Skinny axololt

[clofuller]

Hello,
My axie, Taxi, looks very skinny but only towards to back end. I feed her red worms, tiger worms, blue worms and nightcrawlers as well as axololt pellets. Her appetite is great, her gills are fluffy and her tail is straight (not in picture as I just did a clean but it normally is straight). Overall she seems happy but her back end is very skinny. She also has a small lump above the joint of each of her back legs which I am very worried about (seen in picture attached if you look carefully.) It doesn’t seem urgent but I would like it catch anything before it becomes serious. Thank you

 

[Axolotl Queen]

Hi there, would you be able to post your tank parameters ( ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, pH etc) What temperature is your tank water? Can you post some pictures from above and side on so we can determine if there is any abnormalities

 

[clofuller]

The pH is around 7.6 and temperature is 20 C
The water conditioner that I use detoxifies ammonia nitrate and nitrites and I do weekly water changes of a third of the water
My other axolotl isn’t showing any signs of stress and is a healthy weight - maybe a bit chubby even

She eats about 2/3 worms a day as well as a 6/7 pellets but doesn’t seem to be putting on any weight (she is an adult)

Very very rarely my other axolotl can bite her limbs which may be a source of stress
I recently converted to a bare bottom tank which took her a while to adjust to so that may be another source of stress
I have some driftwood in the tank which is growing biofilm (I clean it off every week) I’m not sure if this is bad for axolotls

I’m wondering if the lumps above her back legs are just visible because she is skinny

I hope this is enough information
Thank you

 

[clofuller]

Some extra pics

 

[Axolotl Queen]

How often does the limb biting occur. She looks relatively healthy. She is a little on the underweight side but it’s not majorly. General rule of thumb is body should be as wide as the head. Some adults just won’t put anymore on depending on gender and genes.
Do you have a test kit to test your ammonia, nitrite and nitrates? If not I would suggest getting one, such as the API freshwater master kit. Even though the conditioner removes them, there is potential that there is still ammonia and nitrite in the water which is harmful to your axies health, even if they don’t show signs of it.

 

[clofuller]

I've only seen it happen once but just from that I assume it happens more. I'll take a water sample into a pet store to get it checked out and look into getting a kit as well.

Overall she seems healthy but it's just the weight and small lumps that are concerning me

Thank you for your help

 

[Axolotl Queen]

If nipping occurs more often, it is a sign that they are not being fed enough so try to eat each other. Try feeding them until they won't accept anymore. you could also look into getting some black worms which you can put in the tank in a bowl or container. Then they have a constant food source which will reduce the risk of them trying to eat each other. Definitely get it checked at pet store but i would highly suggest buying your own as you should try to test the water at least once or twice a week to make sure your levels are where they need to be. The lumps can be a sign of ageing or can be from high nitrates or ammonia burns are possible as well. Let me know what your levels are and I will be more than happy to assist you further.

 

[Axolotl Queen]

Do you have some photos of the tank mate? if so can you post a couple just for comparative reasons.