LanaBat
New member
Hi! I'd say I was new, but I've sort of been stalking this site for many moons, and even bought my two axolotls from a breeder on here. They are my first and I adore them. Both are leucistic; one is GFP and the other isn't. They are about 4 inches right now. My biggest challenge has been keeping the temperature stable during the Texas summer. Last week our AC broke, and I was mega struggling with trying to keep them below 75.
I did a 30%-ish water change on Monday, and that seems to be when things started. Then I did my usual weekly water test and OH MY GOD, the nitrites were so high. I had completely cycled this tank before putting them in, and have been pretty good about cleaning it out-- though some stringy white stuff has started forming in the tank. The day I water changed, they both started FREAKING out. They were swimming frantically, jerking, leaping at the surface, and just generally panicking.
Then they stopped eating. Their gills started curling forward. They developed deep red spots (hemorrhaging?) in their heads. Then by yesterday morning their gills had lost their fluff, and I noticed some white film on the non-GFP's tail. I looked up the fridging guide and followed that process last night, separating them into tupperwares with holes, covered them up with a towel, and went to bed hoping for the best.
It was the non-GFP I was initially worried about, but this morning when I checked on them, my little GFP is looking worse! His tail is hooked and curled, his gills are just the saddest looking things, and he is just super skinny (imo). He also started doing this weird behavior. He opened his mouth all the way, then swung his head back and forth slowly a few times. I almost expected him to regurgitate something, but he did not.
I've looked at fungus as a possibility, but the online descriptions of it have not matched what I've been seeing. I'm not sure whether to do salt baths.
These guys have really got me attached to them and I really want them to pull through. I can't force feed them since they are so small. Is there any particular type of worm or other food that they might be more eager to take right now while they are fridged and not feeling good, or should I just allow them to rest outside of the daily water change?
Any advice or suggestions would be super.
I did a 30%-ish water change on Monday, and that seems to be when things started. Then I did my usual weekly water test and OH MY GOD, the nitrites were so high. I had completely cycled this tank before putting them in, and have been pretty good about cleaning it out-- though some stringy white stuff has started forming in the tank. The day I water changed, they both started FREAKING out. They were swimming frantically, jerking, leaping at the surface, and just generally panicking.
Then they stopped eating. Their gills started curling forward. They developed deep red spots (hemorrhaging?) in their heads. Then by yesterday morning their gills had lost their fluff, and I noticed some white film on the non-GFP's tail. I looked up the fridging guide and followed that process last night, separating them into tupperwares with holes, covered them up with a towel, and went to bed hoping for the best.
It was the non-GFP I was initially worried about, but this morning when I checked on them, my little GFP is looking worse! His tail is hooked and curled, his gills are just the saddest looking things, and he is just super skinny (imo). He also started doing this weird behavior. He opened his mouth all the way, then swung his head back and forth slowly a few times. I almost expected him to regurgitate something, but he did not.
I've looked at fungus as a possibility, but the online descriptions of it have not matched what I've been seeing. I'm not sure whether to do salt baths.
These guys have really got me attached to them and I really want them to pull through. I can't force feed them since they are so small. Is there any particular type of worm or other food that they might be more eager to take right now while they are fridged and not feeling good, or should I just allow them to rest outside of the daily water change?
Any advice or suggestions would be super.
They really stole my heart. Maybe I will try again towards the fall or winter... If I do at all. I really don't want to lose more.