Axie has a white gill tip and gasping for air

[vak14]

So I have had my axolotl since December of 2019, she was born August of 2019. She has always been a very good, healthy axie and have never had any issues with her. Great appetite, great attitude. One week ago she started refusing to eat. I had gotten a new brand of worms so I assumed she was just being picky. Yesterday she refused her regular worm brand. Today I find the very tip of one of her gills has turned stark white, and she is surfacing to gasp for air every few minutes. I don't currently have a water test kit- I will stop to get one tomorrow- but I just did about a 50% water change, for fear of an ammonia or nitrate spike (she was about due for a water change anyways). She has been in the same aquarium for over a year, so it is cycled. It has a sponge filter and a underwater filter as well. I do use substrate but it is very fine sand and I've never seen her try to eat it and even if she did I think it would pass fine. I haven't added anything to the aquarium recently and I couldn't find anything suspicious during the water change. She had Java moss in her aquarium which I just removed to be able to monitor her more easily and because it was starting to die in some parts (not sure if this may have been affecting her). Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!

 

[vak14]

About 40 minutes after water change she has settled at the bottom of the tank and seems to have stopped gasping for air. However, now that she is facing the front of the aquarium, I notice that her eyes are a bit sunken in. These photos of her face and white gill tip were taken about 30 minutes post water change

 

[JM29]

Hi,
Except for the white tip, the gills look Ok. For the eyes, I cannot say anything.
Anyway, if this axie is regularly surfacing to gasp air, it may simply lack oxygen.

I notice the water is a bit trouble and it makes me think of a bacterial bloom, which could be favoured by organic matter accumulation somewhere in the tank.
These bacteria certainly uptake oxygen.

Removing the Java moss was an error. You should bring it back or, better, add some fast-growing easy plants like Egeria densa.
Live plants help improving water quality so that the white tip will heal by itself.

 

[vak14]

Hi,
Except for the white tip, the gills look Ok. For the eyes, I cannot say anything.
Anyway, if this axie is regularly surfacing to gasp air, it may simply lack oxygen.

I notice the water is a bit trouble and it makes me think of a bacterial bloom, which could be favoured by organic matter accumulation somewhere in the tank.
These bacteria certainly uptake oxygen.

Removing the Java moss was an error. You should bring it back or, better, add some fast-growing easy plants like Egeria densa.
Live plants help improving water quality so that the white tip will heal by itself.

I left a little of the java moss to allow it to grow back, I removed a large floating mass that was taking up a large portion of aquarium space since it was starting to die and brown in some places. What other plants do you recommend for axies? Egeria densa is not available in my state.
Also, the dirtiness of the tank is likely because I had just done a water change and stirred things up in the tank. Would it be advisable to do another water change today in case it is a bacterial bloom? She doesn't seem to be gasping for air anymore.

 

[JM29]

Try :
- Ceratophyllum demersum (hornwort)
- Pistia stratiotes (water lettuce)
- Salvinia
- Limnophila aquatica
- Vallisneria

Since axolotls use to walk on the bottom rather than swim, let enough room between the plants and the side glasses (for Limnophila or Vallisneria) so that the axolotl can pass without disturbing the plants.

 

[wolfen]

always do a regular weekly water change even if all water levels are ok. make sure the water has enough oxygen, it is required by the filter bacteria as well as the axolotl, just because there are plants doesn't mean there is enough oxygen, always have a air stone even with a sponge filter.
even after a tank is cycled it is always good to do a regular water test as even established tanks can suddenly fail.
what are the ph/ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and if possible kh/gh levels.

 

[vak14]

always do a regular weekly water change even if all water levels are ok. make sure the water has enough oxygen, it is required by the filter bacteria as well as the axolotl, just because there are plants doesn't mean there is enough oxygen, always have a air stone even with a sponge filter.
even after a tank is cycled it is always good to do a regular water test as even established tanks can suddenly fail.
what are the ph/ammonia/nitrite/nitrate and if possible kh/gh levels.

hi, I have always done weekly or biweekly water changes and never had issues before. she has also always had a sponge filter in her aquarium. the ammonia was close to zero, but nitrite and nitrate were sky high. I moved her to an iso bin of just fresh clean water for now while i sort out her tank parameters -but i replied to you in my other thread about this. Any advice on how to reduce the nitrite and nitrates in her aquarium?

 

[wolfen]

hi, I have always done weekly or biweekly water changes and never had issues before. she has also always had a sponge filter in her aquarium. the ammonia was close to zero, but nitrite and nitrate were sky high. I moved her to an iso bin of just fresh clean water for now while i sort out her tank parameters -but i replied to you in my other thread about this. Any advice on how to reduce the nitrite and nitrates in her aquarium?

nitrates are reduced through water changes, axolotls are tolerant up to 110ppm so weekly water changes will deal with them perhaps at 50%.
nitrites are a problem though and are normally dealt with by the bacteria in the filter so perhaps a monthly media clean in old tank water is required as there may be a build up of waste in the sponges etc..
also making sure there is plenty of oxygen in the water helps.
if the ph gets too low it can effect the bacteria so if it goes lower than 7.4 add just enough bicarbonate of soda to bring the level up to 7.4 - 7.6