Axolotl - looks like he is dying - laying still at the bottom

Came home to a terrible sight. From having two very fresh axolotls Sunday night to have a very inactive and lazy one Monday morning - laying on the back.


One of my axolotl was at the bottom of the aquarium with its belly up. He didn't float, but lay half on the back / side.

How their home is furnished:
Temp. in aquarium 18 degrees Celsius - 64 Fahrenheit
Feeding every other day
Water exchange every two weeks.
2 pieces of fine axolotl in a 530 liter aquarium
Small pump with a good filter that creates minimal circulation in the water but still cleans well.

As it is now:
He does not move much. Laying very still, but moves his legs sometimes
Roll on its side.
Slime layer seems thin.
Twitches and seems very irritated when I turn him right again. Tilting unfortunately after a few hours.
His eyes are still clear

The water is changed Monday, and took water samples to be tested Tuesday. It's clean.


I have turned off the pump to get completely calm water conditions.

Have received the following advice:
No food for three days
Deliver my water sample.

Some who have a suggestion on what might be wrong with that little nugget?
Overeating?
Parasites?

Is there anything I can do? Some good advices?

Have only had the two small nuggets (15-20 cm) in three weeks, so I'll be very sorry if he must be killed!

It would help if you could get them to wright down the actual readings for ammonia etc, rather than say its clean, as first guess if only been in tank, with the un cycled filter for 3weeks then it's proberbly a water problem, do daily water changes of a larger volume of water. And if you can post some pics that would be good.

He said the numbers were fine, and the water could not be the problem. He thought the little ax had eaten too much food. And the other one is very active.
The pump was only turned off for a single day.
I will try to take some photos of him.

Well it looks likes he's stressed about something, have you tried taking him out and putting it a Tupperware type container with cool clean declorinated water? And putting it somewhere dark and cool (possibly the fridge, I'm not sure how big they have to be to fridge them) change the water for fresh every day (same temp as where he is, so if in fridge have another bottle of new water in there at the same temp)
This should give you some time for either some one with more experiance to have a look, it will also help him poop out if that's what he needs.
And I know from experiance you can't always trust what a LFS has to say about the quality of the water, that's why I (and it's recommended) for them to wright the results Dow. Or to buy the tests and do it your self.

If the tank wasn't cycled before they went in (how long have they been in there) a water change once e dry two weeks is not possibly going to be enough.

I know I keep going on about the water, but that is usually the first suspect, there are all sorts of strange reasons that you can have a spike in something, even in well established tanks. And you can find that some will react quicker to it than others.

What are you feeding them. How much waste gets left in the tank. Have they ever been on gravel. How long have you had them.

Try the separation in another container, with clean water, you can know for sure it's defiantly not the tank and we can take it from there.

hTH

They have been in the tank for three weeks. I've changed water two times. The pump has been turned on all the time. He lay on the side again this morning. Yesterday evening he walked arond for two minutes. They eat bloodworms. There Are cichlidesand at the bottom.

What a heartbreaking photo poor axie

Ok as Lollypop has said your axie does look stressed (his gills are forward) what filter are you using, is it causing a lot of current in your tank??

Also you say cichlidesand is that just normal aquarium sand??

On the diet front, is it frozen bloodworm you are using or live?? If frozen is it being defrosted before its put in the tank and any uneaten taken out??

Axies should be fed earthworms as a staple diet it is far better for them and you can use frozen bloodworm as a treat everynow and again to vary the diet! I personally steer clear of it as it makes a right mess in the tank :happy:

I would fridge your axie asap as it cant be very nice for him to be in his side rolling around and he would be far more comfortable in the fridge! you need to get a tupperware box and fill it with clean dechlorinated water and ideally only just over his back so it will be easier for him to stay on his feet! You need to keep 2 tubs in the fridge and change him into the clean one daily so the water is the same temp! I find it helps to put a tea towel over the tub so when you go in and out of the fridge he is not disturbed.

Here's an article on fridging but any help or questions you need please ask.

Axolotl Sanctuary

He is going in the fridge as soon as I get home. It's cichlidesand. The pump doens't make alot of circulation. Normally you would use it in a 250 ltr aquarium, and it's set at the lowest.

Thank you so much for helping me out!

Sanne said:

He is going in the fridge as soon as I get home. It's cichlidesand. The pump doens't make alot of circulation. Normally you would use it in a 250 ltr aquarium, and it's set at the lowest.

Thank you so much for helping me out!

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I think that is the best bet for now for him!

Is it live or frozen bloodoworm you feed him??

I am sorry I dont know what cichlidesand is, what does it have in it, is it just plain aquarium sand / play sand?? Upon looking on the net some sands for cichlids can have coral in them, just wondering if your sand has something in it that may be unsuitable?

They are frozen. And the sand should be pure sand and nothing else, that's what I've paid for. There will be an update later today. Need to go home from work and take care of my little axie. ;-(

Sanne said:

They are frozen. And the sand should be pure sand and nothing else, that's what I've paid for. There will be an update later today. Need to go home from work and take care of my little axie. ;-(

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Ok thats all good then! It might be that the axie was sick before you got him but fridge him when you get home and lets see if that helps him, also if he does have something wrong with him could be a good idea to isolate him from your other one for the time being!

