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Help figuring out why my axolotl died?

Mooshoo

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Hi everyone. I had an axolotl who was ~14 months old just die out of nowhere. He was very very healthy before I left for a 2-day trip. I came back and he is completely dead and very red in color and covered in white flakes. Before I left his tank was in good condition and had been recently cleaned and was not murky at all. He lives alone in his tank. I fed him a normal amount of bloodworms before leaving. Next to his body there is a very large feces, way larger than his normal ones. I tested the water chemicals and everything is within the healthy range (nitrate, nitrite, pH, hardness) according to the testing kit parameters. I'll attach a photo of what he looked like before this happened. I don't understand how this could happen in such a short time span. My roommate was here while I was gone and didn't notice anything abnormal but he didn't look carefully. He claims he did not spray any cleaners or air fresheners near the tank, but since he is not careful I don't fully trust that he is telling the truth. Is it possible that my axolotl died from a household chemical exposure? Also, the murkiness of the water in these photos was not there whatsoever when I left two days ago. It may be a result of the body and feces. Help!!!! I have two other axolotls in separate tanks and I want to know what happened so I can avoid it for the other axolotls.
 

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AMurry24537

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Oh no, that's so sad! I'm sorry for your loss. Based on the symptoms, I would think it was related to a water quality issue of some kind as a result of chemicals, but I'm not an expert, so this whole thing is just me hypothesizing. My first thought was that perhaps something got contaminated during the last tank cleaning, since you said that had been done recently. It could also be that there was exposure to something dangerous via something as simple as the vent system in your house or something accidentally dropped in the water. The poop was probably the body's attempt to try to rid itself of as many toxins as possible. Again, this is all just my unprofessional thoughts on the topic.
 

faebugz

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I second what the other person said, but I would also like to add- are you using liquid or strip tests? Can we get the exact numbers? The strip ones are very innacurate, and the exact numbers tell a better story, is why I ask.

Also, get your other lotls away from your roommates!! I unfortunately have to have my axolotl tank near the doorway to my room and I am so paranoid of my bf being careless, better just to keep em out of harm's way!
 
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