Help needed with sick axolotl

[HayleyStar7]

Hi, need some help with our sick axolotl. We are newbies and didn’t set the tank up correctly due to not researching enough - please don’t judge, am committed to proper care moving forward!

We’ve had a wild type since December last year and noticed on Monday night that he was floating and was still floating Tuesday morning. I took him out and have been tubbing him ever since with an airstone and water changes 1-2 x daily. I think it was ammonia and nitrates could have been a bit too high? Also possibly fungus as I measured the water temp and it was 22/72. He was looking better on Wednesday but worse on Thursday so I gave him a salt bath due to noticing a white mucous film on his skin and around his gills. He was much better by Friday and has stopped floating now and is moving around more. He’s just hanging out in the corner near the bubbler. Water temp is now sitting around 20/68. Have him a second salt bath yesterday and he’s still doing okay although the kink has returned to the end of his tail today. He hasn’t eaten at all since taking him out of his tank and I’m worried about his weight as he is very skinny. His gills are very small and his feet don’t look right, but TBH he looked like the is when we got him from the pet store and not knowing any different I thought it was just because he was young.

Q - what can I do to get him to eat and should I fridge him if he’s stopped floating but still won’t eat?

I tested the water for the first time on Tuesday with API for ammonia and test stick for other parameters. Looked like ammonia was 0.25ppm, nitrites 0, nitrates 40ppm, pH 6.8.
Have been cleaning and doing a few partial water changes and added bacteria through the week. I tested again yesterday with API master kit - pH 6.8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0. Was worried about having all zero readings might indicate there is no cycle, so added some food to the tank to test if that made a difference. Also increased pH.
Tested today and parameters are pH 8?, ammonia 0.25?, nitrite 0, nitrate 5. Does this mean we have an active cycle in the tank? What else do we need to do to get the water quality right before returning our axie to the tank?

Q - should I keep working with this water or empty completely and clean and start again? If we keep this water should I add some ammonia to properly test if the cycle is working? Or start a complete new cycle? Or does it look okay if we can get the pH right and zero ammonia and nitrite with some nitrates?

Have added some photos of our axie and his new tank set up as well as todays water test results. The tank is 60L and we had been keeping it half full at around 30L. I’ve increased that a bit now. We only had the sponge filter before so have bought a new filter with bio filter - Fluval U2 which is running in the tank. I think the current might be too strong though.

Any advice from more experienced axie owners would be much appreciated! Thanks.

 

[HayleyStar7]

Hi, need some help with our sick axolotl. We are newbies and didn’t set the tank up correctly due to not researching enough - please don’t judge, am committed to proper care moving forward!

We’ve had a wild type since December last year and noticed on Monday night that he was floating and was still floating Tuesday morning. I took him out and have been tubbing him ever since with an airstone and water changes 1-2 x daily. I think it was ammonia and nitrates could have been a bit too high? Also possibly fungus as I measured the water temp and it was 22/72. He was looking better on Wednesday but worse on Thursday so I gave him a salt bath due to noticing a white mucous film on his skin and around his gills. He was much better by Friday and has stopped floating now and is moving around more. He’s just hanging out in the corner near the bubbler. Water temp is now sitting around 20/68. Have him a second salt bath yesterday and he’s still doing okay although the kink has returned to the end of his tail today. He hasn’t eaten at all since taking him out of his tank and I’m worried about his weight as he is very skinny. His gills are very small and his feet don’t look right, but TBH he looked like the is when we got him from the pet store and not knowing any different I thought it was just because he was young.

Q - what can I do to get him to eat and should I fridge him if he’s stopped floating but still won’t eat?

I tested the water for the first time on Tuesday with API for ammonia and test stick for other parameters. Looked like ammonia was 0.25ppm, nitrites 0, nitrates 40ppm, pH 6.8.
Have been cleaning and doing a few partial water changes and added bacteria through the week. I tested again yesterday with API master kit - pH 6.8, ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate 0. Was worried about having all zero readings might indicate there is no cycle, so added some food to the tank to test if that made a difference. Also increased pH.
Tested today and parameters are pH 8?, ammonia 0.25?, nitrite 0, nitrate 5. Does this mean we have an active cycle in the tank? What else do we need to do to get the water quality right before returning our axie to the tank?

