Peeling skin?

[steve611]

It had only been 3 weeks, nearly a month since I last cleaned the filter. I thought it wouldn't have been the cause of the problem considering it's a decent filter and I just had all the media within it replaced (including the charcoal). My friend has one of the exact same filters running in an unused cycle tank so I'm just using his media in the matching filter at the moment.

I've also disconnected the other filter and removed it for now (the filter with the old media). At least until I can get new media for it.

Judging from the rate in which the peeling of the skin increased, I'd definitely say in this case, it wasn't of natural causes. When I first noticed the peeling 2 weeks ago it was just an odd flake of skin every now and then. Other Axie owners I talked to about it told me it was natural and they had experienced it too. Over the last few days it got a lot more aggressive and looked more like a bad case of sunburn rather than a "natural shed".

For now the peeling has stopped since I put them in another tank. Thanks for the help, much appreciated. I'll post pics of my old filter and it's internals.

 

[sabre]

So you just disrupted all the media in your filters (by changing all the media in one and turning off the other)? I know you said the media should be full of good bio bugs since it's from a cycled tank, but I don't think it would hurt to keep an eye on your water parameters while everything settles down, just in case. Good to hear the peeling has stopped. Hopefully it doesn't happen again!

 

[steve611]

Yeah I figured, didn't really make sense so I put it back in after about 10 minutes lol.

I think I jinxed it, the peeling returned this morning in the other tank. This time it looked as though he was trying to scratch himself. I did a water change immediately and he looks less "peely". I'm going to try giving him a tea bath, I hate seeing the poor little guy like this What I can't understand is why both of the Axies aren't peeling and it's only just one.

 

[shock]

I would say they can shed normally after morphing
And community of people without test kits consider shedding normal

 

[xxianxx]

I would say they can shed normally after morphing
And community of people without test kits consider shedding normal

Morphed axolotls do shed, you are correct, mine are doing so at the moment. Aquatic axolotls also shed, the link I posted before was blatantly ignored The Ecology and Behavior of Amphibians - Kentwood D. Wells - Google Books
"All amphibians periodically shed the outer layer of the epidermis and replace it with a new layer of cells."
I also posses a test kit...

 

[steve611]

i tried reading the link you posted but it says its restricted. How does metamorphis come about?

 

[xxianxx]

i tried reading the link you posted but it says its restricted. How does metamorphis come about?

I dont understand why you cant see the link I can see it ok.
Axolotls naturally morph but its rare for them to do so, they morph to escape poor water quality or can be morphed with hormones.

 

[Kerry M]

i tried reading the link you posted but it says its restricted. How does metamorphis come about?

I have the same problem with this link. Supposedly not all the pages are available through google books.

 

[sabre]

That was odd. I clicked the link once and it said 'This page is either (not included in the free version) or you've read too many pages already' and then I refreshed and it loaded just fine.

 

[Kaysie]

I didn't read this entire thread, mainly because reading bickering is even more obnoxious than listening to it.

Axolotls do shed their skin (as do all living animals), but for it to be peeling or coming off in strips is not normal, and almost always a sign of poor water quality. Normal shedding might be a flake or two, or some slime sloughing. Abnormal shedding makes your axolotl look like a dust bunny.

Personally, I don't recommend carbon. It's not necessary, and in some cases have actually been shown to be harmful for amphibians.

And really, a test kit is NOT necessary. It's irritating how much that's harped on, and how people are the most horrible pet keepers in the world for not having one. I can count on one hand the number of times I've used a test kit in the entire time I've kept amphibians. And the people who kept amphibians long before us didn't use test kits either. What IS necessary is quality food, clean water, and something to keep that water in. Anything else is extraneous.

 

[steve611]

Tested my water parameters.

PH: 6.0
Ammonia: 0.50ppm
Nitrite: 0.25ppm
Nitrate: 40ppm

Obviously need to do water changes to reduce the ammonia. I'm not sure why there's that much Ammonia, I do frequent water changes. But I suspect maybe the long time it takes for earthworms to get eaten is at fault. (Usually about 10 mins or so). Turns out petstore was wrong anyway about the ammonia anyway they said I had none lol.

Not sure if I need to bring down the nitrite, and how to do it?

And also with the PH, what are some ways that I can slightly increase to stay within the suitable zone for Axolotls?

 

[Jacquie]

Tested my water parameters.

PH: 6.0
Ammonia: 0.50ppm
Nitrite: 0.25ppm
Nitrate: 40ppm

Obviously need to do water changes to reduce the ammonia. I'm not sure why there's that much Ammonia, I do frequent water changes. But I suspect maybe the long time it takes for earthworms to get eaten is at fault. (Usually about 10 mins or so). Turns out petstore was wrong anyway about the ammonia anyway they said I had none lol.

Not sure if I need to bring down the nitrite, and how to do it?

And also with the PH, what are some ways that I can slightly increase to stay within the suitable zone for Axolotls?

For a cycling tank, those readings aren't bad at all. It looks as though the cycle is almost complete, just hang in there with the daily partial water changes for another couple of weeks.

The only way to bring down the ammonia and nitrite is by conducting those daily partial water changes. When the ammonia and nitrite read at a consistent '0' and you have a reading for nitrate, the tank will be considered cycled.

The pH is a concern as it is a little too low. I'm not sure if you know this already, but avoid using quick fixers such as pH uppers and downers, as these can cause the pH to fluctuate which axolotls find very stressful.

The good news is that you can use shell grit or coral sand to gradually raise and maintain the pH at a constant confortable level for the axolotls. So you can control the level and rate of pH adjustment, simply put the grit/coral sand in a stocking, and either add to the filter (if there is a spare basket for media) or, place in the tank near the filter output. Add the grit gradually (1/2 cup every few days) to the stocking and monitor the levels. Once pH has increased to the desired level, you can stop adding the grit/sand.

The beauty of shell grit is that it lasts for a very long time, and will keep the pH at a constant level for the axolotls. I've had shell grit in my tanks for a few years now, and it's still going strong.

Welcome to the forum! :happy: