Axolotl gill fungus?

[LordMother]

Hi everyone! I've had my baby lucy axie named Felix for about 2 months now (we got him when he was born not long ago), and we take very good care of him. What seems to be the problem is that most of his gill filaments seem to have fallen off. he is also very active around the tank. I have been researching to see what the cause would be, and most of the arrows point to fungus, which scares me. There is no sign of cottony things on his gills, and the breeder didn't list any medical problems. What should I do?

(Note: I am 99.99% sure there is no ammonia in the water because I get my water from an aquifer water well.)

(Also, I don't know what gender it is, but I just call him a "he". Is there a way I can check? If so, please tell me, or you can check from the images! :happy

 

[Hayleyy]

Do you have a water test kit? Ammonia builds inside the aquarium so it can be there even when your water source has none. Gill filaments do get damaged by water quality so it's really important to have the test kit. If it's fungus you will see the white cottony bits on it.
You wont be able to tell gender until they're a year to 18 months old, just go with he for now.

 

[LordMother]

Thanks! I do not have a water test kit, so I will order that ASAP.
Also, do you have any good ideas for axolotl food for babies?

 

[Hayleyy]

Great! Once you get the test kit let me know the results!
I fed mine live blackworms, but I think in the US it can be difficult to find them. If you manage to get them check for leeches, they're commonly found with them. Remove them if you find any.
You can also use bloodworms, though these aren't as nutritious. If you get get normal earthworms you can cut them up into little pieces (if you're comfortable with that- they don't feel pain).
Softened pellets are also great if you don't have worms.
Best of luck!

 

[KumquatSquats]

make sure you test for water hardness too (or look up the water quality for your city if possible). when i got my guys they all had bare gills like that from too acidic of water, slightly low pH in the ok range but hardness was 0 so it must have felt harsh to them.

 

[LordMother]

Thanks for the advice for feeding! I already do feed him earthworms, and he grew a lot from when we first got him! I will check for blackworms in the area, but I doubt it. I live in the country next to a big city so I think I might be able to find a pet food store somewhere.

I also deep-cleaned the whole tank, completely removing all the water and cleaning it very well.

Not long ago he also got some air trapped in his belly and he got rid of it while in a small container (I put a cover on so he won't jump out) while I cleaned the tank.

 

[LordMother]

make sure you test for water hardness too (or look up the water quality for your city if possible). when i got my guys they all had bare gills like that from too acidic of water, slightly low pH in the ok range but hardness was 0 so it must have felt harsh to them.

I (as I said) get my water from an aquifer, therefore there is some interaction between minerals and the water, so my water could be quite hard. I will do what I can. :happy: