I'm a bad axl mama

[Milly]

Hi.

I have two axols, Milly and Franklin. I've had Milly 4 years, Franklin for three.

I used to be militant about their care, and then as my life became busier (work/marriage/parenthood) I slacked off more and more.

And it shows - both have minimal gills, and Milly currently is very very sick. She's stick skinny, her lips have receded so I can see the plates of her..teeth? and her tongue, and she has a fluffy fungus-looking substance growing around her mouth and sometimes around her anus. She's very lethargic, enough so that I have been able to hold her easily in order to remove the fungus-y stuff.

Tonight I force-fed her after 3-4 weeks of her not eating. I have been checking the pH and adjusting it as necessary.

I feel awful.

I also had never done much research on axol care beyond what the petshop owner told me and as such did not know that axols shouldn't be kept on gravel (eek!). So tomorrow I will buy some sand, but I think I'll give them some bare floor time first. I'll also get a more advanced testing kit so I can test for more than the pH, and I'll get some water ager too.

But yeah - does anyone know what the fluffly fungus stuff is?

 

[grunsven]

fungus?

Did you read axolotl.org?

 

[gr33neyes]

basically the fungus is caused by poor care.

Before the day is out I should imagine our saviour Kapo (or another member )will visit and she will put you on the right road for treating the fungus. She will explain the treatment to you much better then myself.
But anyway you need to stop worrying about the ph for now and get that tank water sorted. Go get a water kit which will test for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.
Start daily water changes of around 20%, replacing the old water with fresh dechlorinated water.
I should imagine your water is pretty toxic right now so I would get the sick axolotl out and pop it into a container filled with dechlorinated water and pop it in the fridge. Cover the container with a cloth which will stop the axie from being freaked by the fridge light when it comes on.

Take a look at axolotl.org if you havent already and you will find heaps of information on their care.
Just one other thing, where is your tank situated?
I have mine in my lounge, therefore the axolotls are almost constantly watched and everyone can keep an eye on the tank. It prevents the tank maintenance from being overlooked, I know what its like to be busy, but even my husband has been given lessons on their care. Just a thought.

 

[kapo]

Hi Milly

Welcome to the forum - sorry it's in such poor circumstances.

But you know where you've gone wrong and I am sure are attempting to rectify things.

Becky is correct about why your axolotl has fungus.

Saltbath treatment is:

2=3 teaspoons of uniodised table salt/sea salt or aquarium/tonic salt per litre of dechlorinated water.

Make sure to dissolve the salt. If using the aquarium/chunky salt, crush it so it dissolves easier.

Then add your axolotl to the bath - s/he may find it a little irritating at first. Cover with lid. Ensure it stays in minimum of 10 minutes, but no longer than 15minutes.

Saltbaths need to be done twice a day during the week (or 3 times per day if able).

If fridging the axolotl make sure to put the saltbath in the fridge so it's the same temperature as it's fridging container to avoid fluctuating temperatures which can be just as stressful to the axie.

Empty the saltbath after each use and make up a fresh one each time.

One other thing = what is your tank temperature?

What is your pH level? Axies can reside in 6.4 = 8.0. Using the pH up or downs can cause problems as they don't fix the problem and you probably find you're constantly adjusting it to get it "perfect". If your levels are between those mentioned then just forget about any adjustment.

On the other hand, if you have any ammonia levels over 0 in your tank and the pH level is 8.0 or higher you have to be careful as ammonia then becomes far more toxic to an axolotl.

Don't buy any chemicals to adjust your pH/nitrites/nitrates or ammonia levels. The last three can be sorted out through frequent partial waterchanges daily (20-30%) not large waterchanges. pH levels if higher or lower than the ones mentioned can be adjusted in more natural ways which wont fluctuate as much (ie to raise pH levels use shell grit in a stocking placed in the tank; to lower pH use peat moss).

Until you know your tankwater readings start doing daily partial waterchanges on your tank (20%).

 

[Milly]

Fantastic! Thank you all so much for your replies.

Well, she (but now I've done a bit more reading I think she's a he!) survived the day, the water she was in has lots of bits of fungus floating in it but she seems a little happier and less lethargic. I put Franklin in it just now and they will overnight in it while the new water settles and dechlorinates.

I bought a filter, 3 x testing kits and some water conditioner today. The guy at the pet shop seemed to know what he was talking about but had no treatment in stock for the fungus (and he said he doesn't stock things that are suitable for axols, that you have to give them a half or quarter dose anyway) so kapo thankyou for the info on the saltbath, I will get stuck into that tomorrow (it's 11pm here now, we got home late).

We removed all the water and gravel (the last of the water was a rusty colour ) and have put fresh tap water in. Part of our trouble is that where we live, we have no mains water - rainwater only, and our old system is not in good health. pH is generally about 4.5-5, I don;t even like drinking it myself so that's why I was so concerned about pH. Usually when we change the tank water we get large containers full at friends' houses who are on mains. So this week I will be making lots of trips to get water till Milly is better.

