axolotl freaking out in good quality water!!

[Brainiac and Lex]

Hello, just yesterday my axolotl Lex started trying to itch himself like a cat or something (think he did this once before) and then all of a sudden just dashed to the other side of the tank in a millisecond. Oddly he wasn't stunned for long as he usually is and just waved at me after he did this lolol. But he still occasionally tries to bend himself in a much more aggressive way than usual while doing this itching thing, plus he is extra bitey, and it concerns me, especially because he hasn`t pooped in 4 days or something crazy!?......

Water Levels taken yesterday: 0 ammonia/nitrite, 20 nitrate, 7.2 pH and 61 degrees Fahrenheit. Pretty much perfect....

He has been eating 2 cubes of blood worms a day and a small pinch of shrimp for lunch, he used to be a bit chubby but I changed to a much lower fat blood worm and fed him 2 cubes instead of 3. No idea why he would randomly spazz like this. I have some Indian almond leaves coming in as he still has a super tiny white spot from recent fungus that is still healing, dunno if that is all of a sudden bothering him or if he`s just constipated, or what???

 

[AMurry24537]

First, pooping rates vary a great deal depending on the axolotl and the kind of food they're eating. Second, how old is your axolotl? If it's bigger than 4 inches or so, I would HIGHLY recommend switching from bloodworms to earthworms. They work okay for the little ones, but bloodworms aren't particularly good for adults. Think of them like junk food; good for a treat, but not a consistent meal.

I can't say for sure exactly what the problem here is. What kind of test kit have you been using? It sounds like there's definitely something irritating his skin. You could try adding some pure black tea (chilled in the refrigerator after steeping, obviously) to help soothe the skin in the meantime.

 

[Brainiac and Lex]

Thank you, AMurry! So Lex is definitely bigger than 4 inches, he is about 10 months old. His poop does seem to vary but at this point it is the longest time since I can remember that it has taken him to poop. In terms of earth worms, I could give them a go again but last time he ate them he just plopped down flat and didn't budge for like 2 days, even when it was a tiny piece. I tried this like 3 times, same result...

It would appear he could have skin problems, at least on his gills, because another white spot appeared today. (although no other spots are evident, but he does seem to want to scratch his middle torso...?) I have been using the typical API Master test kit. Some Indian Almond Leaves should arrive soon, but I will give the pure black tea a go in the meantime!

 

[KrabzAga]

I think images of the tank and the axolotl's spot could help with this situation.

 

[Brainiac and Lex]

it is just typical gill fungus, and my tank is clear algae free etc. What kind of black tea should I use? Like would typical Tetley tea work (says something about rainforest certified, no idea what that means) or should it be super organic? And should I add it to the tank or a separate container? If it is to the tank, how much for a 20 gallon?

 

[KrabzAga]

it is just typical gill fungus, and my tank is clear algae free etc. What kind of black tea should I use? Like would typical Tetley tea work (says something about rainforest certified, no idea what that means) or should it be super organic? And should I add it to the tank or a separate container? If it is to the tank, how much for a 20 gallon?

you should use dried indian almond leaves or something like that

 

[axolotl nerd]

are they kicking at their gills?

 

[Brainiac and Lex]

he is using his hind leg to try and itch his stomach maybe? I dunno cuz he bends himself so much.... dont think its at his gills tho?

 

[axolotl nerd]

he is using his hind leg to try and itch his stomach maybe? I dunno cuz he bends himself so much.... dont think its at his gills tho?

hmm. mine would kick at his gills and i thought he might have gill flukes, i panicked. he’s fine though, perfectly healthy

 

[Brainiac and Lex]

yeah it usually does fall off, but then it also usually comes back...

 

[AMurry24537]

For the black tea, it shouldn't matter too much as long as it's 100% black tea with no other ingredients. When mine was having problems, I added about 8 oz. of tea per 10 gallons directly to the tank. It's not much (not a full tea bath), but you will see a definite color change. Basically, one the water turned clear again through daily 30% water changes (he was dealing with a fungus at the time), I added more tea.

 

[Brainiac and Lex]

For the black tea, it shouldn't matter too much as long as it's 100% black tea with no other ingredients. When mine was having problems, I added about 8 oz. of tea per 10 gallons directly to the tank. It's not much (not a full tea bath), but you will see a definite color change. Basically, one the water turned clear again through daily 30% water changes (he was dealing with a fungus at the time), I added more tea.

Ah ok thanks, that is very helpful! My Indian Almond leaves did arrive, the fungus did fall off, and he stopped itching not long after the water became tinted. But Ill be sure to add this to my bag of tricks, lol