Q - should I keep working with this water or empty completely and clean and start again? If we keep this water should I add some ammonia to properly test if the cycle is working? Or start a complete new cycle? Or does it look okay if we can get the pH right and zero ammonia and nitrite with some nitrates?

Have added some photos of our axie and his new tank set up as well as todays water test results. The tank is 60L and we had been keeping it half full at around 30L. I’ve increased that a bit now. We only had the sponge filter before so have bought a new filter with bio filter - Fluval U2 which is running in the tank. I think the current might be too strong though.

Any advice from more experienced axie owners would be much appreciated! Thanks.

Quick update - gave him (or her? Not sure which it is) some pellets this afternoon and has definitely shown interest by moving towards them and snapping at them. Not sure if any have been eaten yet but will leave in for a bit before a water change later today. I’m feeling more hopeful that his appetite is coming back.

 

[JM29]

We only had the sponge filter before so have bought a new filter with bio filter

Hi,
I won't judge you. A lot of new hobbyists receive bad advices from pet shop sellers. The problem is the same for fish keepers.

You don't cycle a tank, you cycle a filter.
If you bought a new filter, is the previous sponge filter still working in the tank or did you remove it ?
If you removed the sponge filter, you will need to cycle the new bio filter completely (at least 4 weeks, and a nitrite spike at mid-term).
If it's the case, keep on tubbing it for a few weeks.

You axolotl will need a lot of food to recover (it is really skinny). Beside the pellets, try live food for a change.
The gills are in poor conditions but I think it can still recover with good water quality and enough food.

As for the temperature, it's great if you managed to go down from 22 to 20 but your "thermometer" is not very precise.
On a long term, always staying at 20-22 isn't very good for an axolotl because this is its high limit.
Moreover, depending on where you are in Australia, perhaps you'll suffer higher temperatures in the future ?
Fortunately, you have some time before your next summer to think to ways to cool down your tank.

I let other people add more complete comments which will help you more.

 

[HayleyStar7]

Hi,
I won't judge you. A lot of new hobbyists receive bad advices from pet shop sellers. The problem is the same for fish keepers.

You don't cycle a tank, you cycle a filter.
If you bought a new filter, is the previous sponge filter still working in the tank or did you remove it ?
If you removed the sponge filter, you will need to cycle the new bio filter completely (at least 4 weeks, and a nitrite spike at mid-term).
If it's the case, keep on tubbing it for a few weeks.

You axolotl will need a lot of food to recover (it is really skinny). Beside the pellets, try live food for a change.
The gills are in poor conditions but I think it can still recover with good water quality and enough food.

As for the temperature, it's great if you managed to go down from 22 to 20 but your "thermometer" is not very precise.
On a long term, always staying at 20-22 isn't very good for an axolotl because this is its high limit.
Moreover, depending on where you are in Australia, perhaps you'll suffer higher temperatures in the future ?
Fortunately, you have some time before your next summer to think to ways to cool down your tank.

I let other people add more complete comments which will help you more.

@JM29 Thanks so much for the reply and advice. Have kept the original sponge filter in the tank (was going to run them both) but am thinking I should still cycle the new filter now just to be sure. Do I need to add ammonia to get this started? Can I just use cloudy ammonia from the supermarket? I’m happy to keep tubbing him for next month or more if needed and am quite nervous about putting him back in the main tank.

Will try to get some live food for him - have only found pellets and frozen in the local aquariums. He hasn’t shown any interest in the frozen axolotl food blocks or bloodworms. Are earthworms best at this stage?

Temp is a challenge but we live in Melbourne, which is southern and have A/C in the room. And we are heading in to winter now. I did also buy an analogue thermometer that suctions on to the inside of the glass - is that any more accurate or do we need to get a digital one?

