My axie is starving himself, please help.

[The little axolotl]

Hello, I am very worried about my axie who I love dearly. I have made 1 other post about this before, but no one has responded and it is outdated. I have a ~4 year old male axolotl in a 20 gallon long aquarium with a canister filter, airstone, cave, etc. his tank temperature used to be a bit high but I have been able to keep it around 65 or so degrees Fahrenheit. I am usually on top of water changes, but I have been very stressed myself and will occasionally miss a water change. The problem started months ago near the end of 2021. He was refusing food, but I thought the issue would resolve its self. It did not. He is now incredibly underweight, with his torso only being around 1/3 to 1/2 the width of his head at the widest. It should be noted that I raised him up from when he was around 3 inches, (he is now fully grown at about 10, and he used to be quite healthy looking) and I never had any problems until semi recently. I have no idea what is causing it. I reduced the flow because that used to be a bit high, I fixed his temperature problems, I tried different foods, including hikari sinking carnivore pellets, red wrigglers, and Canadian night crawlers, but I couldn’t get him to eat. He would put them in his mouth and spit them out instantly. I had some success mixing his worms with some thawed bloodworms, but today I noticed him heaving and then throwing up. I checked his water conditions, and the ammonia and nitrites were at 0, nitrates at 20, and the pH and hardness were high but they always has been, I have very acidic and hard water. It should be noted that I did the ammonia test with a liquid test kit, but the rest was done with test strips because that is what I have. I am incredibly worried, I have seen him swimming around his tank frantically and snapping at nothing or at his legs and tail. I don’t know what I am doing wrong, and exotic vets are expensive. I am going to find out tomorrow if there are any vets in my area that take axolotls, which is another thing. Even if I do bring him in, I don’t know what they could do to help him. I haven’t introduced anything new to the tank recently that I can think of. I am going on vacation with my family next month, and we will be gone for 2 weeks. I don’t think person we have taking care of him will spend all the necessary time on him, so I am also worried about that. Should I give him salt baths? Tea baths? Please help us, and thank you all in advance.

 

[JM29]

and the pH and hardness were high but they always has been, I have very acidic and hard water

Hello,
There is a contradiction : an acidic water has a low pH.
Very acidic and hard waters are pretty rare in nature.

Nevertheless, a photo of the axolotl and the tank would be helpful to answer you.

 

[wolfen]

Hello, I am very worried about my axie who I love dearly. I have made 1 other post about this before, but no one has responded and it is outdated. I have a ~4 year old male axolotl in a 20 gallon long aquarium with a canister filter, airstone, cave, etc. his tank temperature used to be a bit high but I have been able to keep it around 65 or so degrees Fahrenheit. I am usually on top of water changes, but I have been very stressed myself and will occasionally miss a water change. The problem started months ago near the end of 2021. He was refusing food, but I thought the issue would resolve its self. It did not. He is now incredibly underweight, with his torso only being around 1/3 to 1/2 the width of his head at the widest. It should be noted that I raised him up from when he was around 3 inches, (he is now fully grown at about 10, and he used to be quite healthy looking) and I never had any problems until semi recently. I have no idea what is causing it. I reduced the flow because that used to be a bit high, I fixed his temperature problems, I tried different foods, including hikari sinking carnivore pellets, red wrigglers, and Canadian night crawlers, but I couldn’t get him to eat. He would put them in his mouth and spit them out instantly. I had some success mixing his worms with some thawed bloodworms, but today I noticed him heaving and then throwing up. I checked his water conditions, and the ammonia and nitrites were at 0, nitrates at 20, and the pH and hardness were high but they always has been, I have very acidic and hard water. It should be noted that I did the ammonia test with a liquid test kit, but the rest was done with test strips because that is what I have. I am incredibly worried, I have seen him swimming around his tank frantically and snapping at nothing or at his legs and tail. I don’t know what I am doing wrong, and exotic vets are expensive. I am going to find out tomorrow if there are any vets in my area that take axolotls, which is another thing. Even if I do bring him in, I don’t know what they could do to help him. I haven’t introduced anything new to the tank recently that I can think of. I am going on vacation with my family next month, and we will be gone for 2 weeks. I don’t think person we have taking care of him will spend all the necessary time on him, so I am also worried about that. Should I give him salt baths? Tea baths? Please help us, and thank you all in advance.

the tests need to be done with liquid tests for a more accurate reading, this is quite important especially the ph as it can have a knock on effect with the water chemistry.
is there a substrate in the tank ?, if so what is it and how thick a layer.
have you tried any other frozen food ie.. brine shrimp/mysis/beef heart etc..
have you tried other live food such as fish ie..platy/guppy/molly etc..
when was the filtration last cleaned?
does the water have a pungent smell ie.. bad eggs etc.. ?
if the ph and kh is high then you have alkali water which is hard and normally caused by calcium and other mineral deposits,
ideally would need to see a photo to see what condition he is in.
for him to be bringing food up could be a stomach issue hence the substrate question and water smell.
also it isn't uncommon for an axolotl to go off/get bored with the current food and may require changing to another food source.
his biting himself may show that there is something irritating him.

