Changed behaviour and not eating

[JoshAndSpeedy]

Hello all,
6 months ago I got my first/only axolotl, Speedy. I feed her by hand and whenever she'd see me above her tank she'd swim to me and we'd play chase my finger etc. Everything was fine up until about a week and a half ago when I noticed her water was getting murky. I had been doing 25% water changes weekly and when I noticed this murkiness I changed it three times in the one week.
On Sunday night last week she stopped eating and was no longer interested in playing with me (the tip of her tail was curled although her gills looked normal and were facing backwards). I didnt think anything of it at the time however she still hadn't eaten by Wednesday so I bought several testing kits and found the nitrites and nitrates in her tank were high so I did a 100% water change immediately. The readings in her tank are now all normal.
I wasn't too worried about her not eating that night as I figured it'd take a while for her to recover. It is now Saturday and she still is not eating. In fact yesterday she started hiding in her pvc pipe cave and her tail was curled right up not just the tip (I've read the curled tip is a sign she's stressed, does it mean anything when it's all curled including the tip?) I went to feed her again just now and her tail is still curled up and she's still hiding in her cave with no interest in food or playing. She doesn't even acknowledge Im there.

I have 3 questions.
Should I take her to the vet?

Is she likely to be recovering now she's in clean water or is her increasing recluse behaviour a sign she's in trouble? Her skin and gills look OK.

How long can she go without eating? I read somewhere on the net that up to 1 month but that seems like a really long time.

I'm really worried about my baby girl any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Josh

 

[Caesar]

Hello all,
6 months ago I got my first/only axolotl, Speedy. I feed her by hand and whenever she'd see me above her tank she'd swim to me and we'd play chase my finger etc. Everything was fine up until about a week and a half ago when I noticed her water was getting murky. I had been doing 25% water changes weekly and when I noticed this murkiness I changed it three times in the one week.
On Sunday night last week she stopped eating and was no longer interested in playing with me (the tip of her tail was curled although her gills looked normal and were facing backwards). I didnt think anything of it at the time however she still hadn't eaten by Wednesday so I bought several testing kits and found the nitrites and nitrates in her tank were high so I did a 100% water change immediately. The readings in her tank are now all normal.
I wasn't too worried about her not eating that night as I figured it'd take a while for her to recover. It is now Saturday and she still is not eating. In fact yesterday she started hiding in her pvc pipe cave and her tail was curled right up not just the tip (I've read the curled tip is a sign she's stressed, does it mean anything when it's all curled including the tip?) I went to feed her again just now and her tail is still curled up and she's still hiding in her cave with no interest in food or playing. She doesn't even acknowledge Im there.

I have 3 questions.
Should I take her to the vet?

Is she likely to be recovering now she's in clean water or is her increasing recluse behaviour a sign she's in trouble? Her skin and gills look OK.

How long can she go without eating? I read somewhere on the net that up to 1 month but that seems like a really long time.

I'm really worried about my baby girl any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Josh

Is your tank cycled? This is really important for keeping axolotls. By removing 100% of your water which carried some beneficial bacteria, you most likely crashed the little cycle you had going.
She may be in "clean water" now but once she poops/eats it is going to get messy again and the levels will rise. That is why a well established cycle is so important.
You need to change the water now and I recommend removing your axolotl so you can start to fishless cycle your tank:
(Fish-in cycling is also optional but it takes longer...)
The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community

Let me know if your tank has ever been cycled!! Also, I realize you said you took it to the store to get tested, but you should be testing your water weekly or so from home with test kits.