Thanks again for the advice!

 

[JM29]

Have kept the original sponge filter in the tank (was going to run them both) but am thinking I should still cycle the new filter now just to be sure. Do I need to add ammonia to get this started? Can I just use cloudy ammonia from the supermarket? I’m happy to keep tubbing him for next month or more if needed and am quite nervous about putting him back in the main tank.

I think it's a good idea to keep the 2 filters but I prefer to let more experienced people answer the question of adding ammonia (I have no filter).

Will try to get some live food for him - have only found pellets and frozen in the local aquariums. He hasn’t shown any interest in the frozen axolotl food blocks or bloodworms. Are earthworms best at this stage?

Yes, you can propose earthworms. This is a well balanced food (some people feed axolotls almost exclusively with earthworms) and usually very attractive.

Temp is a challenge but we live in Melbourne, which is southern and have A/C in the room. And we are heading in to winter now. I did also buy an analogue thermometer that suctions on to the inside of the glass - is that any more accurate or do we need to get a digital one?

That's good. A digital one is not an obligation.

 

[wolfen]

the bare minimum tank size is 10 gallon which is 37.9 litres recommended size is 20 gallon which is 75.7 litres, your tank is just under recommended size and by halving the water it is under bare minimum. as it stand right now the nitrates once cycled will build up faster than if the tank was full, also a smaller amount of water is more susceptible to external temperature changes than a larger amount would be.
get a fan or some means to lower the temperature to around 15°c/59/°f - 18°c/64°f as it would be more comfortable at these temperatures.
having two filters is always better than one, more surface area equals more bacteria equals better waste break down.
is the plant real, if so then that would help remove nitrates although because of the green tint to the water algae could also be building up and consuming nitrates.
you do have some bacteria there that is consuming the ammonia/nitrites but because of the ammonia readings there isn't enough and will require cycling further.
get some ammonia chloride (dr tims is the most popular), some dechlorinater (doesn't matter what dechlorinater it just needs to dechlorinate, do not get any that are stress relief as some can effect axolotl gills, also don't get any that detox ammonia as ammonia is needed for the bacteria), a liquid freshwater test kit as an accurate reading of ph/ammonia/nitrites/nitrates is required and test strips aren't accurate enough, some bicarbonate of soda to bring the ph up.
fill the tank up with dechlorinated water (always dechlorinate before adding), have the filters and any air stones running (bacteria require oxygen as much as the axolotl does), add ammonia chloride until it reads at 4ppm (there should be instructions on the bottle for how many drops per gallon for 2ppm, double the amount for 4ppm), after a week of running test for ph/ammonia/nitrites/nitrates. if the ph is below 7 add just enough bicarbonate of soda to bring it up to 7.4-7.6, top ammonia up to 4ppm then test 24 hours later, top up ammonia to 4ppm retest 24hrs later, keep repeating this until after 24hrs there is zero ammonia or nitrites, top back up to 4ppm and retest for a couple more days just to be sure that the cycle is complete, do not do a water change whilst cycling unless the nitrates are 110ppm or higher, keep a eye on the ph (low ph can make it difficult for the bacteria to break down ammonia).
go to Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity and read about what water minerals and salts are required for axolotls and consider using either holtfreters solution or a modified solution as this will help keep your axolotl healthy and deter fungus.
for food there is frozen bloodworm/krill/mysis shrimp/mussel/cockle/brine shrimp also chopped up small/large prawns and chopped up king prawn, for live food there is shrimp/worms/small live bearing fish such as guppies.

 

[JM29]

I agree with Wolfen.
Caution with small fish as live food, except if you rear your own healthy breeding population.
Commercial fishes can carry diseases like Columnaris (a bacteria) or Lernaea (aka anchor worm, a parasitic copepode).

