Axoltol is sick please help!!!

So, you've had the tank 5 days, correct? Then, it isn't cycled.

What was it you said in your earlier post about boiling water?

If your breeder had gravel in the tank, then I don't trust him already. So, confirm everything he told you with people here - we will do our best to give you good advice.

First - buy a dechlorinator to dechlorinate your tap water. Seachem Prime is highly recommended by axolotl keepers. Avoid ones with aloe vera - some axolotls are sensitive to it.

Your pH is very low. That could be part of the cause if the pH is very different from what the axolotl was raised in. Do NOT raise the pH with products like pH Up. Instead, the generally accepted way to raise pH is to get some coral gravel in a sock or stocking (nylon, not cotton or anything that rots) and place it in the tank. This should slowly raise the pH.

Important rule-of-thumb - changes stress axolotls (and animals in general). The move from the breeders to your aquarium was a big change, especially if the water was very different. Being moved out of the tank so you could clean it is a change. Axolotls tend to not eat when stressed. Try not to change things quickly.

What are you feeding your axolotl?

What I recommend
1) Try hand-feeding your axolotl, or if it is scared of your hand, drop the food right in front of its nose. Don't leave any uneaten food in the tank.
2) Buy the dechlorinator and use according to directions
3) Get some coral gravel in a sock in your tank to help raise the pH slightly and add some hardness and calcium.
4) Keep checking the water parameters, but don't change anything quickly. When the ammonia and nitrite go up (they will go up - your tank isn't cycled), do water changes to bring it down again.
5) Read all of the "stickies" at the tops of the forums here. There is lots of good info.
6) Check all of the breeders instructions against the advice here.
7) Don't panic. :happy:
 
Chlorine will out-gas from the water quickly. But if you do a big water change, there is still enough chlorine in tap water to kill beneficial bacteria and stress your axolotl.

Chlorine is put in water because it kills bacteria == the bacteria that eat ammonia and nitrite are killed by chlorine.

Small water changes don't require dechlorinators, but it is still recomended. Your breeder probably did small water changes only.
 
Here is a link on tank cycling. Scales Tails Wings and Things, What is Aquarium Cycling? How to Cycle your Tank. It is important that you read up on tank cycling as this will help you to understand how it all works, why it is important and how you can get your tank cycled.

Laura has given some great advice :). It is best not to rely on the breeders information alone. As Laura said, spend some time reading the stickies on this forum and also information on axolotl.org. Keep us posted :)
 
How long would you say this all has to be done ?
 
The cycling will take weeks - you just monitor water parameters and change water as needed.

The coral (in my opinion) should be put in soon, since it appears that your water is way too soft. But it isn't something to panic about.

The dechlorinator you should get before you change water again. Or, if you have big buckets, you can just fill them and let them sit over night. The chlorine will outgas from the water in that time.

What are you trying to feed your axolotl?
 
cycling a tank usually takes weeks and if cycling whilst having an axolotl in the tank normally takes longer as you need to be monitoring the water daily and doing frequent water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite below 0.5ppm as higher levels can be toxic for axolotls. If you wish to speed the cycling process up, you could move the axolotl to a tub of clean, cool water and do a fishless cycle up and move the axolotl back into the tank once it is fully cycled (ammonia 0ppm, nitrite 0ppm and nitrate below 40ppm). If you do choose this option, you will need to daily 100% water changes in the tub the axolotl will be kept in whilst you are cycling the main tank. Here is a link on fishless cycling. http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/the-almost-complete-guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html.

I hope this makes sense. Ask any questions you have :)
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forum...guide-and-faq-to-fishless-cycling-148283.html
 
Let first say you are all amazing and I'm so grateful for your help ....I've tried feeding it rosey red minnows frozen blood worms alive blood worms now I'm trying shrimp flakes
 
The coral is not an exact science. So, put some in and monitor the pH. I would say bring it up to 6.5. (6.5 is the lower end of recommended pH for axolotls, if I recall correctly.) If it goes higher, just remove some coral. If is doesn't get that high after a week (I'm guessing here on the time - my pH is 8.2 so I never have to raise it) add some more.

The advantage to adding coral is that the change should be slow, so less stressful to your axolotl.
 
Anything else I can try to get the little guy/girl to eat?
 
If he/she really is not eating at all you could try a scallop to tempt his taste buds. But long term, earthworms or salamander bites/axolotl pellets are the best for nutrition. As the water quality improves, you may find he/she will have more of an appetite the less stressed he/she is.
 
My adult axolotls were sick last year (I ended up taking them to the vet for treatment), and what I found was, even when they were sick, they would instinctively snap at things that dropped right in front of their noses, So, probably dropping the live blood worms right in front of its nose might get it to snap at the food, and hopefully eat it.

(In the case of my axolotls, they spit the food out and were then too smart to fall for the same trick again right away. That is why I took them to the vet - they were too sick to want to eat. They had a protozoa infection.)

Worms are considered one of the best foods for axolotls, but your best bet right now (to get it eating) is to offer whatever the breeder offered, since that is what it will recognize as food.
 
Also, axolotls can go for quite some time without eating, so it is not an emergency that it isn't eating yet.
 
I tried what the breeder said but nothing I have shrimp flakes would they work ?
 
Also kinda worried it hasent moved from its spot eather it swam to a corner when I put he/she back in the tank and hasent moved much .....(sorry beginner axol owner really worried )
 
He actually just ate two blood worms now
 
You can try shrimp flakes but I doubt they really have enough nutrition so I would not use shrimp flakes as a long term diet and try to get him/her to eat something more nutritious if you can. That is good that he has had some blood worm. At least he has eaten something. Scallops apparently are good for axies who have not got an appetite. they might be worth a try for now. Keep feeding whatever you can get him to eat but you will need to move him to more nutritious foods long term and try to get him onto more nutritious options as soon as you can. As long as he is not getting too skinny, you may have to be persistent with getting him onto a particular long term nutritious diet and not offer anything else until he accepts the food. Ideally, you want their belly to be as wide as their head when you look from above the axolotl. I still recommend earthworms. I would also recommend hand feeding as Laura said :)

Axolotls are generally fairly lazy in nature and often will just sit still for some time although juveniles will be a little more active. Don't panic, spend some time to get the water right. This will improve things for you.
 
Well every one thanks for helping out means so much !!! I'm sure my axolotol will be thanking you to lol
He ate 2 blood worms then hiccuped but since he ate he hasent moved from his spot.... I think its because the other one died yesterday but idk
 
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