Is my axolotl sick?

B

blueyg

New member
Joined
Feb 3, 2016
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Country
Australia
Display Name
Hannah
I just bought a Melanoid Axolotl about 2 weeks ago and he's settled in perfectly.
This afternoon I noticed 2 white dots on his head, they don't look like fungus but I'm not sure what it could be.
I have white sand in the tank, maybe its some sand that's stuck to his head?:confused:

Hannah
 
Welcome to the site. :)
I moved your thread here because I think it will get more views, you really need to post a picture though, white dots could be all kinds of things without being able to see them!
 
A photo would certainly help identify what the dots could be. Do the dots look like the sand? Do they appear raised or flat?
 
Hey,
Thanks, I'm still working out how to use the site.

Ill send some pictures now

:)
 
To post pictures, reply and look at the "Additional Options" under the reply text entry area. There is a "Manage attachments" button there. Cluck a "choose File" button, find the file and click "upload".
 
Hey Guys,

I've never had an axolotl before. I'm kinda worried that he might be stressed, he has a strange habit of sitting in a corner and then swimming against the glass and then turning frantically before settling down again. Is this normal.

Also the white dots have gone, it was this kind of whisky white stuff that has disappeared overnight. If it appears again I'll send pictures.
 
how old/long is your axolotl? Juveniles tend to be more active than adults. Running into objects and glass is not unusual for axolotls. They don't have the best brakes or eyesight. Swimming frantically can be a sign of stress. The first thing to do if you are concerned is to test the parameters for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH and temperature. Is your tank cycled? You can post your readings here as this will help rule out water issues. Other things to consider may be strong lighting or a strong current from your filter. If you have strong lighting, this can sometimes upset them as they are quite sensitive to light, especially if they don't have places to hide away from the light. Have you got hides for your axolotl to go into? Strong filter currents can sometimes upset them also. If you suspect this may be an issue you can place an ornament or sponge in front of the filter outlet to baffle the flow a bit.
 
I asked the aquarium and they said he was around 12 months old but they weren't sure. I think he's around 10-15cm long.
I checked the PH and it said that there was too much alkaline so I'm getting the solution "PH Down" to neutralise the water. I have the darkest room in the house and when I'm at school I close the curtains a bit, there is no strong, direct lighting to his tank. I used to have a rock with holes in it for the tank so he could hide in it but he didn't use it so I took it out. I now just have plants and the Easter Island statues in there.
At the aquarium I asked what filter I should use and they recommended a certain filter which they said wouldn't affect him at all.
I'm cleaning the tank on the weekend and I'll try the sponge idea! Thanks

Btw. the corner he keeps sitting in is under the filter. I'm not sure why but he really loves sitting underneath it.
 
No! Don't use the pH Down!

Due to reasons to long to go into atm, using pH adjusters, particularly those that lower pH, is a very bad idea. More later after work. Meanwhile, you can search ph down in this forum.
 
Don't use the PH adjusting chemicals. Have you tested for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and temperature as well as Ph? What were the exact readings? Is the tank cycled? Are you aware of the nitrogen cycle?
 
Back from work ... Here is why not to use pH down.

1. Axolotls are very tolerant of pH, so there is almost never a reason to change your tap water pH to suit your axolotl. The exception is if your pH is too low, it might need to be raised. But even then, don't use the commercial pH adjusters without researching what is in them.

2. Axolotls (and amphibians in general) are sensitive to some chemicals that don't harm fish. Most aquarium products are tested on fish, not amphibians. pH changes/stabilizers are seldom labeled as to what they contain, so you can't verify they are safe.

3. pH Down is a very strong acid. It is easy to overdose and burn your axolotl. They don't have scales to protect their skin.

4. High pH tap water usually has a lot of buffering capability. That means, when you add the pH Down, the pH will drop at first, but then will rise right back to where it started over the next several hours. So then you have to add more - the pH drops, then rises again. You have to do this a whole bunch of times before the buffer breaks. And your poor axolotl is living in this tank while you do this acid-to-alkali-to-acid-to-alkali yo-yo, which is very stressful even if you don't burn him.

If you really want to adjust the pH of the water for your axolotl, it is best to get it totally adjusted and stabilized in a separate mixing tank, and then do water changes with water from the mixing tank. But remember, with high pH, it takes a while to get the buffer broken.

Back to the other issues ...

In that size range, your axolotl could be as young as 4 month and is probably not more than 7 months, So, it is still a juvenile.

Like Skudo asks, do you understand the cycle? Do you have a test kit that measures ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and pH? What are the readings?

It sounds like you may be very new to aquarium keeping. If so, it is likely that you have an uncycled tank, and that the ammonia is starting to rise to toxic levels. This will cause all sorts of problems (ammonia burns, for example). If this is the case, you will need to be doing some large water changes to keep the ammonia (and nitrite when that starts rising) to non-toxic levels while the tank cycles.
.
 
Below is an article on aquarium cycling. If you are not familiar with cycling it is important to read up on the cycling process as it will help you to understand how it works and how to maintain the cycle and maintain high water quality. High water quality is very important in keeping your axolotl healthy and happy.

Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling
 
Ok thank you so much, as I said I've never had an axolotl before, only goldfish and guppies. I will read the article and cycle and clean the tank. I won't put the pH down in the tank. Thank you for all your help. The aquarium never mentioned any of this.
 
