Just some questions…..

[Sparkle_Butterfly]

My baby is 4 months old. She just came home this week. She don’t move very much and her gills seem a lil less pink since she came home in Wednesday. She had eaten more than I expected but yesterday (day 4) she diddnt seem interested. I’m feeding red wigglers cut up. Another question, I have her on foe tank grass and some times the wigglers get stuck underneath. I’m worried they stress her out. I read her gill colors are pretty important, they were bright pink when she came home and now that she’s been in her tank I’ve noticed they have faded a bit. Still pink but just a little pale

 

[minorhero]

The worms won't stress her out. Water parameters could easily be bothering her however.

Did you cycle the tank before introducing your axolotl? If not, then this is likely your issue.

Here's what to do now. If you don't have a liquid test kit for water parameters, go buy one. In the state's the cheapest and most widely available one is the API Freshwater Master Test Kit. You can buy it in any big box (and most local) fish store. You can also buy it online. You will want to test the water for ammonia and nitrite. It should read zero, if its anything other then zero, that's your problem.

Assuming you didn't cycle the tank you have a situation where your pets poop is causing ammonia to build up in the water which is poisoning your critter. The short term solution is to do multiple big water changes a day (like 50% water change followed immediately by another 50% water change. Do this every day until your tank cycles (you don't detect ammonia or nitrite when testing every day for at least a week).

There is a LOT of videos on YouTube on how to cycle a freshwater aquarium. Definitely check those out. If you need more help then this post a picture of your tank so we can see what else might be going on. Good luck.

 

[Toothless_103]

I have 4-5 month old babies too. I agree water changes if your tank has not cycled is very crucial for their health. I did 2-3 changes a day until my tanks cycled through. When I missed a day they weren't as bright as they were. Mine are currently all being kept in 5 gallons (they got separated as they picked on each other) while their tanks are currently being cycled. How many times do you clean the water out?

 

[Goldfishfan]

Hey id like to add there's a product called fritz zyme that can help get your aqaurium cycled. Another is called tetra safe start. If important that your aqaurium has a filtration system. This adds oxygen to the water which is also crucial for cycling.. baby axolotls dont like a lot of water flow but some is still needed the aqaurium so that it stays cycles. As the axolotl grows bigger a little bit of water current doesnt bother it as much and it helps water flow past its gills. You can turn the flow of your filter up once the axolotl grows bigger.

Some good type of aqaurium filtration systems are hob (hang on back filters) and sponge. These different types of filtration systems can be used individually or simultaneously in the same aqaurium to add more robustness to the cycle. A fine sand substrate in the aqaurium can also make the aqaurium cycle more robust. No. 20 pool filter sand is very fine and works well. I use Fairmount sanitrol brand pool filter sand.

Understanding aqaurium filtration is a convoluted subject but I do my best to make a quick summary.
Aqarium filters operate on a few basic principles. They provide mechanical and biological filtration. The mechanical filtration of a power filter or sponge filter is the part which mechanically removed detritus (fish/axolotl poop and uneaten food) from the water column. This mechanical action of removing detritus from the water is only one feature of the aqaurium filtration. The second and more important feature is the biological filtration.
The filter moves water over a bio-reactive surface which is inhabited with the aqauriums nitrifying bacteria. This "bio-media" as its called is very important. It requires special care. Its advisable not to thoroughly clean your aqaurium ls bio-media if at all. You should only really clean or replace theechancial part of your filtration system.
A sponge filter is really a 2 in 1 filtration system. The sponge provides mechanical filtration of detritus while at the same time providing an abundant amount of surface area for the bio bacteria to live. Cleaning sponge filters should always be done in temperature matched water. Some people will even use tank water removed form the aqaurium to clean their sponge filters. Hob filters typically have multiple stages of mechanical and biological filtration. There's usually sponges for the mechanical filtration and a second coarse rock or ceramic ring media to provide the biological filtration. There are any different types of bio-media which can be used in aqaurium.
As I said. Its a convoluted topic. I won't go on anymore but if you dont know about this stuff I suggest further reading.


Other equipment hand for maintenance is a device called a python water changer. It makes draining and filling the aqaurium much easier. A mesh media bag can be placed on the end of your gravel vacuum of the python water changer. This can be secured with a rubber band. This is done as a safety measure when its being used to drain the aqaurium. This is done to remove nitrates. The temporary netting coving the end of the gravel vacuum prevents your animals from accidently being sucked into the gravel vacuum, potentially causing injury.
Another gadget that's needed is an infrared thermometer.. its those kind with a laser that people used to point at each ithers heads during covid. This is used when refilling your aqaurium so that you can carefully match the temperature of the water thats being refilled.
This is important for maintaining the aqaurium cycle and preventing shock to your aquatic animals. A large temperature change is detrimental to the overall health of your aqauriums nitrogen cycle and its wet inhabitants.
Goodluck.