Brainiac and Lex
New member
Hello, it appears I am in a bit of a dilemma with my axolotl, one that has happened before. My axolotl (Lex. E Lotl) has gotten gill fungus for the third time or so, often on the same gill. It falls off after some days and usually heals, more on that in a bit.
60% water change just recently, spread out over a few days, again Ill explain that soon. Nutrafin cycle (10ml to 20gal) added. Todays water levels (crappy, I know):
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm Nitrite: up to 2 ppm (api master test kit is weird colours...) Nitrate: 20 to 40 pH: 7.0 (surprising...) Temp: 60 F (rarely changes)
Tub your axolotl and do 100% water change immediately, you idiot! Well, here is why I am hesitant. First off, my tank IS CYCLED, and unfortunately I was that noob that cycled the tank with Lex in it (ammonia is super rarely over 0.25 these days, nitrite is often 0, and nitrates oddly remain high regardless...). Ive read one place that 100% changes are not ideal after its cycled, but I think thats bull myself as I have done 2 since cycling, making sure good bacteria could survive on everything I put in my tank, filter included. THE REAL reason why I dont wanna do 100% is that last time I did, and put Lex back in after some hours, he got the fungus THE VERY NEXT DAY, and I added 5ml of dechlorinator and it was GONE the next day... maybe a coincidence? But my city adds way too much chlorine, although oddly the pH rarely shows this, but free chlorine probably still exists. The other 2 times he got fungus it was bad water, but this exception makes me paranoid. He got fungus shortly after the 60% change this time too, why I added the water back slowly. It went away, now its back, Lex is healthy and eating well, Ill bet it will go away again soon.
So is chlorine the problem, or just a factor? One guy said don`t add dechlorinator, is that the problem (one site said always add enough dechlorinator...)? Just the water quality? Lex just clumsy and got the slime knocked off of him (very possible)? As for nitrates, why do they go up so easily, even when ammonia and nitrite are super low or non-existent? As for the API master kit, do you read the tubes in contact with the white paper, or hold it back a bit? Why is nitrites the same colour from 1 to basically 5 ppm, and Nitrate the same from 40 to like 100? Any way around this?
Ive heard it said several times 20% needed every other week or every week after its cycled. I dont like paying for so much water, but in my experience, that statement is solely responsible for killing axolotls, especially when cycling isnt emphasized, and just ticking off experienced axolotl owners. Will 20% every week EVER be all that is needed??? So far the answer for me is NOT A CHANCE, buddy.
Thank you so much for taking time to read all this. ill take any advice I can get on dealing with fungus aqnd nitrates.
Some other facts for nerds and pros lol: I have 6 moss balls, bare bottom tank, leucistic albino axolotl, 9 months old, eats only blood worms recently (Im trying to get lower fat, currently its 0.8%) (occasionally brine shrimp; he really hates earth worms), has freaked out before the 60% change but not after so far, has been getting somewhat fat and lazier, but nonetheless unusually social and super clumsy. trying to cut down his diet a lil. Pretty sure he is a male.
60% water change just recently, spread out over a few days, again Ill explain that soon. Nutrafin cycle (10ml to 20gal) added. Todays water levels (crappy, I know):
Ammonia: 0.25 ppm Nitrite: up to 2 ppm (api master test kit is weird colours...) Nitrate: 20 to 40 pH: 7.0 (surprising...) Temp: 60 F (rarely changes)
Tub your axolotl and do 100% water change immediately, you idiot! Well, here is why I am hesitant. First off, my tank IS CYCLED, and unfortunately I was that noob that cycled the tank with Lex in it (ammonia is super rarely over 0.25 these days, nitrite is often 0, and nitrates oddly remain high regardless...). Ive read one place that 100% changes are not ideal after its cycled, but I think thats bull myself as I have done 2 since cycling, making sure good bacteria could survive on everything I put in my tank, filter included. THE REAL reason why I dont wanna do 100% is that last time I did, and put Lex back in after some hours, he got the fungus THE VERY NEXT DAY, and I added 5ml of dechlorinator and it was GONE the next day... maybe a coincidence? But my city adds way too much chlorine, although oddly the pH rarely shows this, but free chlorine probably still exists. The other 2 times he got fungus it was bad water, but this exception makes me paranoid. He got fungus shortly after the 60% change this time too, why I added the water back slowly. It went away, now its back, Lex is healthy and eating well, Ill bet it will go away again soon.
So is chlorine the problem, or just a factor? One guy said don`t add dechlorinator, is that the problem (one site said always add enough dechlorinator...)? Just the water quality? Lex just clumsy and got the slime knocked off of him (very possible)? As for nitrates, why do they go up so easily, even when ammonia and nitrite are super low or non-existent? As for the API master kit, do you read the tubes in contact with the white paper, or hold it back a bit? Why is nitrites the same colour from 1 to basically 5 ppm, and Nitrate the same from 40 to like 100? Any way around this?
Ive heard it said several times 20% needed every other week or every week after its cycled. I dont like paying for so much water, but in my experience, that statement is solely responsible for killing axolotls, especially when cycling isnt emphasized, and just ticking off experienced axolotl owners. Will 20% every week EVER be all that is needed??? So far the answer for me is NOT A CHANCE, buddy.
Thank you so much for taking time to read all this. ill take any advice I can get on dealing with fungus aqnd nitrates.
Some other facts for nerds and pros lol: I have 6 moss balls, bare bottom tank, leucistic albino axolotl, 9 months old, eats only blood worms recently (Im trying to get lower fat, currently its 0.8%) (occasionally brine shrimp; he really hates earth worms), has freaked out before the 60% change but not after so far, has been getting somewhat fat and lazier, but nonetheless unusually social and super clumsy. trying to cut down his diet a lil. Pretty sure he is a male.