 

[HayleyStar7]

the bare minimum tank size is 10 gallon which is 37.9 litres recommended size is 20 gallon which is 75.7 litres, your tank is just under recommended size and by halving the water it is under bare minimum. as it stand right now the nitrates once cycled will build up faster than if the tank was full, also a smaller amount of water is more susceptible to external temperature changes than a larger amount would be.
get a fan or some means to lower the temperature to around 15°c/59/°f - 18°c/64°f as it would be more comfortable at these temperatures.
having two filters is always better than one, more surface area equals more bacteria equals better waste break down.
is the plant real, if so then that would help remove nitrates although because of the green tint to the water algae could also be building up and consuming nitrates.
you do have some bacteria there that is consuming the ammonia/nitrites but because of the ammonia readings there isn't enough and will require cycling further.
get some ammonia chloride (dr tims is the most popular), some dechlorinater (doesn't matter what dechlorinater it just needs to dechlorinate, do not get any that are stress relief as some can effect axolotl gills, also don't get any that detox ammonia as ammonia is needed for the bacteria), a liquid freshwater test kit as an accurate reading of ph/ammonia/nitrites/nitrates is required and test strips aren't accurate enough, some bicarbonate of soda to bring the ph up.
fill the tank up with dechlorinated water (always dechlorinate before adding), have the filters and any air stones running (bacteria require oxygen as much as the axolotl does), add ammonia chloride until it reads at 4ppm (there should be instructions on the bottle for how many drops per gallon for 2ppm, double the amount for 4ppm), after a week of running test for ph/ammonia/nitrites/nitrates. if the ph is below 7 add just enough bicarbonate of soda to bring it up to 7.4-7.6, top ammonia up to 4ppm then test 24 hours later, top up ammonia to 4ppm retest 24hrs later, keep repeating this until after 24hrs there is zero ammonia or nitrites, top back up to 4ppm and retest for a couple more days just to be sure that the cycle is complete, do not do a water change whilst cycling unless the nitrates are 110ppm or higher, keep a eye on the ph (low ph can make it difficult for the bacteria to break down ammonia).
go to Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity and read about what water minerals and salts are required for axolotls and consider using either holtfreters solution or a modified solution as this will help keep your axolotl healthy and deter fungus.
for food there is frozen bloodworm/krill/mysis shrimp/mussel/cockle/brine shrimp also chopped up small/large prawns and chopped up king prawn, for live food there is shrimp/worms/small live bearing fish such as guppies.

@wolfen Thanks for your reply and detailed advice - much appreciated. The plants aren’t real but I agree there is likely algae in the tank - is the algae a problem? I can look to get some live floating plants. Will also increase water levels in the tank - just need to get a cover so our axie doesn’t jump out.

Will empty tank and start the cycle with new water - have ordered some Dr Tims ammonia and also some African nightcrawlers for food. I tried some of my compost worms which I think are tiger worms, and he was definitely interested and sucked them up but then spat them out. I then read that it could be the secretions from compost worms - but promising that he was so interested in them. I tried frozen bloodworms again overnight and I think there were less in his tub in the morning so hopefully he ate some. Is definitely showing more interest in food now.

Thanks again to you and @JM29 for your help.

 

[wolfen]

although algae is unsightly the main issue is that free floating algae consume the oxygen in the water at a high rate, keeping the tank out of direct sunlight and regular water changes will control free floating algae, having algae growing on the glass and ornaments although annoying and unsightly is a sign of a healthy tank.
axolotls are mostly nocturnal so feeding them at night and leaving the food in till the following day is always more effective than feeding during the day.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

We had a user here a few years ago who thought they had an axolotl (I think it turned out to be a tiger salamander so they thought it was sick when it actually morphed) from Arizona who was able to keep their tank cool using fans.

 

[HayleyStar7]

@wolfen Do you have any advice on how long to keep doing salt baths? I’ve done 4 now over 4 days - axie is looking heaps better, much more alert and moving around the tub. I can still see a few white strands on the back of the gills waving around when he’s breathing. Do I need to do a few more days until these are gone or could I switch to just adding some salt to his tub at 2gm per L as I’ve seen you recommend to others on the forum? I have seen mixed opinions on salt baths, with some saying they are safe and effective if done properly and others steering clear of them. I personally think the combo of tubbing + lower temp + salt bath has saved our axies life.

