New lotl mommy needs help! Am I killing her?!?!?!

[LittleLottle]

Hello! New lotl owner here and I need help! I had surgery last week and left the care of my new baby to my husband and unfortunately my tank crashed. HARD.

My ammonia and nitrate levels were super high yesterday so I moved Lottie to a temp bowl and did a 30% water change. Do I condition my water today or let the current ammonia and Nitrate settle before adding more conditioner?

Also, Lottie just seems to be rapidly deteriorating. Yesterday she was eating, had full gills and was normal and today she is shedding her gills rapidly, losing color in her gills and not eating. I am honestly afraid I am going to wake up tomorrow to a dead Axolotl in a bowl.

I check on her frequently and when I see her water getting cloudy from gill shedding then I put her in a new temporary bowl.

Is there any advise anyone can give? My water parameters in my tank today after the water change are:

Ph: 7.6
Nitrate: 15
Nitrite: 1.5
Ammonia 1.5
Temp 67 F

My water levels are testing MUCH better than they were yesterday. When do I put her back in her tank? Seems like I am in the second part of the cycle should I keep her out for a few weeks and just do daily water changes since she is in a temp bowl?

Am I harming her more by transferring her to too many times? I am on like transfer number three today alone. 1. when I put her in the temp home 2. when she pooped in it then swam through it and it went everywhere and 3. when I saw cloudy gill shedding water.

All three times it was simply too much to turkey baste out.

 

[AxoHooman]

Have you tried salt baths or tea baths?

 

[JM29]

Well, your ammonia and nitrate levels are not dangerous but nitrite is. So tubbing Lottie was a good reflex.
As for the tank, adding more conditioner won't help. Wait until nitrite fall down to zero and you'll be able to bring back Lottie in its tank.

There is one thing which remains concerning : you'll have to find the cause of this ammonia / nitrite spike and correct this.
(too much food at a time ? food trapped under some objects in the tank ? ...)

 

[MangoAxolotl]

Is she dead? Axolotls dont survive with 1.5 ammonia!

 

[axolotl nerd]

Is she dead? Axolotls dont survive with 1.5 ammonia!

i think it was total ammonia

 

[Autistic Catholic]

Is Lottie okay? Freak accidents are so sad when they happen. I'm sorry this happened to your Lottie.

 

[wolfen]

Is she dead? Axolotls dont survive with 1.5 ammonia!

at 1.5ppm tan/NH3+NH4 7.6ph 67°f the free ammonia/NH3 is at 0.0221 which is still in the safe zone, nitrites on the other hand are at 3 times the tolerant levels

 

[MangoAxolotl]

at 1.5ppm tan/NH3+NH4 7.6ph 67°f the free ammonia/NH3 is at 0.0221 which is still in the safe zone, nitrites on the other hand are at 3 times the tolerant levels

well hold on, 1.5ppm is very high for a lotl, and 0.0221 nh3 is ok, but you should just to be safe try to cycle once more.