Sick Axie?

[Axiemom88]

Hello! I am new to all of this. I have an axolotl, I’ve had her for about 4 years now and recently noticed some alarming (to me anyway) things. I don’t know if any of this is considered normal or what - it hasn’t happened in the last 4 years. I noticed her skin is growing over her right eye. She got super pale - way more than her usual, was floating at the top of the tank, took gulps of air periodically, hasn’t eaten in a couple days. She has recently moved back to the bottom of her tank, but her eye still seems to be ‘disappearing’ and maybe I am paranoid but it looks like it’s starting on her other eye too. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Hayleyy]

Post some pics so we can see, and your water parameters in case that is contributing

 

[Axiemom88]

Okay, I hope I am reading these right; based off the kit I got:

Hardness: 180ppm
KH: 180ppm
Ph: 7.5-8.0
NO2: 0
NO3: 20-40

This was after a partial water change I did 2 days ago. Before that the NO3 was 80. The water temperature has been on the higher end of 70s - I didn’t realize how warm it got, I’ve recently moved. The temp this morning is between 68-70. I am planning to move my axie (Kunzite) downstairs to the basement where it is cooler year round but I didn’t want to stress her out more than she already seems to be.

 

[Axiemom88]

I decided to move her tank downstairs into my basement because it is cooler there, and I was able to get a few more pictures. I’m really worried because her gills seem to be basically almost nonexistent.

 

[Hayleyy]

Do you have a way to test ammonia? I imagine this is the cause of the trouble, as well as the temperature. Ammonia can burn the gills (and skin), and is more harmful at a higher pH.
You seem to be getting the temps under control which will help a lot. If you need to, a fan will drop it a few degrees as well.
You can take a water sample to your LFS until you get an ammonia test kit and they should be able to tell you. Keep doing partial water changes as this will drop ammonia. Don't forget to test your tap water, in case there is ammonia there. The ammonia in my tap water can reach 0.5ppm!
I haven't seen that eye issue before, but I guess it could be related to ammonia, or is a bit of fungus? Have you noticed any cottony or slimy fungus anywhere? Maybe a tea bath or indian almond leaves in the water will help. These soothe the skin and promote healing. I haven't used indian almond leaves but have read a lot of people using them. Do a search on the forum here to gather more info!
https://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/illness2.shtml Scroll down a little for info on tea baths.

 

[Axiemom88]

She seems to be starting to get covered in like a white fuzz. I assume it’s possibly a mold of some kind? I will look into a tea bath - I remember reading it I think. You make black tea, let it go cold and add it to the tank right? And I am sorry I feel silly but what is LFS? I will try to get the water tested today. I did notice that on the water strips I have the Carboate Hardness has gone up - I don’t know what that means.

I am also having an issue with my filter being too strong. I’ve tried blocking/muffling it with artificial plants but it hasn’t helped. My friend showed me a video online about muffling a filter with adding sponges into the filter unit?

I appreciate all of this information and want to learn as much as I can.

 

[Hayleyy]

Sorry, LFS is local fish shop! If there is a white fuzz it's likely to be fungus. If it's really fluffy I would use a salt bath, but since her gills are damaged it may stress her out. Tea baths do help with fungus, just not as well, so you can do that so it isn't too harsh.
I don't know a lot about water hardness, I think I remember reading that axies like slightly hard water.
You can add the tea to the tank (it will go slightly brown) and subsequent water changes will eventually remove it all. I think this is the way most people do it. Another option is to do a small tub with 10-15 minutes in a stronger tea bath, then the axolotl back in the tank. I think the former is probably a better option, so moving and high tea concentrations don't stress her out more.
A sponge near the outlet should help. You can also tie one to the outside. I've seen people use shower loofahs too! Play around with a few options (and google for tips!) to see what works best for you.

 

[Giuseppe]

White fuzz is likely to be fungus I would treat it with salt baths as per the sticky on this thread. Fungus can progress very quickly so I'd start with a gentle salt bath or two. Black tea added to the tank water or Indian almond leaves would both be beneficial to healing in addition to the salt baths. Just be sure that if you're using black tea its caffiene free. I think stabilizing the temp colder and being sure your water is ammonia free will help resolve any other issues.

 

[Axiemom88]

Okay so I purchased a water test kit that does pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. When I did the tests yesterday, there was .25ppm for ammonia, pH was 8.0, NO2 was 0, and apparently the NO3 went through the roof and was 160?? I am surprised that she isn’t dead yet, though I’m super greatful and I’m trying hard to improve her living conditions. So I did a 40% (I am guessing) water change and used spring water instead of the tap/well water. I also did the tea bath. I was able to rig something up to buffer the water flow from the filter so it wasn’t so hard on her. I’m in the process of removing as much as the substrate as I can in the hopes of getting those levels down because I can more easily clean up any waste. She swims occasionally to the surface to get air and then swims back down. She refused to eat, which was expected. Any other suggestions?

 

[Axiemom88]

I also noticed this morning she seems to be getting growths on her side and mouth?

 

[Hayleyy]

I don't know what the growths could be, sorry Test the water each day and change maybe 25% of the water (depending on the parameters) to bring down ammonia and nitrates. Ammonia is more toxic at higher pH so you want to drop that asap, and those nitrates need to come down quick!
Swimming up and down is normal behaviour, and good that she is moving around. She should get her appetite back eventually, just keep up with the water changes and keeping temps low.