Help please!!

[Luna]

Hi, I have had 3 axoltols in the past year and they have all died at different time during the year. One died this morning and I have no clue what the cause is. They would all stop eating and then slowly lose weight and I would wake up to a dead axolotl.
I have no clue why this is happening since my water quality is always perfect.
The only thing I can think of is the heat (I live in Australia). The tank got really heated for 2 days and then I took control of the temperature. Maybe she got stressed by the heat change, I don't know though.
It would be great for some help since I have 1 more axolotl and at the moment he is a very healthy axolotl that loves to eat.
I would love to find out a potential cause so I can make sure that this doesn't happen again.
Thank you

 

[seagull]

my best guess is sudden heat shifts
ice helps keep water cool
make sure the tank is totally cleaned after one dies to avoid possible infection

 

[Luna]

Thank you for the advise. I'll make sure to clean it out today which would probably be best since its very hot today

 

[Elise]

If all of your problems are due to heating, then the pattern will probably continue until you make a major change in how you cool your aquarium. Ice bottles are tricky to use, often causing temperature swings and areas of much colder water.

You could look into a wine cooler as a temporary solution to get you through the hottest days. If you're on a budget, they can be very reasonable if you look into a second hand one.
Classroom Aquarium Type 3 Wine Chiller with a Small Tank - YouTube

There are other options listed in the Aquarium Cooling Methods article which might help you.

 

[auntiejude]

I am not trying to be mean here, but maybe a different pet would be better for you? It's not fair on you or the axies to keep getting a pet and having it die.

Tha chances are it's the heat - Australia is notorious for losing axies in the hot summers - and unless you're going to invest in a chiller this is likely to happen again.

 

[NexSocius]

Age of Aquariums - Chillers <--Click this

I can't stress enough the importance of chillers here in Aus. If you haven't got a tank thermometer permanently in the water, get one, and monitor it VERY closely. If you work, have someone check the temp once or twice a day until you get home.

My chiller is on my big tank which is still cycling, so I have my lottie in a plastic 30L tub, which is inside a foam cooler box on the floor. On the real hot days and heat waves, I open a pack of ice, and pour it in the space between the foam and the plastic tub. Then I put 2 or 3 thick large towels over the top, and leave him be.
This slowly lowers the temp to around 12c - and keeps it there for a few days. Still, the temp must be monitored, and more ice added as needed.
For water changes, have water in the fridge in bottles. Get your tank thermometer, take note of the temp, and make a mix of tap & fridge water, until you get the same temp as the tub (the fridge tends to be around 4 or 5c). This is so you keep the temp stable and don't shock your lottie.

On not-so-hot days, as a rule of thumb, any time the temp is 20c or more, I switch on my little 15cm 20w fan and aim it on the water. This cools it 1 or 2 degrees and keeps him comfortable. These are less than $10 from Kmart.

20c is tip of the comfort zone. 22c is maximum. Any higher is dire emergency, and the temp needs to be lowered asap, but (correct me if I'm wrong here) no more than 1 degree every 30 mins. Any faster can shock them.

I hope this helps :blob:

 

[NexSocius]

PS. It's going to be hotter here in Vic for the next week; I'm not sure where you are, but I'm in central Vic, and we'll be getting 40+ on Tuesday.

There are lots of temp cooling options, some Aussies even keep their lotties in esky's during the heat. If you need some help in setting up a cooler environment, feel free to inbox me or post on here.