Axolotl help

[corbinsg]

Hi, all!
Something’s been going on with my 5 year old Axolotl for some time now and I’m stumped on what to do. Her gills have been deteriorating and she isn’t eating. I’ve done water check after water check. Her ammonia and nitrate are at 0ppm. She normally eats pellets, but I’ve recently changed to mysis shrimps. Water is cold and she’s been living in this tank forever. We moved and that was when her gills really began to shrink. Any advice on how to help her??

 

[wolfen]

because you have moved it also means the the water you are using has changed, do a full test on the tap water as well as the tanks.
was the sand washed through after the move?
increase oxygenation of the water.
what dechlorinater are you using?
are any salts/minerals added as standard?

 

[corbinsg]

because you have moved it also means the the water you are using has changed, do a full test on the tap water as well as the tanks.
was the sand washed through after the move?
increase oxygenation of the water.
what dechlorinater are you using?
are any salts/minerals added as standard?

We use distilled water with a regular tank safe dechlorinator. I’ve added a bubbler and it seemed like she was getting worse so I stopped it. I haven’t added any salts or minerals…Would you suggest that?

 

[wolfen]

with distilled water the minerals at least should be re-added as it can cause issues with both your axolotl and filtration system.
without minerals or carbonates in the water the tank is at risk of cycle crash due to plummeting ph, check ph, if it is below 7.4 - 7.6 (ideal ph for axolotls) add enough bicarbonate of soda to bring it gently up to 7.4 - 7.6.
axolotls are slight brackish, moderate to hard water animals so they require good kh and gh.
adding a solution such as holtfreters will balance the salts and minerals required, 50% for balance 100% for medicative, I also find adding magnesium sulphate as well also improves the effectiveness, 0.1g per litre water with 50% holtfreters 0.2g per litre with 100% holtfreters.
the air bubbles need to be as fine as possible to allow for them to dissolve into the water, although her gills are short she should still be able to absorb oxygen through her skin.