HELP! Axolotl laying on it's side!

[Deleted member 44496]

Hi, our approximately 1 year old axolotl has started laying on his side today. We've had him for almost a year, since he was a baby & never experienced this before. He hasn't eaten in about a week either, which is out of character for him. His gills are forward & his tail is curled. He's obviously stressed.

We tested his water, Nitrites were 0.1 - 0.2, Amonia was 0 & Nitrates were 40, which is too high. We cleaned the tank, changed 50% of the water & used Prime, to prime the water & put him back in but he's still been side laying until we "right" him. Think we've also been letting the water temperature fluctuate too much & too often but never above 20 degrees Celsius... it's Summer in Australia.

In early December we put in a new "side mount" filter & last week we put in a new air stone, both of which I now realise are probably too big & moving the water too much. I'll buy new, smaller ones first thing tomorrow.

Just don't want him to be too stressed or die over night. Do we fridge him? If so, what's the process?

Thanks, Sarah

 

[WaterLily05]

It may be stress related. Do everything you can to keep the temps stable. Lower the water flow, maybe take out the air stone. What are the water parameters after the water change? You don't want ANY nitrites and the lower the nitrates, the better! What is the tank size? Are there any other tank mates? What is his diet?

 

[Deleted member 44496]

Hi WaterLily05, thanks SO much for your reply. We REALLY appreciate it!

He's my 15 year old son's axie, I think he's been a bit slack with keeping the tank clean, water changes & I must admit we didn't know that we have to keep the water temperature stable, we had just been keep

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ing it between 16 & 20 degrees Celsius. I've since read on Axolotl.org that variations this large & often are stressful, so we've been more diligent about this now. It's been harder to do because Perth has been experiencing heat waves this Summer, unlike last Summer, when we first had him & were neurotic about his care as a result!

His tank is 58cm W x 41cm H x 31cm D, approximately 70 litres. He's an only axie, without any other tank mates. He's currently fed frozen Axolotl food, which is a combination of whole fish, trimmed beef heart, prawns, octopus, clay meat & blood worm, but again, I've since read that this is not his ideal diet. As a baby we fed him on blood worms. I'll get him some more of these & some earth worms. We garden organically & have heaps of earth worms in our garden.

We managed to reduce the water flow from the filter with a clean cloth. If we remove the air stone will this affect oxygen levels in the water? We'll re-test the water this morning.

On a positive note, he's laying straight & has been since I last "righted" him over 9 hours ago. I did worry that we were going to wake to a dead axie, but his gills are still floofing & his eyes are bright & shiny.

When the pet store is open I'm going to go a get a smaller, internal filter, with a flow rate for the size of his tank. We stupidly thought higher was better!

 

[WaterLily05]

He's my 15 year old son's axie

Aw, I got my first axie when I was 15

I think he's been a bit slack with keeping the tank clean, water changes & I must admit we didn't know that we have to keep the water temperature stable, we had just been keep

---

ing it between 16 & 20 degrees Celsius. I've since read on Axolotl.org that variations this large & often are stressful, so we've been more diligent about this now. It's been harder to do because Perth has been experiencing heat waves this Summer, unlike last Summer, when we first had him & were neurotic about his care as a result!

Sometimes keeping up on the tank maintenance can be a struggle, especially with a busy schedule! You might consider live plants, they help keep up on water quality by using up ammonia and nitrates, and therefore keeping the water healthier for the axolotl. Consistency is definitely a key factor in axolotls health. My first axolotl‘s tank stayed consistently at about 70 F (21 C) the first few months of his life. I didn’t realize how badly it was stressing him out until his gill fluff was almost entirely gone! After correcting the temp, his gills grew back and got to be fluffier than ever. I’ve heard it is extremely hot over there right now! I always forget freezing, snowy December for me is hot summer for y’all over there! I have found that plugging in a small desk fan and having it blown directly over as much of the surface of the tank as possible really helps keep it consistent. Mine stays about 17 C that way, but even if it takes yours down to a consistent 19 or so, im sure the axie will appreciate it!

We managed to reduce the water flow from the filter with a clean cloth. If we remove the air stone will this affect oxygen levels in the water? We'll re-test the water this morning.

Since you buffered the flow from the filter, you should be good to leave the air stone. Axolotls have the ability to swim up and get air from the surface, but since he’s having a hard time right now he may not be able to, in which case the bubbler will be helpful

 

[Deleted member 44496]

Hi, thanks again for your reply & the information. Apologies for the late reply.

We've been more diligent about keeping the water temperature between 16 - 18 degrees Celsius. We've always had a desk fan above the tank, plugged into a thermometer, which switches on when it gets too hot. We also have the back & sides of the tank insulated, with a thin layer of foil foam.

I changed the water filter back to a low flow submersible cannister type & put a spray bar on it, facing the side of the tank, to further reduce the flow. I also changed the air stone to a smaller one.

We've checked the water a further 3 times. Ammonia & Nitrites are still 0 & Nitrates are less than 10. So the water quality is all good.

He's still staying upright but isn't as active as usual, still isn't eating much (or at all?) & hasn't done a poop in a while. I've also noticed that when he does move, he's not using his back legs at all. He seems to just drag them. His gills are still forward too, right?

Wondering if he may be constipated &/or impacted? We don't have any substrate, just porcelain tiles.

Wondering if we should tub &/or fridge him? But we've never had to cause to do this in the 12 months that we've had him, so we don't know much about it. We have got a proper tubbing crate however.

I've attached photos FYI. TIA, Sarah

 

[Autistic Catholic]

There was a person on this forum who had an Axolotl's legs become paralyzed after exposure to ammonia. It recovered but it looks like what happened to your son's axolotl here. I hope he's okay now.