Really Small axolotl, won't grow??

[Rhii]

I've had Guadalupe (my wild-type axie) since July, and he has only grown maybe half an inch!

I feed him two chunks of nightcrawlers every day. Now I have to feed him small guppies because nightcrawlers are out of season.

I do 25% water changes every thursday.

He has no gravel in his tank. He has a cave to hide and sleep in, and a soft plastic plant that he likes to sleep in (so cute.)
His PH and other water levels are all fine, I tested them this morning.
His temperature is 16.5.

Just wondering how fast he should be growing, as he is still so tiny, though his belly is getting thicker (thank god!)

Thanks

 

[gfsward]

It would be helpful to know how big he is and how big the nightcrawler chuncks are that you are feeding him. Some axies are late bloomers in the growth department and usually you'll see random growth sperts.

 

[NeekaLovesYou]

It would be helpful to know how big he is and how big the nightcrawler chuncks are that you are feeding him. Some axies are late bloomers in the growth department and usually you'll see random growth sperts.

I have to agree. I had a similar issue with one of my juvies. He always seemed smaller than his tankmates then I woke up one morning and he'd suddenly grown!

 

[Olivia97]

You may want to get your hands on some pellets or similar while the nightcrawlers are out, he may start to lose weight if fed solely on guppies

 

[Rhii]

The pieces of nightcrawler I feed him are about hmmm, .5 to .8 of a centimeter. Not too big, he could always eat them after a few seconds-minute or so of thrashing around in the water

I bought pellets when I first bought him, so I'm prepared haha! He doesn't really like them, but he will eat them after a while of staring at them.

Guadalupe is about 2.7 inches. Its hard to measure him since hes always floating around, so he could be around 2.5 - 3 inches.

 

[Rhii]

Also I may add that he ate more than 1 piece of nightcrawler a day. Usually two small pieces, or one big one for dinner. And occasionally he would have one or two small pieces for breakfast. If he didnt eat them within a few minutes I would take the pieces out of the tank and throw them out.