Skinny axolotl that's uninterested in food

[GnarGnar]

My Axolotl Takeo has been increasingly inactive and has lost a fair bit of weight but seems uninterested in food and will only eat about 1/4 of what my other 2 will eat. He also seems to have some brown on him and appears dirty although the tank is regularly cleaned and has regular water changes (35% each week). Water parameters are also always very good with little to no reads, however a few weeks ago it was at it's worst at about 0.25ppm ammonia, 0ppm Nitrite, and 5.0ppm Nitrates. Though readings are back to normal after a big clean. I add enough aquarium salt for a 12 on my Gh test kit as my water is quite soft but I've struggled to find good advice on how much salt to add for Axolotls. I have had to primarily feed them Axolotl pellets for a few months now because I cannot find any earthworms anywhere anymore (I have a worm farm but I don't know which worms are good for them and bad beyond earthworms as I've seen a lot of conflicting advice). Hoping it's just a dietary issue that will be fixed with a more varied diet but asking for advice because I don't know too much about Axolotl illnesses. My other Axolotl Yuki also appears to be a shedding some slime coat or skin and I'm not sure what the cause is beyond incorrect salt or the bad water quality which is no longer an issue. She's still very active and has a big appetite despite and is a good weight. She does have a white fleck on her body (See photos) though she has had that since I got her about 8 months ago. Really just want them to be happy so all advice is welcome

 

[Styx&Ling]

What all types of worms do u have? I might be able to tell u what all u can feed him to help him gain weight again.

 

[AMurry24537]

Axolotls prefer slightly harder water and salt wouldn't make the water harder--water is hard because of minerals like calcium and magnesium. They are freshwater creatures--salt is typically only added for particular medical problems that require short salt baths before they are returned to their freshwater aquariums.

I believe Seachem does sell additives you can use to increase the hardness of your water, but I can't say 100% for sure because I have the opposite problem (water that is very very hard already).

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Seachem replenish may be needed to get your water closer and then use Johns, Holtfreters or modified Holfreters to finish the fine tuning. Salt alone is fine but you dont want to be going higher than 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. The safe range is 1 tablespoon per 5-10 gallons.

For foods - the rehab food choices I use are repashy bottom scratcher or grub pie, thawed raw salmon, shrimp or cod and live blackworms. I tend to keep that axo tubbed with daily 100% water changes so I can closely monitor in and out. You MAY need to forcefeed if you cant get him going again.

 

[GnarGnar]

Seachem replenish may be needed to get your water closer and then use Johns, Holtfreters or modified Holfreters to finish the fine tuning. Salt alone is fine but you dont want to be going higher than 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons. The safe range is 1 tablespoon per 5-10 gallons.

For foods - the rehab food choices I use are repashy bottom scratcher or grub pie, thawed raw salmon, shrimp or cod and live blackworms. I tend to keep that axo tubbed with daily 100% water changes so I can closely monitor in and out. You MAY need to forcefeed if you cant get him going again.

I definitely don't add more salt than that so hopefully that hasn't been a problem. I was under the misconception that salt added the minerals, so I'll buy some Replenish today along with some Repashy grub pie as that looks like it'll be a lot better than the pellets I have. I'll try and tub him but it's very hot here so the only way I can think of to keep him cool would be to float the tub in their tank so he stays cool with the chiller, would that be okay?

 

[GnarGnar]

What all types of worms do u have? I might be able to tell u what all u can feed him to help him gain weight again.

"A mix of up to 4 varieties of live composting worms including Reds, Tigers, Blues and Nightcrawlers" is what my worm farm kit said, but I'll have to learn how to tell the difference in the worms if any of those are safe. Really hope so because I'd love for them to have some live food.

 

[GnarGnar]

Axolotls prefer slightly harder water and salt wouldn't make the water harder--water is hard because of minerals like calcium and magnesium. They are freshwater creatures--salt is typically only added for particular medical problems that require short salt baths before they are returned to their freshwater aquariums.

I believe Seachem does sell additives you can use to increase the hardness of your water, but I can't say 100% for sure because I have the opposite problem (water that is very very hard already).

So I'd be better off not adding any aquarium salt and instead dosing replenish and looking into what Holtfreters solution is?

 

[Calgarycoppers]

I definitely don't add more salt than that so hopefully that hasn't been a problem. I was under the misconception that salt added the minerals, so I'll buy some Replenish today along with some Repashy grub pie as that looks like it'll be a lot better than the pellets I have. I'll try and tub him but it's very hot here so the only way I can think of to keep him cool would be to float the tub in their tank so he stays cool with the chiller, would that be okay?

absolutely you can float the tub in the tank.

Salt alone doesn't add everything needed so yes either source and make your own holtfreters or buy the premade replenish.

You can still add salt as Axolotl health improves with some additional salt like the 1 tbsp per 10g which does not register as salinity at all.

HERE is my holtfreters handout - I get supplies at walmart and on amazon
I also have ones for johns and modified holtfreters if you need them

 

[GnarGnar]

absolutely you can float the tub in the tank.

Salt alone doesn't add everything needed so yes either source and make your own holtfreters or buy the premade replenish.

You can still add salt as Axolotl health improves with some additional salt like the 1 tbsp per 10g which does not register as salinity at all.

HERE is my holtfreters handout - I get supplies at walmart and on amazon
I also have ones for johns and modified holtfreters if you need them

Thankyou for the Holtfreters mix, I'll be sure to make it ASAP. I've purchased some Replenish and Repashy grub pie for them and I expect I'll see some improvements with a better mineral balance and a bit of variation in their diet

 

[GnarGnar]

Also forgot to note that his tail is always a bit red, I understand they appear more red with more blood flow as they move around, however he does not move very much at all but his tail is always noticibly more red than the rest of him and I believe it's becoming more noticeable lately despite him eating less and being more sluggish (Though I may just be too worried about it and imagining that it's new). Is this a sign of any illness?

 

[Styx&Ling]

"A mix of up to 4 varieties of live composting worms including Reds, Tigers, Blues and Nightcrawlers" is what my worm farm kit said, but I'll have to learn how to tell the difference in the worms if any of those are safe. Really hope so because I'd love for them to have some live food.

They can eat the reds and half or a third of a nightcrawler, hope this helps

 

[Styx&Ling]

Also forgot to note that his tail is always a bit red, I understand they appear more red with more blood flow as they move around, however he does not move very much at all but his tail is always noticibly more red than the rest of him and I believe it's becoming more noticeable lately despite him eating less and being more sluggish (Though I may just be too worried about it and imagining that it's new). Is this a sign of any illness?

It is just blood flow even if it isn't moving mutch, but keep an eye on it just 2 b sure

 

[GnarGnar]

It is just blood flow even if it isn't moving mutch, but keep an eye on it just 2 b sure

Thankyou! I'll get onto googling what the different worms look like Yeah I thought that would be the case, just wanted to make sure it wasn't altogether a sign of a specific illness