Still not eating much (or at all? It’s hard to tell if any have been eaten when leaving the bloodworms in overnight) but I’m hopeful that the night crawlers will work when they arrive.

Thanks in advance!

 

[wolfen]

adding 2g per litre marine salt in his/her tub would be fine. keep him/her cool and just keep doing the 24hr water changes to the tub whilst feeding nightly, don't worry about over feeding, just keep persevering and you'll get there in the end. don't forget about reading up on using holtfreters or a modified solution once he/she is back in his/her tank. make sure to use a air-stone so the water stays oxygenated.
good to hear your axolotl is coming along well

 

[HayleyStar7]

adding 2g per litre marine salt in his/her tub would be fine. keep him/her cool and just keep doing the 24hr water changes to the tub whilst feeding nightly, don't worry about over feeding, just keep persevering and you'll get there in the end. don't forget about reading up on using holtfreters or a modified solution once he/she is back in his/her tank. make sure to use a air-stone so the water stays oxygenated.
good to hear your axolotl is coming along well

Thanks @wolfen and yes have looked at the holfreters and intend to use when they are back in the tank. Will keep offering the food overnight too. I’m just worried that it’s been a week now with no food (possibly just a little food) and our axie was already skinny - don’t want them to die of starvation now!

 

[wolfen]

Thanks @wolfen and yes have looked at the holfreters and intend to use when they are back in the tank. Will keep offering the food overnight too. I’m just worried that it’s been a week now with no food (possibly just a little food) and our axie was already skinny - don’t want them to die of starvation now!

just keep him/her as cold as possible without fridging, they can go quite a while without eating. is he/she defecating?

 

[HayleyStar7]

just keep him/her as cold as possible without fridging, they can go quite a while without eating. is he/she defecating?

The tub water has been sitting at around 19 degrees Celsius. I could probably get it colder by lowering the temp on the A/C. He did a big poo in the tub the second day but nothing since.

 

[wolfen]

The tub water has been sitting at around 19 degrees Celsius. I could probably get it colder by lowering the temp on the A/C. He did a big poo in the tub the second day but nothing since.

try and get it colder, as he/she cools down his/her metabolism will slow down down as well.
as soon as you get the ingredients for the holfreters/modified solution you can use is in his/her tub instead of the salt.
is he/she more active now?

 

[HayleyStar7]

try and get it colder, as he/she cools down his/her metabolism will slow down down as well.
as soon as you get the ingredients for the holfreters/modified solution you can use is in his/her tub instead of the salt.
is he/she more active now?

He’s been more active over the past few days since he’s been having the salt baths and stopped floating. Moving around to different locations in the tub. Occasionally swimming, and moving towards food when I put it in. But still lots of sitting around on the bottom of the tub which I figure is normal. A couple of times he has become a bit frantic and swam to the surface and looked like he was trying to get out of the water. I worried that he might be stressed or the water isn’t right, but both times it was after I added the bloodworms so thought maybe he could smell them and was trying to find them?

He was frantic in the salt bath the first time I did one, but much calmer the next few times.

 

[wolfen]

is there an air-stone in the tub, if not put one in there.
make sure the tub has a lid. axolotls like space to being cooped up would probably be annoying.
make sure to thoroughly clean the tub every water change to prevent any bacteria build up.

 

[HayleyStar7]

is there an air-stone in the tub, if not put one in there.
make sure the tub has a lid. axolotls like space to being cooped up would probably be annoying.
make sure to thoroughly clean the tub every water change to prevent any bacteria build up.

Thanks @wolfen Yes there is an airstone in the tub. Have been playing around with the bubble output levels as had it up higher yesterday and seemed to be creating a bit of current in the tub. The tub has a lid and is covered with a heavy towel to keep it mostly dark.