Question: New Axolotl owner, im worried and have a few questions

[aristotle1]

Hi, im a new Axolotl owner and i have some questions regarding the validity of my sellers advice as well as some other queries in regards to my Axolotls health.

I brought Aristotle the Axolotl three days ago today. He was the last one in his tank, is leucitic or albino and according to the seller, approximately 8 months old. He is extremely inactive, and spends all of his time with his face pressed into the corner of the tank looking at his reflection/me unless he is startled by the net i use to move ornaments etc, which causes him to find another corner.

I was up until midnight last night watching him, and his movement behaviour hadn’t changed, and then again at 5 in the morning he was still also (although i didnt look at him for long as i was sleepy and didnt want to hurt his eyes with the light from my phone that i was using to look at him) so i don’t think its a case of him being nocturnal either.

In regards to Aristotle's behaviour, whilst it makes me uncomfortable, i believe is somewhat caused by stress. His tail is sometimes curled, which causes me to think this.

My biggest worry is that he hasn’t eaten, or shown any interest in food, since his arrival. I was instructed to feed him half of a square of frozen bloodworms twice a day, and they all defrost and float to the bottom before he even shows any interest at all. I am not sure if i am encouraging too much food, hence his not being hungry and ignoring food, or if he is unwell.

The tanks average PH is 7.4, 17 degrees Celsius and although my indicator says the ammonia is less than 0.02ppm it said that it may take a few days to calibrate hence not being immediately accurate. His tank was not cycled, and my seller did not think that this was an issue however i did dechlorinate the water i used for his tank.

He doesn’t seem to react to my presence in the room, up close to the tank or even interacting with the water on top of the tank. I can hold a frozen block of bloodworms right by his face and not get a reaction until they start defrosting and coming away from the block, annoying him and causing him to move.

He is very small in the body in relation to his head and his legs, tail and gills seem suspiciously small in relation to his age which leads me to believe that he was being picked on by other creatures in the tank before i purchased him, which could be somewhat impacting his movement? Im not sure.

I can see dark patches on the sides of his body, I’m not sure if i can see his organs because he is albino or if he is constipated (solving the not eating mystery) or if its just a pattern on his skin.

I am already incredibly attached to Aristotle, and any comments about anything i’ve said or in relation to the images i have attached would be greatly appreciated. I love Ari and don’t want him to pass away

In addition, any tips for a new Axolotl owner would be incredibly useful too.

Thankyou for taking the time to read this and for any assistance given.

 

[Donna001]

Hi there and welcome to the forum. :happy:

I've only been keeping axolotls for 4 months, but will try to help as much as possible. Although I'm not as experienced as a lot of the keepers and breeders on the site, I should be able to help with the basics, then the more experienced forum users will be able to add their advice.

To add pictures to your reply just scroll down to "attach files" in the additional options, and click on "manage attachments". This will allow you to select photo files to attach. Or you can use a hosting site and insert the web link.

If your axolotl is 8 months old he will be less active than much younger axolotls. Sitting with his face in the corner sounds as if he's hiding, which is only to be expected after moving home. Curled tail tip is a sign of stress, again this could be due to the move, but we will deal with as much as possible as we go along. It may also be why he is ignoring his food.

As for his tank, your seller was wrong to tell you that the tank didn't need to be cycled, but we can deal with that. The best way is probably to move Aristotle to a smaller container and do daily water changes with dechlorinated water whilst cycling your tank. This will ensure that he is not exposed to the toxins produced during cycling. I have attached some information on tank cycling.
Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling
FISHLESS CYCLING - HOW TO DO IT | Think Fish Tropical Aquarium Forum

Your pH and temperature sound fine Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity

If you can attach some pictures soon we will be able to take a look at your Ari, but if his body is much thinner than his head he could also be underweight, and feeding an axie bloodworms at that age is not the best diet. You will need to get hold of some nightcrawlers as these are the best diet. These can be cut into small pieces and be offered to your axolotl.
Caudata Culture Articles - Nutritional Values
Caudata Culture Articles - Worms

The dark patches and internal organs can be easily seen on younger leucistics and albinos, but we will need to have a look at Ari to consider the possibility of constipation/impaction. Does his rear end float? This can be a sign of constipation.

We will also need information on your set up, and the set up he was kept in by the seller. Was there and gravel or small stones that could have been ingested? What substrates are being used? Does Ari have access to hides? What filter is being used? Please add as much information as possible.

These are links to the sites that I used for research.
Caudata Culture Axolotl Articles
Axolotls: The Fascinating Mexican Axolotl and the Tiger Salamander
Silly Axolotls

This is a lot of information, but should help you provide the best environment for Aristotle, along with the knowledge, support and advice from the users of this forum.
Please don't panic about Aristotle, we will try to guide you through everything that you can do to get the best out of the situation caused by incorrect advice from the seller.
:happy: