I think my axolotl are dying!

[michael85]

Hey guys, i currently have a white & black axolotl the thing is they were perfectly fine till yesterday i bought another 2 for the family (yellow & brown). As soon as i put them in the water with the rest all the axolotl's got sick.. they had all fungus hanging off them and they are very inactive or stand on 1 side and float weirdly, they are very stressed because there tails are curved, my orginal fish grills have disapeered from all the fungi. Ive tried everything.. ive washed them in salt ive cleaned out the tanks, and juts for now ive seperated them all till they heal... is there anything i can do to help them out ? they dont even eat!..

Im 100% sure its got nothing to do with my rocks ive had my axolotls for over 5 months with them in there, especially the rocks are heaps small..

attached are the pictures of my fishes

 

[leeloo]

i can't really give you much advice as i'm in no way an expert! but do you have them separated in different containers in or out of the fridge? I know it sounds strange and i've only just come around to the idea of putting my axie in the fridge, but it apparantly slows down their metabolism and helps them heal, it also relaxes and de-stresses them. I'm guessing the main advice you will get from the experts on here is to put them in the fridge, as long as the fridge is not below 5 degrees (wants to be about 10 degrees) your axies should hopefully get better

oh and i don't mean to be pedantic but axies are amphibians not fish!

 

[tashie7161]

<< Not an expert either, But I lost my follie about a week ago from gravel impaction from the store i brought her from. Now from having my baby pair they eat loads, and now i know follie never ate right from the beginning. I just didn't know this form lack of experience. So i really would recommend to change from gravel to sand, it doesn't matter how long they have had gravel in the tank before, it doesn't mean they wont get gravel impaction because normally they can pass it but it will take its toll and clog them up. As for fungus i don't know what else to say about from salt baths and fridge like leeloo said.

 

[Kaysie]

What are the levels of ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate in your tank? At what temperature are you keeping them? Do you have a filter on the tank? If so, what kind, and does it produce a large current in the tank?

Fungus should be treated with salt baths: 2-3 times daily, for 10 minutes, in a solution of 2-3 teaspoons of water per liter. This salt bath should be of the same temperature as the water in which the axolotls live (that is, if you have them in the fridge, be sure to keep your salt bath water in the fridge too).

 

[Bellabelloo]

Sorry to hear you are having such a bad time. It looks like the new axolotl have infected your older ones ( unless you quarantined them for the 30 day period) For the fungus you'll need to do the twice daily 10 minute salt baths. If you look further down this page Kapo and Kaysie ( and many others)give good advice on how to do this. I suspect they need to be in seperate containers in the fridge as the others have suggested ( you'll be able to see whats going on with each one better and it'll hopefully stop infection spreading further) .
With regards to the tank the gravel will be far from helpful, a certain ammount will pass through, but some won't and it'll block up your axolotl...leading to some of the other symptoms you are having. You will need to remove all of this from the tank and either leave the floor bare or add sand ( very well washed first!), unfortunately all the cleaning you have done will upset the various balances that you had and you'll need to start the cycling again while the axolotl are in the fridge ( again there are a lot of articles further down this section that'll advise you on how to go about it all)
I spend a lot of time reading the sections here ( some will say way too much time!!!!) and this will be the best way to find out all you need to know, any doubts post another message,. I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed for you.



There...since I typed my bit Kaysie has helped!!...still only use 2 fingers to type with!!

 

[michael85]

Hey Guys,

Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 0
Temperature = 18c
Filter = eheim classic 2213, water spraying against the glass, current is minium

Ive noticed my new fish have crapped out blue pebbles from the pet shop, also i can see white strings growing off there grills, i think they are growning back.. but they still seem unwell.. i have not attempted to put them in fridge..

 

[kapo]

Do you have live plants?

How long did you have your original axolotls (first ones) before introducing the other 2.

Putting in the new ones, without quarantining for the required 30 days could have effected them.

By cleaning the tank completely if your tank was cycled (good bacteria established in it) then you've wiped it out completely and need to start cycling your tank again.

If you put your axies in the fridge I suggest using a cube of raw meat to start your cycle, see: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml, otherwise while they are kept in the tank you need to test the water daily and as soon as ammonia and nitrite levels rise above 0 do frequent partial (20-30%) waterchanges.

I also suggest you keep the 2 new ones completely separate in a bucket/big plastic container and change their water daily.

Gravel should also be removed from the tank, this can be done in stages (scooping a section out each day). Bare tank is fine for axies, easy to feed and clean.

 

[michael85]

RIP my White & Black Axolotls , they rested to there death.. they left a trail of there old food before they died (worms).. my yellow one is still surviving and my brown one..

 

[Hannens Ed]

Sorry to hear that Michael. That was quick. So if the other axies brought disease with them that killed the old ones - what would it be to do it so quickly? That questions is for the experts Michael not for you. RIP your axies

 

[michael85]

I just called the pet shop @ eastgardens and they said there was nothing wrong with them bla bla bla "Pets R Fun" i mentioned to them there grills were missing and the brown one had abit of his tail missing...

She had a excuse for everything, i told her then how come they were crapping out blue pebbles she goes its normal =\

Here are the 2 axolotls from the pet shop that are left..

 

[michael85]

Yellow one is down, Just the Brown Axolotl Left, he doesnt seem to be as worse as the overs.. only his eyes are white like his blind but besides that his tail doesnt look good but he still has his grills etc.. lets hope he stays alive

 

[ianclick]

Hi Michael,

Sorry to hear about your losses they looked really cool. I was not sure from your post if you did quarentine the new ones before adding to the tank. Kapo has told you 30 days at least. I know it seems like ages but it is really worth it.

Axies bought from pet shops can also bring all manner of disease as the people who look after them don't always no what they are doing.

There are some antibiotics available to treat axies but remember that antibiotics aren't a cure all for everything.

Also it probably has nothing to do with the sickness but your gravel substrate, looks small enouch to eaten imagine several bits of this small gravel impacting. You may want to look at sand or a bare floor

Good luck with the remaining ones

 

[kapo]

Sorry to hear about that.

Your yellow and brown axolotl are both very skinny.

Has the brown managed to eat and where are you currently keeping him/her?

That is not unusual about petshops, the majority do not know about the needs of axolotls and assume they are just fish. They just buy them from the breeder and sell them on as fast as they're able.

 

[michael85]

Hey Kapo, The Brown one has died this morning his skin was turned whitish and body looked redish like blood and looked like salvia was hanging off him wen i took him out.. he did not eat at all!! very angry with the pet shop..

 

[Jake]

Sorry to hear that Michael.

If you do consider keeping them again be sure to clean the tank and accessories thouroughly to prevent another disease outbreak. I know it is sometimes difficult to find a source for quality axolotls in some areas, but maybe try to buy them breeder direct, that is if this experience didn't change your mind about keeping them. You should be able to find someone on this site.

-Jake

 

[michael85]

Hey hey, cleaned out my ehiem filter and tank and everything.. tank is in cycle period now..

dont think there is breeders here in sydney / australia..

best place to look is @ a aquarium were i bought my orginal axolotls not from a dam pet shop