Feeding and hygeine

[Fractuured1]

2 or 3 topics in one here. I can't get my axolotls to eat worms. Nightcrawlers, red wrigglers, even started a worm farm of my own so I'd know I was feeding healthy stock. They go on hunger strikes every time I try. Slurp, then spit, and won't touch them again. Tried pellets, more hunger strikes. I gave up and feed cubes of brine shrimp and blood worms, sort of alternating. Cubes are messy, and the water gets fouled quickly. I struggle enough with time, and then had to leave for a month to help a sick family member. Tank looked like a swamp when I got back. Gills are in bad shape. One has stunted..um..gill fingers? Fringe is growing back, but not the fingers. Still stumpy. Canister filter, lower flow volume to keep current down, with chiller, and also had a sponge filter at the time for bio. 40g breeder tank with sand bottom. A couple of hidey silk plants and one ceramic hide for each axolotl.

One, how do you make them eat earthworms? I know they can go for long periods without food and eventually "should" accept them, but I can't make myself withhold any other types of foods for 2-3 weeks to make that happen. I feel like a heel. But the mess in the tanks is an issue, especially because I'll likely have to be going to help with that family member again and will have to rely on others to help with the tank, which obviously didn't happen correctly last time. Any super tips would be appreciated!

Two, I've been trying for almost 4 years to get a setup that picks up excess cube waste (not poo, gave up on that and use a turkey baster) but doesn't create too much current through the tank. I had fish for years, and even messy fish weren't this hard. Either I have too much current, which I feel like is stressful on them even if they don't seem to mind much, or I have waste collecting in dead spots that I can't see until it's already bad. I rearrange inputs, outlets, furnishings, all with the same problems in different spots. Any tips on setup I'm missing would also be appreciated!

 

[wolfen]

add some tank cleaners to the tank ie.. scuds (hyalella azteca), small snails, river/ghost shrimp, platys etc.
put a deep dish in the tank for food to go in, use a tube ie.. vacuum pipe end to direct the food into the dish.
water outlet at one side of the tank air stones at the other to allow for water circulation without lots of movement.
use a sponge/shield over inlet of filter, use spray bar directed at glass for outlet to reduce movement.
its the pressure caused by the water forced into the water that is the issue so anything that will allow it to be dispersed will be of benefit, whether that is a bottle/cut drain pipe/tub will help reduce water movement, like how a hose pipe sprays water but when placed on the floor the water spreads out and the force is reduced.
allow the cleaning routine to be reduced to once per week, this will cause it to be messy but will allow the build up of bacteria so you don't get a sudden spike. use bottled bacteria such as filter start to assist in rebuilding the bacteria colony.