Good luck!

Cichlid sand is not appropriate for axolotls. It's chemical composition changes water chemistry pretty significantly. That's fine for cichlids, but not for axolotls.

With a brand new tank, you should be doing water changes every 2-3 days, not twice in 3 weeks. Even though you have a filter, it is not yet colonized with the beneficial bacteria needed to remove ammonia and nitrites from your water. It could take weeks-to-months to build up an appropriate colony of bacteria.

Putting the little guy in the fridge is a good start. Change the water in the tub every day with fresh, dechlorinated water that is the same temperature (so you'll have to store water just for your axolotl in the fridge). You can find a more detailed article on friding here.

Then you'll need to remove all that sand and get something that is inert. Play sand, pool filter sand, slate tiles, or no substrate are all fine choices.

And invest in a master test kit. Use liquid reagents, not dip-strips, with ammonia and nitrite being the MOST important, with nitrate coming in a close 3rd. Most people recommend API kits. They're well-worth their money.

Kaysie said:

Cichlid sand is not appropriate for axolotls. It's chemical composition changes water chemistry pretty significantly. That's fine for cichlids, but not for axolotls.

With a brand new tank, you should be doing water changes every 2-3 days, not twice in 3 weeks. Even though you have a filter, it is not yet colonized with the beneficial bacteria needed to remove ammonia and nitrites from your water. It could take weeks-to-months to build up an appropriate colony of bacteria.

Putting the little guy in the fridge is a good start. Change the water in the tub every day with fresh, dechlorinated water that is the same temperature (so you'll have to store water just for your axolotl in the fridge). You can find a more detailed article on friding here.

Then you'll need to remove all that sand and get something that is inert. Play sand, pool filter sand, slate tiles, or no substrate are all fine choices.

And invest in a master test kit. Use liquid reagents, not dip-strips, with ammonia and nitrite being the MOST important, with nitrate coming in a close 3rd. Most people recommend API kits. They're well-worth their money.

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Kaysie - glad you have heard of that sand I had not and thought the same about it having something in it unsuitable as from what i could find on the internet some contained coral and other ingredients!

He is in the fridge and full of energy. The cichlidesand is mixed with playsand and boiled for two hours, before it was filled in the aquarium. The axolotlGuy i bought Them from, and he have been working with theese animals for five years, told me to make bottom that way. Toby is during great in the fridge, and got to stay there for a few days.
So thank you very much for your help!

What kind of food will be the best? Normally i give them bloodworms and shrimps.

Kaysie said:

Cichlid sand is not appropriate for axolotls. It's chemical composition changes water chemistry pretty significantly. That's fine for cichlids, but not for axolotls.

With a brand new tank, you should be doing water changes every 2-3 days, not twice in 3 weeks. Even though you have a filter, it is not yet colonized with the beneficial bacteria needed to remove ammonia and nitrites from your water. It could take weeks-to-months to build up an appropriate colony of bacteria.

Putting the little guy in the fridge is a good start. Change the water in the tub every day with fresh, dechlorinated water that is the same temperature (so you'll have to store water just for your axolotl in the fridge). You can find a more detailed article on friding here.

Then you'll need to remove all that sand and get something that is inert. Play sand, pool filter sand, slate tiles, or no substrate are all fine choices.

And invest in a master test kit. Use liquid reagents, not dip-strips, with ammonia and nitrite being the MOST important, with nitrate coming in a close 3rd. Most people recommend API kits. They're well-worth their money.

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I started preparing the water three weeks before I got the two boys home. Not enough time?

Try earthworms, with everything else as an occasional snack.

Three weeks is rarely enough time. Cycling usually takes around 6 weeks. It can be done with the animals in the tank, but that's dangerous without almost-daily water testing.

Update on Toby.

He was very cheeky in the fridge this morning. I hope for the best. By the way, the little axie, Joey has become very cheeky and filled with attitude after he got the penthouse for himself.

How do I get Toby back in the tank again?

Glad he is doing better, the fridge is "chillling" him out lol so will hopefully give him time to sort himself out! I would leave him in the fridge for a few more days yet just remember to change that water daily!!

As for when the time comes to pop him back in the tank all you need to do is take the tub out of the fridge and leave it to come back to room temperature. Monitor the temp in the tub and your tank and when both are roughly at the same temperature you can pop him back in the tank!

zoezakella said:

Glad he is doing better, the fridge is "chillling" him out lol so will hopefully give him time to sort himself out! I would leave him in the fridge for a few more days yet just remember to change that water daily!!

As for when the time comes to pop him back in the tank all you need to do is take the tub out of the fridge and leave it to come back to room temperature. Monitor the temp in the tub and your tank and when both are roughly at the same temperature you can pop him back in the tank!

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Wauw... That sound really easy. Thanks again.. ;-)

Sanne said:

Wauw... That sound really easy. Thanks again.. ;-)

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No problem, just hope it helps him!!