Help Please

[Talula]

PLEASE HELP ASAP. My female axie Maddy has bulging eyes that seem to have clouded over and look like they are going to burst. Is salt baths the right thing to do?? I have given here one and she didn't seem to like it at all. I have attached the best picture i could get of her.

 

[jay_coward]

i don't know how to fix the big eyes, but i do know that salt baths wont help. only use salt baths for fungus and obvious infections. So the only advice i can give you is stop with the salt baths.

hope all goes well with Maddy

 

[naymo]

Send Kapo a private messages shes a great source of help

 

[Talula]

Her Eyes Weren't Like That 2 Days Ago, And Started To Cloud Over. Today They Are Bulging. Does Anyone Have Any Ideas Why. I Have 3 Others And They Don't Look Like That At All, Especially The Other Dk Brown One. I Have Separted Her And Her Water Temp Is About 16 Degress Celcius, And Her Gills Were Pointed Sharplyf Orward, Before I Separated Her, Seems To Have Settled Down A Little.
Could It Have Anything To Do With My Water? As It Has Went Cloudy Over Night, But I Thought It Due To The Large Male Dropping Sperm Packets. I Have Been Water Changing, 1/3 Yesterday And I Was Going To 1/3 Again Tomorrow. I Use Tank Water, Which Tests Quite Good, No Nitrates Or Ammonia In It.

Any Input Would Be Much Appreciated. Thank You In Advance

 

[naymo]

What are your water parameters?
Is there light shining into the tank

 

[kapo]

Talula, I know you said she was added 2 weeks ago but did you quarantine Maddy when you first got her! All new companions need to be quarantined to ensure they are healthy.

The problems may very well have started prior to you buying her.

If she wasn't quarantined the addition of a possibly sick axolotl means you will have to watch your other ones very carefully.

How big is your tank, how often do you feed them, how often do you spotclean and waterchange? Did you test for nitrites as well?

The cloudiness may not have been caused by spermataphores, it could be a bacterial bloom which can happen and is not unusual. Usually in this case you check all water parameters - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH and if need be do a waterchange.

What do you mean when you said you use tankwater - is it from another tank and if so what one? As far as i'm aware, you shouldn't use tankwater from one tank to waterchange another.

When you change Maddy's container use dechlorinated water, not the tankwater and do it daily.

Not too sure about the bulging eyes.

 

[jay_coward]

I'd say by tank water she means water from the tank in your yard that collects the water.

 

[Talula]

Hi Kapo,

When i say tank water, i mean rain water tanks, as our town water is really quite terrible. I will have to test the ph and for nitrates, and i will post the results tomorrow, as i need more ph tester, and will have to purchase tomorrow.

My tank is quite large 102cm by 51cm and then also quite deep 60cm although i don't always fill to the top usually 3/4 or less.

I do have light source, (mostly for the plants) but i have 3 large hide hide spots for them, and i only put the light on for 3 hrs for the plants sake.

I spot clean a few hours after every feed or when i notice faeces in the water, i top up the water after i spot clean as i use a siphon. I feed every 2 - 3 days. I do a 1/3 water change every week, or sooner if the water if needed.

I have insolated Maddy and will monitor the other axies carefully, but the very first 2 i bought have never had any problems with tank water, other than fungus, which lasted only 2 days, as i treated them with salt, and has not reoccured since, and i have been vigilant with keeping the tank clean.

the temp of big tank is 18 degrees.

Thank you for your time and patience.

 

[Talula]

Water test results

Ok. My water parameters are: From the axie tank.

Gh levels(general hardness)- 0mg/l
KH levels(Carbonate hardness)-0mg/l
Nitrate levels - 0.5mg/l
Nitrate levels - 0 mg/l
pH - 6.6
Ammonia 0mg/l

Does this all sound ok. Maybe by pH needs to be a little bit higher? But my water is still a little cloudy, but not too bad. The pH of my town water is so alkaline there isn't colour for me to compare it too.

Talula

 

[kapo]

Assuming the 2nd Nitrate level at 0 mg/l is Nitrite, it does sound ok. How is Maddy doing?

 

[Talula]

maddy is stable i guess

Hi Kapo,

Maddy seams to be ok, but is off her food. I did give her some salt baths and the bulging has gone down, but her eyes, one in particular is very clouded over and the other is starting to clear. I am not sure if it is because i made the pH of the water slightly higher, about 7.4, but i will keep everyone posted on how she is going as i have been contacted by another member with the same problem. I am hoping that she recovers and my other 3 axies show no signs of the clouded eyes.

If you think it ok to salt bath her i will continue to do so, but is there a limit as to how many days and how many times a day you should do it. I have bathed her twice a day for 2 days now in a solution of 2teaspoons to a litre of filtered water.

Oh and yes the second nitrate level should have been nitrite, and is at 0mg/l.

thank you.

 

[kapo]

Hi Talula, things sound a wee bit better. The amount of saltbaths and quantity you're doing is fine. Usually saltbaths are continued until a few days after fungus has dropped off or infection clears up. When I've done saltbaths during the week I saltbath twice a day, but if I have time over the weekend then 3 times a day using quantity you mentioned.

What did you use to raise your pH?

 

[Talula]

Ph up

I used a product called pH up by which ingredients read as 1000g/kg Sodium Bi- carbonate. It seems to do the trick.

I will keep bathing Maddy in Salt water solution. She seems not to mind it so much now. Might even like the personal attention.

Also in the process of changing my substrate to sand, as i noticed one of my axies gulping the gravel(very fine gravel). I don't want another sick axie.

Thank you for all your concern and help.

 

[kapo]

Don't use the pH up or down products they are only temporary fixes. As long as the pH level doesn't drop below 6.6 you should be fine. All the pH up does will cause a pH swing, it will drop again - you add the pH causing it to rise and will invariably stress your axies.

There are other ways of raising/lowering the pH more effectively and gradually than using a chemical, like pH up or down.

 

[Talula]

pH up?

HI Kapo,

I didn't realise this. What is the other way to raise my pH so not to stress my axies?

Thank you for all your advise so far.

 

[kapo]

You can use some shell grit for birds, from petshop/supermarket, wash it and put it in a stocking, some people place it in the corner of their tank or put it in the bottom of their filter.

Limestone can also be used to raise pH.