Hello fellow lotl-lovers, I come baring grave news.
Recently, two of my 5 axolotls have been afflicted with a disease of which I was unable to identify or even find previous occurrences of online.
The follow images in this album are graphic and tragic, and I post them only because I wish to help prevent this disease in anyone elses' axolotls and hopefully save a life.
http://imgur.com/a/lUHmf
Although I was unable to find a vet able to identify the problem, I strongly recommend taking your axolotls to the vet ASAP should they display anything even remotely similar to the photos above. I hope this album will help or serve as a warning, even if just a little.
Some background information, I have had these axolotls for about 3/4 of a year now, and raised them from their youth. They share a 55 gallon, planted tank with a substrate created one part sand, two parts minor pond soil. I am a "veteran" aquarium enthusiast and own two other aquariums and a 2k gallon pond. This is the first and hopefully last time I encountered a problem to this magnitude and wish anyone who is afflicted by this... monster... all the luck in the world in solving it, and succeeding where I could not.
As with everything in life, there is always a silver lining. Although I am down to 3 adult axolotls, my ~20 bouncing baby axolotls are well on their way to adult hood and are healthy and happy. Thank you for reading and be sure to tell your axolotls you love them! You never know when things like this will happen.
Recently, two of my 5 axolotls have been afflicted with a disease of which I was unable to identify or even find previous occurrences of online.
The follow images in this album are graphic and tragic, and I post them only because I wish to help prevent this disease in anyone elses' axolotls and hopefully save a life.
http://imgur.com/a/lUHmf
Although I was unable to find a vet able to identify the problem, I strongly recommend taking your axolotls to the vet ASAP should they display anything even remotely similar to the photos above. I hope this album will help or serve as a warning, even if just a little.
Some background information, I have had these axolotls for about 3/4 of a year now, and raised them from their youth. They share a 55 gallon, planted tank with a substrate created one part sand, two parts minor pond soil. I am a "veteran" aquarium enthusiast and own two other aquariums and a 2k gallon pond. This is the first and hopefully last time I encountered a problem to this magnitude and wish anyone who is afflicted by this... monster... all the luck in the world in solving it, and succeeding where I could not.
As with everything in life, there is always a silver lining. Although I am down to 3 adult axolotls, my ~20 bouncing baby axolotls are well on their way to adult hood and are healthy and happy. Thank you for reading and be sure to tell your axolotls you love them! You never know when things like this will happen.