Please help!

[exit7_11]

UPDATE: I woke up this morning and he is alive!!! What could have happened?? Can someone please help me understand? He still seems tired, but he ate a few pellets at least. Can they go into shock and appear dead?

I’m devastated  and do not know what I did wrong!! I have been taking outstanding care of my axolotls. And never had an issue. I came home today to find my boy stuck face down in the corner of the tank and a plant. I moved it to free him, he panicked and then stayed in one spot. I thought I’d give him some time to calm down. I went to feed him roughly two hours later, his gills were curled forward and his back legs were straight out which is unusual for him. So I looked closer and noticed his gills weren’t moving. I moved him to try and wake him up and he wouldn’t budge. I don’t know what I did wrong!!!! PH is at 7.2, nitrites/ammonia are 0 and the nitrates are at 10. Temperature 63 degrees fahrenheit. Did I scare him to death?!!! I don’t know how long he was stuck like that. He was perfectly happy and normal this morning!!! I typically peek in when I get home, I thought I did it today, but now I’m not sure!!!! Can someone please give me some advice as to what happened to my boy?!! I’m devistated. I can’t figure out what I did.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

do you have pictures?

 

[wolfen]

your ph is low also check kh and gh.
what water do you have soft or hard?
make sure the water is oxygenated enough.
are there any other symptoms ie.. pale, air gulping etc..
caffeine from tea can be used for lethargy but it is acidic and may cause further ph reduction, once the ph is raised (slowly add enough bicarbonate of soda to raise the ph to 7.4-7.6) put tea bags (1 per 10 litres) in a 1 litre tub/container, add boiling water stir and let it go cold, remove bags or strain tea leaves if loose then add liquid to the tank throughout the day to allow your axolotl to get used to it.
read about using holtfreters, info here.. Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity
gill filaments are used for gas exchange, the flicking that is seen is to remove co2 build up around the gills, forward bent gills is a lot like heavy breathing, always have at least one air stone in the tank.
for levels required for axolotls see here.. Water Quality Explained: How It Can Affect Your Axolotl's Health - WSAVA 2015 Congress - VIN

 

[exit7_11]

do you have pictures?

I rescued him from a horrible situation. He came with no limbs and most of his gills were eaten off. They never grew back properly.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

I rescued him from a horrible situation. He came with no limbs and most of his gills were eaten off. They never grew back properly.

okay...so he is ongoing a current recovery from something...in other words, this is not a problem that occurred out of the blue? he might be anemic from the low pH. do what wolfen said and see if there's change.

 

[exit7_11]

okay...so he is ongoing a current recovery from something...in other words, this is not a problem that occurred out of the blue? he might be anemic from the low pH. do what wolfen said and see if there's change.

It did appear out of the blue. He’s never had a problem before like this. I’ve had him for a year, I was hoping he’d have recovered by now…I will most definitely follow Wolfen’s instructions and go from there. I appreciate all of the information!! He seems great today…back to eating and swimming around.

 

[exit7_11]

your ph is low also check kh and gh.
what water do you have soft or hard?
make sure the water is oxygenated enough.
are there any other symptoms ie.. pale, air gulping etc..
caffeine from tea can be used for lethargy but it is acidic and may cause further ph reduction, once the ph is raised (slowly add enough bicarbonate of soda to raise the ph to 7.4-7.6) put tea bags (1 per 10 litres) in a 1 litre tub/container, add boiling water stir and let it go cold, remove bags or strain tea leaves if loose then add liquid to the tank throughout the day to allow your axolotl to get used to it.
read about using holtfreters, info here.. Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity
gill filaments are used for gas exchange, the flicking that is seen is to remove co2 build up around the gills, forward bent gills is a lot like heavy breathing, always have at least one air stone in the tank.
for levels required for axolotls see here.. Water Quality Explained: How It Can Affect Your Axolotl's Health - WSAVA 2015 Congress - VIN

Thank you! I didn’t realize they were so sensitive to a PH off by .2 I will test the gh and kh as well. We have hard water. I have a fine air stone. No other symptoms. It happened so quickly. Did not see any signs prior to the scare. His gills were only curled forward when he appeared dead. They are back to normal now. I also have heard that they can play dead when they get scared suddenly. Have you heard of that? I appreciate the information!

 

[wolfen]

when startled they tend to zoom around then stop and play dead for a while.