Female attacking male axie..

[hotfish]

Hello!

I have two ~1.5 year old male and female axolotls in a 42 gallon long planted tank. They are fed night crawlers every other day. They're both about 9 inches long.

Recently I noticed that the male was missing a large chunk of its tail, a large red/pink fleshy thing on his back foot, and the front one had a long piece of skin hanging off.
Pics: http://i.imgur.com/Qbd0KJh.jpg http://i.imgur.com/utkDps1.jpg http://i.imgur.com/G0pvjLF.jpg

What could cause this sudden onset of aggression? Is there anything I can do so they can live peacefully again?

Thanks!

[Tephra]

I'm not quite sure what sparks aggression in healthy and fed axolotls... but for now, I'd say... try and use a tank divider if you can; leave them within sight of each other but still divided to prevent any further injury. Later on, when he's healed, you could try again. If she attacks him again, you may have to think of putting them in separate tanks.

Oh, and keep an eye out for fungus on open wounds. Keep the poor guy in nice, fresh and cool water. Give him some tea baths too. He should be just fine.

[auntiejude]

Are you sure the female caused those injuries? I find that if my axies bite each other it's usually because they are hungry and either get in each others' way when feeding or just snap and anything that moves. They sometimes need feeding more often in the warmer months as the have a quicker metabolism.

I'd try feeding them every day for a short while.