 

[AMurry24537]

Important question: has he been able to poop? I know he's not getting much if any food down at the moment, but if he's survived this long since problems in 2021, he must be getting something at least. If he has impaction, that could be a reason for these problems. A vet could do a scan to see if this is a possibility.

 

[The little axolotl]

the tests need to be done with liquid tests for a more accurate reading, this is quite important especially the ph as it can have a knock on effect with the water chemistry.
is there a substrate in the tank ?, if so what is it and how thick a layer.
have you tried any other frozen food ie.. brine shrimp/mysis/beef heart etc..
have you tried other live food such as fish ie..platy/guppy/molly etc..
when was the filtration last cleaned?
does the water have a pungent smell ie.. bad eggs etc.. ?
if the ph and kh is high then you have alkali water which is hard and normally caused by calcium and other mineral deposits,
ideally would need to see a photo to see what condition he is in.
for him to be bringing food up could be a stomach issue hence the substrate question and water smell.
also it isn't uncommon for an axolotl to go off/get bored with the current food and may require changing to another food source.
his biting himself may show that there is something irritating him.

I have a layer of black sand in his tank, about an inch and a half deep. I have not yet tried other frozen food, because he would eat the thawed bloodworms until recently. I will go to the store and get a liquid test kit, more frozen foods, and I will go back for live foods if need be, although I am avoiding it because I am worried he will just spit it out and then I have some feeders on my hands. I am cleaning the filter today, but it has not been cleaned in a while. That being said, it is meant for much larger tanks, but it is still probably a bit overdue for a cleaning. There are no strange smells.

 

[The little axolotl]

Hello,
There is a contradiction : an acidic water has a low pH.
Very acidic and hard waters are pretty rare in nature.

Nevertheless, a photo of the axolotl and the tank would be helpful to answer you.

Sorry, it is alkaline not acidic. I attached some pictures to another reply.

 

[The little axolotl]

Important question: has he been able to poop? I know he's not getting much if any food down at the moment, but if he's survived this long since problems in 2021, he must be getting something at least. If he has impaction, that could be a reason for these problems. A vet could do a scan to see if this is a possibility.

During the period of time when I was able to get him to eat the mixed red wrigglers and bloodworms, he pooped. I haven’t seen him poop before or after that, and it has been a while.

 

[wolfen]

raise the filter inlet so it is about half way rather than resting on the substrate.
the temperature is a bit high at 70°f try to reduce it.
his gills are good showing no reduction although they are slightly curled showing slight stress, his body isn't flushed and his tailed isn't curled at the end nor is his body arched so he isn't showing high stress. there's no sign of fungus or other skin issues. the gills are a bit pale but that can be attributed to resting.
make sure that you turn the sand over regularly as it can build up gasses and also hold waste which can be ingested when an axolotl digs through it causing stomach issues.
you would have to confirm with a breeder but being at high temperatures 18°c-20°c can cause an axolotl to be in breeding condition which may cause lack of appetite.
when you get a freshwater test kit also get one that measures kh/gh. please post the results from all the tests.
do a filter clean and change the carbon if you are using it in the filter.

 

[wolfen]

you might if all else fails have to take him to a vet and have him checked for an internal bacterial infection as his symptoms are also similar to having one.

 

[The little axolotl]

raise the filter inlet so it is about half way rather than resting on the substrate.
the temperature is a bit high at 70°f try to reduce it.
his gills are good showing no reduction although they are slightly curled showing slight stress, his body isn't flushed and his tailed isn't curled at the end nor is his body arched so he isn't showing high stress. there's no sign of fungus or other skin issues. the gills are a bit pale but that can be attributed to resting.
make sure that you turn the sand over regularly as it can build up gasses and also hold waste which can be ingested when an axolotl digs through it causing stomach issues.
you would have to confirm with a breeder but being at high temperatures 18°c-20°c can cause an axolotl to be in breeding condition which may cause lack of appetite.
when you get a freshwater test kit also get one that measures kh/gh. please post the results from all the tests.
do a filter clean and change the carbon if you are using it in the filter.

I have raised the filter intake, cleaned it, lowered the temperature (which was only that high because of the maintenance I was doing, the filter is part of my cooling system, and my tap water comes out warm, it was 105 degrees Fahrenheit, about 40.5 Celsius). I got a liquid test kit, but there were no test kits that included Gh/Kh, although the test strips do. Here are my results:
Gh-120
Kh-240
Nitrite-0 ppm
Nitrate-5ish?
pH-8-8.5, but closer to 8.5
Ammonia-0
I am turning the sand now.

