Dead axolotl

[mvirostek]

I received my juvenile axolotl last Tuesday and by Thursday it was dead I had purchased a brand new tank as well as brand new decorations and read up on all there is to know about being a first time axolotl owner. I fed my axolotl freeze dried bloodworms and it was not able to eat the rocks in the tank. I never put my hands in the tank or touched the axolotl. I have no idea as to why it died so quickly. Would anyone be able to provide me with some answers as to what possibly could have happened?

 

[prince]

i'm very sorry about your loss...
do you know what your water was like (pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite)? did you cycle the tank before you put the axie in? what kind of filter did you have, if you had one?
i'm not an expert by any means, but from what i've read, bloodworms won't work as a solitary diet. freeze dried ones especially don't have all the possible nutrients in bloodworms. earthworms and salmon pellets are recommended, but there's no reason not to give one bloodworms sometimes! frozen cubes of them are especially handy.
did they appear to be stressed or sick at any point?
if anyone has something to add/correct it would be appreciated!
again i'm very sorry and i hope you have better luck if you decide to try again sometime.

 

[Asevernnnn]

Well, freeze-dried food is completely inadequate, the staple diet should be chopped or smaller whole earthworm/nightcrawler or a high quality pellet food if it accepts them.
And if you did have rocks, the uneaten food could have built up under them and made your water quality go foul.
And also by the way you worded your post I'm assuming you didn't cycle your tank, which is also a potential problem.

What temperature were you keeping the tank at? And did you purchase it from a petshop or from a breeder?

Sorry if this sounds a little rude but you probably should have read up even more than you did, doing a simple search will show how important cycling and providing a good staple diet is, all this should also be on the caresheets too.

Heres some articles that you should DEFINITELY have a look at before thinking about purchasing another Axolotl:
Caudata Culture Species Entry - Ambystoma mexicanum - Axolotl
Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling
Caudata Culture Articles - Aquarium Substrates

 

[michael]

If it died in two days your food wasn't the problem. Freeze dried bloodworms is not an adequate food but your axolotl would not starve to death in so short of a time.

Either it was ill when shipped, stressed from shipping, or their is something wrong with your tank parameters.
water temp?
tank size?
how long was the tank set up?
Did you use a dechlorinator and chloramine eliminator.
What kind of water did you use?
What kind of filter did you use.

You should probably be going over your problems with the person you purchased the axolotl and determine if they owe you a replacement or not.

 

[stevenwignet]

this is why axolotls should never be transported by courier, it will kill them.
the stress of being dropped, banged side to side and up and down would stress anyone even humans.
i think its extremely cruel to ship axolotls, they should be visited by you first and but and transport thjem yourself, not trust a courier to throw them about.
do you honestly believe drivers/staff read the notice fragile/keep upright?, that is just an excuse for them to throw and drop the package

 

[auntiejude]

this is why axolotls should never be transported by courier, it will kill them.

Not it won't. Most couriers in the UK won't take live animals, but specialist animal couriers are available who DO know how to care for animals in transit. In the USA it is quite normal to ship axies and other animals via courier or USPS, and they are better equipped for it than in the UK.

i think its extremely cruel to ship axolotls, they should be visited by you first and but and transport thjem yourself

Again, in the UK the distances are not prohibitive. It may be a whole day's trip, but it's possible. I have driven 500 miles in a day to collect animals. In the USA (as is the case here) you're talking about potentially thousands of miles, which is not an option for most people, hence the reliance on couriers and USPS.

 

[charleybambino]

If the ax was not unwell or stressed, could there have been something toxic in your tank set up....?paint on ornaments, chemicals on plastic plants, something in the substrate....so many variables...or just plain bad luck...Recheck everything then if no problems can be found be confident to try again

 

[auntiejude]

Just a few questions for the OP:
1. if your axie arrived on Tuesday, when was it shipped?
2. did you clean everything before putting it in your tank?
3. did you check out the breeder and their reviews before you ordered? Have you been in touch with them?

If an axie dies with 48 hours of you recieving it there are really only 3 possible explanations:
It was sick before you got it
It had a congential problem and would have died anyway
It was poisoned but some chemical in the tank

The first 2 are far more likely than the 3rd explanation.

 

[mvirostek]

Thank you all for your input, I have contacted the seller and am looking to purchase another axolotl. Fingers crossed I get a healthy one this time.

 

[RyanTheFIshGuy]

Thank you all for your input, I have contacted the seller and am looking to purchase another axolotl. Fingers crossed I get a healthy one this time.

