3 in one week

[gr33neyes]

Perhaps next time, if you are sure it was a temperature issue you will invest in something to keep the water cool first, rather then relying on looking out for the signs.
Good Luck and sorry to hear about your axolotls.

 

[DantezGirl]

my two cents

could the fungus after death be decomposing axolotl? sorry for you're guy's loss as suggested maybe invest in a chiller or a fridge just my opinion not to offend anyone

 

[Zab]

We've had crazy heat waves last night i put an ice bottle in there and zab swan a lil more but came home 2day and he was gone

Really liked them but im not sure if i will get them agian after this

 

[Jake]

could the fungus after death be decomposing axolotl? sorry for you're guy's loss as suggested maybe invest in a chiller or a fridge just my opinion not to offend anyone

If the fungus wasn't present the last time they were seen alive, then it is definitely a side effect of decomposing. If you watch a dead axolotl over the course of 24 hours in 18 C. water, you'll see things get really ugly really quick.

Sorry for your losses everyone.

 

[MistressOfAxies]

Apologies for your losses guys its dreadfully sad. Since I'm in Australia too I can relate to the heat waves you guys are having but also not meaning to offend anyone as dantezgirl said let me just say its really really worthwhile to invest in a chiller, saves you going out of the place & not worrying on the heat or how your axies are

 

[Madhatter]

Yeah it would be good.

But I kind of cant afford one yet.

I don't know how old you guys are, but I'm only 17 and I don't earn much money during the week. I've got all the really important things, and I'm slowly gaining everything else.

A chiller would be great, but for now, ice blocks have to do.

Really guys, thanks so much for all the help. It means alot.

 

[Kal El]

Madhatter,

I wouldn't stress out too much about not being able to afford a chiller, seeing as the cheapest one out in the market is going for about ~$300. I myself do not have a chiller and I also live in Melbourne so I can relate to your frustration with how the weather was last week. More to the point, I have never fridged my axolotl since getting it and I've had it throughout the summer. To cool my tank, I have two 15cm fans and a marine clip-on fan. I also stuck polysterene to the back and sides of my tank to prevent temperature fluctuations when I use the ice bottles. In my freezer I have about 10 frozen 600mL water bottles (containing dechlorinated water).
All of this effectively keeps my tank temperature below 20 degrees all the time.

Jay.

 

[Amiracle]

I found that before I had a chiller, useing polystyrene foam covered in dark aquarium paper and even anglig a desk fan over the top of the tank to aid in evaporation worked really well to keep the temps down.

It appears that there have been some real problems in Australia at the moment with deaths.

 

[Saspotato]

Yea it has been very hot... hottest March so far I think I heard? At least in Melbourne.

Amircle and Kal Al have given some good advice with cooling so you can avoid using a chiller if you invest some time into watching and monitoring the tank yourself. Not sure if you've read this but there is a Caudata article with some more ideas http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml

I have gotten by with frozen water bottles but as I work full time am not around all the time so I often have fridged my axolotl. You could also invest in an esky and house your axolotl in there? They are pretty cheap from Disposal type shops or hardware stores. Don't bother with any of the cheap chillers if you ever decide to get one. I bought an IceProbe (was $200AUD) and it is only good for a 4C or so drop in a 60L tank which is not enough in an Aussie summer!

 

[Hannens Ed]

Madhatter I'm in Melbourne and the heat has been revolting. I am no expert so can't shed any light on your troubles, sorry. I've just moved my Armando into a larger tank and it's so much easier keeping the temp down now. The smaller tank would warm up really quickly. Since he has moved though his tail has gone pale - anyone know why this may happen. His temp and levels are all good, the tank was cycled properly and he's acting normally and eating well. It's just the colour of his tail that bothers me.

 

[Kal El]

Hannens Ed,

If your axolotl is eating normally and isn't show any obvious signs of stress (e.g. curved tail end or gills that pointing forward) I wouldn't stress out too much about the colour change. It has been noted on many cases that axolotls will go through colour changes or even develop patterns as they age.
However, it is also known that discolouration is sign on parasitic infections. For example, if your axolotl is the albino/leucistic type and its skin is too red or overly yellow (for the golden type) then these could be signs of a systemic infection.
Furthermore, you mentioned that you moved your axolotl into a larger tank to lower the temperature and seeing as the weather in Melbourne has cooled down considerably (I also live in Melbourne) it could very well be related to the axolotl's capillaries. This works the same in humans. When you are hot, the muscle tissues in your body relax and the blood vessel (capillaries) dilate, thus increasing blood flow and distributing the heat across the surface of the body for effective evaporation. Hence why people get the 'flustered' appearance- because the capillaries are closer the surface of the skin. The opposite is true when you are cold. The capillaries constrict to retain heat. This would work the same with axolotls...i.e. for the pale appearance in your axolotl.

Jay.

 

[Saspotato]

Hannens, my axolotl goes more pink when the water is warmer and he goes very pale when I put him in the fridge. This is normal Are his gills a bit paler too? If all your parameters are normal and your axolotl is eating, I would suspect it is just the temperature change to the cooler tank... which means nothing to worry about.

 

[Hannens Ed]

Thanks Sarah & Jay. I wasn't overly concerned as he does seem happy in his new tank, just wanted to check it was nothing drastic. Yes the weather has cooled down heaps - yay. Just my luck, by the time I got the tank cycled and transferred him the weather drops Just another little concern I have if that's OK. This morning I gave him some liver - I'm out of worms and he's never been a big fan of pallets. He loved the liver - I cut it into little wormy sizes. Is that OK for him or is it too rich? If it is OK I'd love to be able to switch from worms to liver - I'm getting to the point with the worms of dry wretching every time I have to handle them.

 

[mary_kate]

I believe liver is good for a treat but not for regular sustenance. Any way you can get someone else to handle the worms for you? And then put them on a kebab stick or in tweezers? We find that leaving them in water for a while tends to expel the dirt and calm them a little.