads of others and they suggested it was fungal, so I gave him a salt bath at the lowest salt concentration suggested and he went absolutely mental. He thrashed around, bit half his tail off, he was going upside down and looked like he was having a fit. I was so scared that I took him out after 2 minutes because I thought I'd killed him. But then he was fine, so I gave him a 10 minute salt bath and this time he just lay there without moving, and from then on he basically died

Shizeric · May 24, 2010

How frequent are your water changes?

Axylover12318 · May 24, 2010

Shizeric said:
How frequent are your water changes?

Once a week

Shizeric · May 24, 2010

Hmm, not entirely sure..but the tank size is too small for 2 adult Axolotls, and with only weekly water changes the ammonia could have built up quickly and made your animals sick. How vigilant are you at waste removal, and what was their diet/feeding schedule?

Axylover12318 · May 25, 2010

Shizeric said:
Hmm, not entirely sure..but the tank size is too small for 2 adult Axolotls, and with only weekly water changes the ammonia could have built up quickly and made your animals sick. How vigilant are you at waste removal, and what was their diet/feeding schedule?

I hand feed them so no food gets left, and I clean up waste once a week with the water change. I feed them pellets that I was given by the lab, Brain got fed every other day, and Pinky gets fed every day (he's skinnier)

shoegal · May 25, 2010

Do you use a dechlorinator like Novaqua or Amquel, or do you just let your water sit out?

Letting your water sit out can get rid of certain chemicals that are used to treat municipal water but not others.

Shizeric · May 25, 2010

Cleaning up waste once a week isn't sufficient. It should really be done on a daily basis.

Axylover12318 · May 25, 2010

Shizeric said:
Cleaning up waste once a week isn't sufficient. It should really be done on a daily basis.

I do have a dechlorinator but it's designed for fish tanks and I'm worried that it'll harm Pinky; it makes the water slightly blue. I can never really see any waste in the tank, and I always wondered if they pooed or not! How do you normally clean the waste? I just rough the sand up and pick up any floating muck. I'm sure that's not the best way though

Shizeric · May 25, 2010

The most efficent technique is to use a turkey baster and remove the clumps of poo laying around. A siphon vacuum is also a great tool especially since you use sand as a substrate.

Shizeric · May 25, 2010

Do you use a filter in your tank?

Greatwtehunter · May 25, 2010

Axylover12318 said:
I do have a dechlorinator but it's designed for fish tanks and I'm worried that it'll harm Pinky; it makes the water slightly blue.

I would seriously switch declorinators. If it's turning the water blue then it has some other chemicals in there that don't need to be. Heck, this chemical could be the root of your problem.

Shizeric · May 25, 2010

As Mariah said, the 2 best dechlorinators around are Novaqua and Amquel, they come highly recommended from many caudate owners.

Axylover12318 · May 25, 2010

Greatwtehunter said:
I would seriously switch declorinators. If it's turning the water blue then it has some other chemicals in there that don't need to be. Heck, this chemical could be the root of your problem.

I'll buy some new dechlorinator. I don't normally use it, I normally leave the water to sit for a few days instead, it's only if I've forgotten to let the water sit and they need a water change! I have a plastic tube that I use as a siphon for cleaning out the tank, but it's not great as if it gets too close to the sand it just sucks it all up and I have to put more sand in! Is a vacuum siphon any different to my plastic tube that I suck to get the siphoning action? I have never seen any clumps of poo ever in their tank! Maybe that's the problem? There is a small pump with a filter, I have it positioned so the water coming out hit the side of the tank first so as not to have a current

Greatwtehunter · May 25, 2010

You might want to check with your local water treatment facility and see if they add chloramine to your drinking water. Most places now add this chemical to your water in conjuction with chlorine. It is just as bad, health wise, for axolotls as chlorine but unlike chlorine it doesn't evaporate. So even if you let your water sit for a few days this chemical will remain. Look for a good dechlorinator that removes both of these chemicals (most do nowadays anyway).

Axolotl poop disintegrats rather quickly so it isn't uncommon to see just dust. I recommend just using the hose for water changes and switch to a turkey baster for spot cleaning. This common household item is like gold when it comes to tank maintence if you ask me!

Axylover12318 · May 25, 2010

Greatwtehunter said:
You might want to check with your local water treatment facility and see if they add chloramine to your drinking water. Most places now add this chemical to your water in conjuction with chlorine. It is just as bad, health wise, for axolotls as chlorine but unlike chlorine it doesn't evaporate. So even if you let your water sit for a few days this chemical will remain. Look for a good dechlorinator that removes both of these chemicals (most do nowadays anyway).

Axolotl poop disintegrats rather quickly so it isn't uncommon to see just dust. I recommend just using the hose for water changes and switch to a turkey baster for spot cleaning. This common household item is like gold when it comes to tank maintence if you ask me!

Just bought NovAqua and Amquel water conditioners and a turkey baster! I want to do everything I can to make Pinky the happiest healthiest Axolotl that he can be!! Is there any chance that his gills will grow long and beautiful like all the axies on this forum or is it just genetic?

Shizeric · May 25, 2010

Not, it's probably not genetic, and with proper care they should regrow...

melfly · May 30, 2010

And as for looking for a new friend for him....I agree totally with Shizeric.
Your tank is too small. And you need to sort your current issues out before you consider getting another axolotl.

Pinky wont be lonely so dont worry. Its in his best interest to keep him on his own in that tank until you upgrade.

Mel

jclee · May 30, 2010

Axylover12318 said:
Hi,

I don't know the pH, it's water from the tap that I leave to sit for around 5 days and then put it in the tank. The ammonia and nitrates/nitrites are 0.

I would double check your readings. The nitrates shouldn't be 0 in a cycled tank. How much of the water are you changing at a time?

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