Axolotl sick please help

Guardianangel69

Guardianangel69

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I just upgraded my four axolotls into a 55 gallon tank and added new sand. About an hour later they had white fuzzy strings on their gills and it looks as though their skin is shedding. I filled a bucket with new water to try and get them out incase it was the water. When I picked them up the white strings went everywhere in the water and my hands became so sticky. Enough do that I had to.wash my hands twice to get it off. I don't have a test kit and everything is closed now and its a holiday tomorrow so I can't go then. I put them in the fridge for now. Does anyone know what this Is or what else I can do for them?
 
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I don't have a test kit
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There's your first problem. Has the new tank been cycled? What kind of sand are you using?
 
I cannot imagine that the water would cause skin shedding in an hour. Nor the apparent fungal infection. That makes no sense.
 
Well it doesn't look like the actual skin is shedding. It looks like they're shedding their slime coats, which could be from either the stress of moving or from water quality, or perhaps something else.

It usually takes a good deal of stress for them to shed like that, but some axolotls do seem more prone to shedding than others, from what I've seen.
 
I'm using play sand. I didn't cycle the tank, but it isn't the first time I put them into a new bigger tank and this had never happened

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I dint think it's a fungal infection. They've had them before and it was different. When they were in their containers waiting for the new tank we were talking about how bright pink their gills were. This came out of nowhere fast

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Well you will need to cycle the tank for them to live safely and healthy. You will need a liquid test kit. It is essential and can not stress enough how important this is to have. To keep the water safe you'll need to do daily water changes until the levels become safe (hence test kits!).

Did you use the same filter with the same media and kept it alive? Do you use dechlorinator?

I'm sure it's not the sand and removing it could cause more stress. I'm pretty certain it is your water quality.
 
New filter media = no beneficial bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrites and nitrites to nitrates.

Without test kits to ensure the adequate living environments through daily water changes, you're putting your axolotls health and lives at risk.
 
I've done the dame thing I've always done though. I have a bottle of cycle, is this safe to use for axies? I used new media as I have a hob filters

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Have you ran a strong magnet through your sand to check for metals?
 
What do you mean by you've always done "the same thing?"

If you have new media, there's no beneficial bacteria, which will lead to ammonia spikes, to nitrite spikes as your ammonia drops, and nitrate spikes when your nitrite drops. Once the cycle is completed which is 0 ammonia and nitrite and a reading of but less that 40 nitrates it's safe for your axolotls. If these readings are not right you are putting your axolotls at risk.

If you leave them in the tank their poop and general existence, there will be a build up ammonia - which is toxic and will burn them and kill them if left too high (same goes for nitrites and nitrates). This is why you need to do water changes everyday to bring it down safely as the filter media colonizes the bacteria to make your tank safe and cycled.

How much of a daily water change??? it depends on your readings which is why you need test kits.

Maybe you were just lucky the first time around however I wouldn't be gambling with it again.
 
Ok. What is my best option, draining the tank and refilling, or doing the daily water changes, once I get the test kit, and is cycle safe to use? I don't have anywhere else to put the axies so I really need to solve the problem quickly as my mom really doesn't want them in her fridge for too long

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Did you clean the sand before adding it? It certainly looks like slime coat shedding, it could be a reaction to something in the sand - it could have affected the pH or had some kind of contaminant.
 
auntiejude said:
Did you clean the sand before adding it? It certainly looks like slime coat shedding, it could be a reaction to something in the sand - it could have affected the pH or had some kind of contaminant.
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Thats what I'm worried about. But I thoroughly cleaned it beforehand

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Guardianangel69 said:
Ok. What is my best option, draining the tank and refilling, or doing the daily water changes, once I get the test kit, and is cycle safe to use? I don't have anywhere else to put the axies so I really need to solve the problem quickly as my mom really doesn't want them in her fridge for too long

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Click to expand...

If it is a reaction from the sand I would probably remove it, drain the water and refill it. Don't add anything to the tank besides the dechlorinator. The axolotls will provide the ammonia source to start the cycle. You must be diligent with water changes and cycling can take weeks to months.
 
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