Can you answer the questions provided? Sorry to sound pishy but maybe we can help you, and possible help out another axolotl that may be put in a death trap (no offence). Have you ever had any other aquatic animals? Water Parameters? How big is the setup? I wouldnt rush until we find your first problem.

 

[mvirostek]

The only other aquatic animals I have had are fish and none of them have died that quickly. I have a 10 gallon tank which was filled with 3-4 inches of water. There are large rocks covering the bottom of the tank as well as an artificial plant and 2 rock hut things for the axolotl to hide in. I purchased some minnows yesterday to test the water and within an hour the majority of them had died so that pinpoints that my problem was the water source. I used tap water that is drinkable but have yet to test the water for pH, nitrites, nitrates and ammonia. How should I go about doing that?

 

[Asevernnnn]

You can buy a test kit at a local petstore, or online for a little cheaper, test strips are generally unreliable.
Are you adding dechlorinator to your water? If its tap water it more than likely has chlorine in it.
And generally the minimum amount of water is 10 gallons to maintain good water quality easier, I posted in an easier post some links to articles that should help you out.

 

[mvirostek]

I performed a bunch of tests and here are my results:
pH: 7.4
ammonia NH3/NH4+: 0ppm
Nitrite NO2-:0ppm
Nitrate NO3-: 0ppm
I did not test for chlorine because it is a gas and should have dissipated into the air after about 24 hours. Should I test it anyway? Besides the pH being slightly high, I don't know what the problem could be.

 

[rachel1]

Are those results on the water in your tank, or the water source? Ammonia will build up quickly in just a couple inches of water. Also, do you use water conditioner? Chlorine will evaporate, but if your municipality uses chloramine that will need to be treated.

 

[mvirostek]

Those results were from the water in my tank which had just been filled right before I tested the water. I did not use water conditioner and am not sure if the water company uses chloramine but I will be sure to check with them. What should I use to treat it if there is chloramine In the water?

 

[allied123]

You should use a dechlorinator, they're in pretty much every petstore (petco, petsmart, walmart) but why were there only a few inches of water in the first place? That small an amount of water would cause the ammonia to build up way too fast

 

[Boomsloth]

i'm almost positive if you tested the water before filling up the tank you'd have ammonia built up that could have easily killed your axolotl. Young axolotls are more sensitive to water parameters and the fact it had just arrived means it was still recovering from the journey when it then has to deal with rising ammonia. Filling the tank just diluted the ammonia in the water to an undetectable level. Also chlorine in the water would have also made yours and any amphibian a little sick. Please read up on aquarium cycling, how to cycle an aquarium, and how long it takes (at least a month!) BEFORE buying another axolotl.

 

[Cacique]

It is safe to assume that you have chloramines in your water unless you use well water. You also need a dechlorinator to remove trace metals from the water. Seachem Prime is highly recommended. You should test for the most important parameters; ammonia, nitrite and nitrates.

Please don't abuse animals in order to test a tank. It can easily be done without harming any animals like you're doing right now. Also if you don't cycle your tank before you get your axolotl you will need to do daily water changes and test ammonia daily or twice a day.

One last thing, are you using anything to clean the tank or filter or anything in the tank? You should only scrub things in old tank water. Using tap water, especially on the filter and filter media will kill your cycle.

Also how big are the rocks? Fist sized? Just trying to get as much info as possible about the tank environment so we can give you the best help.

 

[mvirostek]

There was only 3-4 inches of water in the tank because that is how much water I was told a juvenile axolotl needs to ensure that they can get to the surface of the water to take a breath. Before I put my axolotl in the tank, it was brand new, along with all of the decorations so there was no ammonia, nitrites or nitrates present in the water. I only had the axolotl for 2 days so there was not much waste from decomposing food or waste that came from the animal. I had not treated the water with a de-chlorinator because I read that if the water was safe for humans to drink, than it would be okay for the axolotl to live in since they are air breathers. The rocks at the bottom of the tank are smaller than fist sized but much larger than the mouth of the axolotl. I am going to go ahead and test the water again today after letting it sit for 24 hours to see if any of the data has changed.

 

[Cacique]

Always use a dechlorinator. Even if the water is good to drink, it has chlorine and chloramines, along with other things such as metal that needs to be removed, all which is done by the dechlorinator. Even if the water sits for 24 hours, the chloramines will be there. All of these things will hurt any aquatic creature. Also, just because you don't see waste doesn't mean it's not there. Many times I don't see poop because my axolotl has trampled all over it, I saw him do it once right before I got to it.