Anyway! I tested the old water - nitrite levels were fine, nitrates were way high - as high as the colour scale went - and the ammonia levels were elevated to 0.25mg/L, so I will test the new water again tomorrow before I retank the axols. I'll also start saltbathing as per kapo's instructions and see how she goes with that.

I'm not sure what the temp of the water is - our thermometer had an accident some time ago and I haven't yet replaced it, so I will do that tomorrow. I know they need cooler temps, and it's a warm summer here now - someone told me it's okay to put icecubes in the water to keep the temp down. Is that silly/damaging?

gr33neyes, the tank is currently in my husband's office, next to his desk, because it's one of the cooler/darker places in the house that isn't isolated. We used to keep them in a mostly-unused room but noticed that they got really excited when we 'visited' so we moved them back into a place that we are both in more frequently. I will definitely consider moving it out into the loungeroom - my toddler would esepcially love that and his interest would keep me on my toes as well.

Sorry for the long reply, but again - thankyou so so much for you help and advice, I'm feeling much better about it all and hopefully I will have good news to report soon.

 

[gr33neyes]

Hi again.

If you have removed all the water then you are probably going to have to cycle the tank from scratch. Your axolotls probably wouldnt hurt from a spell in your fridge whilst you are doing this, as all the healthy bacteria are going to need to re-establish themselves and this can take several weeks.
Be wary of what pet store people try to sell you, alot of water additions and medications can be harmful to axolotls. If you take a look at axolotl.org (link at top of this page) you will find a list of unsafe and toxic products and safe or relatively safe products you can use in your tank.

As for adding ice cubes to your tank, you have to be careful to keep an eye on the temperature as big temperature fluctuations can also be stressful, the water would be constantly cooling then rising again.
Some members fill bottles with water and freeze them and add these instead. Keep several bottles frozen and these will take longer to thaw in the tank. One bottle at a time should be fine.
Also you can place a fan over the top of the tank which will aid in evaporation which also has a cooling effect.

For long term cooling problems an aquarium chiller may be an option although these can be rather expensive.
Keep us posted on progress and I hope your axolotl will make a good recovery

 

[kapo]

Your pH is low. Buy some shell grit (usually sold as bird grit at the petstores) and put it in a stocking or something similar and sit it in your tank, this should raise your pH levels.

pH is really minimal to worry about = main ones are ammonia, nitrites and nitrates as well as temperature.

Are you using the test tube sort or the dip strip test type? Nitrates can also be managed by frequent partial waterchanges.

As you've totally removed all your water and effectively started from scratch cycling, make sure to do testing daily or every two days and then do about 20%=30% waterchanges after the tests only if they need to be done (ie: ammonia or nitrite levels over 0). Nitrates are normal in a established cycled tank. If nitrates exceed 80ppm or mg/l then this can also be fixed by frequent partial waterchanges.

Leave your sick axolotl in the fridge and continue saltbathing twice a day (fridge temperature) until at least 5 days after all fungus has dropped of. You may notice that some of the gills or damaged areas (that the fungus has affected) may drop of or deteriorates fast. This is entirely normal as it's been damaged by fungus and not by the salt. As long as you stick to the 10=15minute rule and no more than what is required of salt you should be fine.

Don't buy any medicines in for the fungus. The petshop assistant is right, you do have to use some medicines at half/quarter dosage for axolotls as most fish medicines can be toxic. But start with the saltbaths first and see how you go. Medicines should be avoided unless absolutely necessary (ie bacterial infection etc...) as most fish medicines can be toxic to an axolotl. See how you go and post if you have any concerns or questions.

Temperature plays a big part in axolotl stress/illness as well. Australia seems to be going through it's usual annual summer heatwaves - which you may notice by a number of posts in the sick forum by Aussie members.

Don't use icecubes this can cause fluctuation in temperatures. Here is a link to cooling methods: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml

Surrounding the tank with styrofoam/polystyrene round the sides/front and back if need be and using bottles of frozen water (either frozen dechlorinated tapwater or frozen rainwater) floating in the tank will help. Also, using a fan of sorts to blow across the surface of the water will bring it down a degree or two - we use pedestal ones as they can be angled, lowered or raised accordingly.

If needbe move your tank back to the coolest room you have. At this stage it doesn't matter if they get excited on your visits but it does matter if their tank heats up and you have problems trying to maintain a constant low temperature and the temperature fluctuates up or down. This inconsistency can stress your axolotl leading to fungal infections, lowered immune system and possible other illnesses.

We have two tanks that sit in our spare bedroom, on the floor, curtains shut. They only get visits on feed days (two-three times per week) and weekly waterchange days, so I know what you mean about them getting excited.

If you can't keep temperatures below 22C then ideal place for your axolotls to be would be the fridge for a couple of weeks.