I've read the article.
Since my axolotl is already in the aquarium and I have nowhere else to put him, what would be the safest way to cycle the tank?
I really don't want to hurt him or get it wrong.
Where would I get a test kit from? How much would they cost?
Apart from cycling the tank and doing an ammonia, nitrite, nitrate test is there anything else I need to know?
:confused:
 
That test kit is perfect. Make sure you read the instructions well as it is important to perform the tests correctly to get accurate results. Unfortunately many places never explain the cycling process and tend to give out unreliable or incomplete information.

Make sure you dechlorinate your water before you add the water to your aquarium each time you do a water change. The chemicals in tap water are not only harmful to aquatic life but will also affect the good bacteria that maintain the cycle.

There are two ways you can cycle your tank. It is up to you which method you choose but the important thing you need to consider is your axolotl's welfare. You can either cycle the tank with the axolotl in the tank or use a fishless cycling method that would require keeping your axolotl in a tub and once the tank is fully cycled, return him to the aquarium.

If you choose to cycle the tank with your axolotl in the tank, the waste produced by your axolotl will be your ammonia source for the cycle. As ammonia and nitrite are harmful to your axolotl, you would need to perform frequent water changes to keep ammonia and nitrite at low and safe levels (below 0.25ppm). I would perform tests daily so you can monitor these levels and ensure you don't expose your axolotl to harmful levels of ammonia and nitrite.

If you would like to do a fishless cycling method, you would need to keep your axolotl in a tub and change 100% of the water daily using fresh dechlorinated water. The easiest way to do this and use water of the same temperature is to have two tubs set up and simply transfer the axolotl to the second tub, empty the first tub and refill the tub so it is ready for the following day. Whilst your axolotl remains in the tub, you can use an alternative ammonia source to establish your cycle. Some people use food but others use pure ammonia. I don't like foods as they can go off and become foul but others use pure ammonia. It is important not to use ammonia containing soaps and other chemicals so people usually do not recommend the use of cloudy ammonia. However one member here recommended that Black and Gold brand cloudy ammonia is a safe choice and I have used this now for a few aquariums with success. If you can find this brand somewhere. You only need a little bit so I would add a few drops and wait a while and then test and then add a little more until it reaches 4ppm to kick start the cycle. If you do use this method, there must be no aquatic life in your tank as the high dose of ammonia would be very detrimental to their health. However, using this method properly does not potentially expose your axolotl to harmful levels of ammonia and nitrite and it would be less effort to change water in a tub each day than do frequent water changes on the aquarium in my opinion.

Your tank will be cycled once ammonia and nitrite both read 0ppm and there is a reading of nitrate. Although, you will want to keep nitrate below 40ppm for axolotls.

I should also add that you will need some patience. Cycling tanks takes weeks to establish. If you can source some filter media or an ornament or two from an already cycled tank this will help to kickstart your tank.
 
Hi,
Since I have no tubs to keep my axolotl in, I think I will do a cycle with my axolotl in the tank.
I called the aquarium and they said if I took a water sample to them on the weekend then they could test the water for me.
I will also buy a test kit so I can do it myself.
If I do the cycle with my axolotl in the water, how often would I need to change the water?
How would I dechlorinate the water when i do a water change? I didn't know tap water was chlorinated?
Thank you for all your help,
I didn't realise how little I knew about axolotls.
 
Also here is some behaviour I have only noticed in the second week I've had him:

- Sitting in the corner under the filter
- Pushing/swimming against the glass when trying to turn
- Swimming fast along the back of the tank, then resting, then swimming again.

Is this normal behaviour or does this mean he is stressed?
Sorry for asking so many questions.
:(
 
Tap water is chlorinated and usually in Australia, chloramine is also added I believe. You will need to purchase a dechlorinator from your aquarium shop. Most of them are called water conditioner and they will say they neutralise chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals found in tap water. The dose rate will be on the bottle you purchase and you would need to add the necessary amount to the water before you add it so the easiest way is to fill a bucket with tap water, add the conditioner to dechlorinate and give a good stir and then add to your aquarium.

Make sure the store tells you the exact readings as sometimes they say the water is ok when there is actually and issue. Getting the readings and having an understanding of what the readings mean will allow you to interpret the results yourself and know whether they are acceptable or not.

You will know to do a water change by testing the parameters and changing enough to keep the parameters in check. So say for example, ammonia is reading at a level of 0.5ppm. A 50% water change would halve the amount in the water (provided your tap water is 0ppm) so it would be at 0.25ppm. Does that make sense? You can test the water again twenty minutes or so after doing a water change to make sure you have changed enough water.

Those behaviours sound fairly normal though if you see he is swimming frantically, it could indicate stress and it may be due to not dechlorinating the water. The chemicals in tap water can irritate them.

Don't apologise for asking questions. It is always good to ask questions and we are happy to help :)

Also, do you have a thermometer for your tank? The warm temperatures here can make aquariums warm up a lot and given axolotls need cold water (ideal between 16-18 degrees Celsius), it is important to have a good working thermometer to monitor the water temperature accurately so you can take action if necessary to make sure the water is cool enough for them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Chat Bot:
    SSV has left the room.
     +1
    Unlike
  • Arlet:
    Hello, may I ask a question here? Or do I need to ask a question somewhere else?
     +1
    Unlike
  • Rorey132:
    Is this guy still available?
     +1
    Unlike
    Rorey132: Is this guy still available? +1
    Back
    Top