 

[wolfen]

I have raised the filter intake, cleaned it, lowered the temperature (which was only that high because of the maintenance I was doing, the filter is part of my cooling system, and my tap water comes out warm, it was 105 degrees Fahrenheit, about 40.5 Celsius). I got a liquid test kit, but there were no test kits that included Gh/Kh, although the test strips do. Here are my results:
Gh-120
Kh-240
Nitrite-0 ppm
Nitrate-5ish?
pH-8-8.5, but closer to 8.5
Ammonia-0
I am turning the sand now.

can you test the tap water ph, kh, gh.
your ph is high at 8 it is at the limit, 8.5 is over, ideal levels are 7.4 - 7.6, tolerant levels are 6.5 - 8
your kh is too high where as the gh is just in the lowest limit, your kh is 13° (240 ÷ 17.9) the levels for axolotls are 3° - 8° (54 - 143), your gh is 7° (120 ÷ 17.9, it's just under 7°) the levels for axolotls are 7° - 14° (125 - 250). have you been adding any chemicals such as bicarbonate of soda.
for all required levels go to Water Quality Explained: How It Can Affect Your Axolotl's Health - WSAVA 2015 Congress - VIN
if the tap water is lower than your tanks ph,kh,gh, then there's a issue in the tank, if it's the tap water then you might need to use ro water and add the required minerals to it.

 

[The little axolotl]

can you test the tap water ph, kh, gh.
your ph is high at 8 it is at the limit, 8.5 is over, ideal levels are 7.4 - 7.6, tolerant levels are 6.5 - 8
your kh is too high where as the gh is just in the lowest limit, your kh is 13° (240 ÷ 17.9) the levels for axolotls are 3° - 8° (54 - 143), your gh is 7° (120 ÷ 17.9, it's just under 7°) the levels for axolotls are 7° - 14° (125 - 250). have you been adding any chemicals such as bicarbonate of soda.
for all required levels go to Water Quality Explained: How It Can Affect Your Axolotl's Health - WSAVA 2015 Congress - VIN
if the tap water is lower than your tanks ph,kh,gh, then there's a issue in the tank, if it's the tap water then you might need to use ro water and add the required minerals to it.

First of all, thank you so much for the help. My tap water conditions are the same as the aquarium. Is ro the best option? I am sure there are many remedies to adjust kh and gh, and I know that there are products like ph down to adjust ph. Also, I have not been adding anything special to the tank. Thanks for the help.

 

[wolfen]

First of all, thank you so much for the help. My tap water conditions are the same as the aquarium. Is ro the best option? I am sure there are many remedies to adjust kh and gh, and I know that there are products like ph down to adjust ph. Also, I have not been adding anything special to the tank. Thanks for the help.

you might need to do a test sample to make sure that what you use keeps the ph/kh down, sometimes chemical will reduce the ph but then it goes back up after 24hrs.
if you read the information at axolotl.org that I will add hydrochloric acid (HCl) is used in steinburg's solution to reduce the ph, but hydrochloric acid is hazardous and great care when handling needs to be taken, also it will need to be added and the ph adjusted prior to adding to the tank. some products that reduce ph such as api ph down use sulphuric acid to reduce the ph, seachem don't mention the acid they use but the sds does state it is acid, king british use hydrochloric acid. just looking at those three products its safe to say that the chances of the majority of products will contain some form of acid are quite high.
also if a product is used to reduce ph/kh do it gradually so as not to shock your axolotl.
in the short run using products to reduce the ph/kh is cheaper, in the long run though it works out cheaper to get a ro unit and using holtfreters to provide the required salts and minerals, read Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity for information on holtfreters. assuming that the ph/kh is being raised by heavy deposits of calcium carbonate (limestone) then if you are using a product to reduce ph/kh then magnesium sulphate (epsom salts) can be used to increase the gh at 0.1g per litre (magnesium sulphate will increase the gh but won't effect the ph/kh).

 

[The little axolotl]

the tests need to be done with liquid tests for a more accurate reading, this is quite important especially the ph as it can have a knock on effect with the water chemistry.
is there a substrate in the tank ?, if so what is it and how thick a layer.
have you tried any other frozen food ie.. brine shrimp/mysis/beef heart etc..
have you tried other live food such as fish ie..platy/guppy/molly etc..
when was the filtration last cleaned?
does the water have a pungent smell ie.. bad eggs etc.. ?
if the ph and kh is high then you have alkali water which is hard and normally caused by calcium and other mineral deposits,
ideally would need to see a photo to see what condition he is in.
for him to be bringing food up could be a stomach issue hence the substrate question and water smell.
also it isn't uncommon for an axolotl to go off/get bored with the current food and may require changing to another food source.
his biting himself may show that there is something irritating him.

Ok I tried frozen brine shrimp yesterday, and he seemed to enjoy it. He later vomited most of it up, so basically the same as the bloodworms

 

[wolfen]

Ok I tried frozen brine shrimp yesterday, and he seemed to enjoy it. He later vomited most of it up, so basically the same as the bloodworms

sound like a stomach upset, which could be an internal bacterial infection. he might need a trip to the vet.
read https://ambystoma.uky.edu/genetic-s...Issues-1-12/archive/Issue 3/09-16brothers.pdf which has a list of common axolotl aliments and treatments.