Stressed and thin HELP!

[Arwen]

Yesterday I acquired a very sick axolotl. It is quite small (young), and has either very poorly developed/deformed, or damaged gills. They are pretty much just lumps on the sides of it's head. The skin appears to be peeling off in places, but no obvious fungus. The tail is curled - it is very stressed - and it sits up high in the tank, like on it's filter or on top of the tunnel cave in the tank. The ph is a little acidic, but within the ok range (it is about 6.6), and other water conditions are good. It is still eating (according to whom I got it from), and it's diet has been bloodworms. It is still very thin, like a little weak alien! I don't know how much time I will have to treat it before it becomes too weak and dies. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME!

 

[kclinton]

What do you have the temp at? Was he/she ever kept on gravel. Has it eaten for you yet?

 

[Arwen]

The temperature is at 21C, I have been putting in ice blocks to keep it at this temp or lower. Yes it has been kept on gravel.

oh and no i have not seen it eat yet, but this may be because i only got it yesterday and it may have eaten then...

 

[kclinton]

The temp. is a little high. The tank that he is in now has it been cycled? You can try a fan blowing across the water that will help also. What were the reading for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? Can you post a pic. so we can see his skin. Try and feed him to see if he eats. How often did the other people feed him? Being small he should be given food every day.

 

[Saspotato]

Yea the tank temperature is a little high, but I reckon with putting in iceblocks you have to be careful as they can change the tank temperature rapidly, which can be stressful. I use a bottle with icewater in it as the temperature change is much slower. Also are the ice blocks dechlorinated? If not that can cause problems as well.

The peeling skin can be caused by bad water conditions. Make sure you read up here and at axolotl.org the correct conditions to keep your axolotl in. 6.6 for PH is fine, for example, as long as it stays constant (PH tends to drop over time).

Also, your axie might have eaten gravel at its prior owners, so hopefully if it has, it will pass the stones.

Anyway, I hope it goes well with your new axolotl

 

[Arwen]

I dont know much about testing ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. the tank is clean as i did a 100% water change anyway, so there is no waste in the tank. I was told that before coming to my house, the water was tested and supposedly good (however the tank was not clean so i have my doubts). The kh measures around 17 (was yellow from first drop of solution in 5ml of tankwater) and I can't get a reading for the gh it just keeps getting deeper and deeper orange... now I'm really confused! should I perhaps put him in the fridge? it is a warm day today and the temp keeps creeping to 21+ until i put ice in...

 

[kclinton]

I would not put him the fridge quite yet. Try to keep the water cool as you can might take a little bit to settle in from the move. I'am sorry I dont know what you mean by kh and gh.

 

[Saspotato]

You can buy test kits for ammonia, nitrate and nitrite from aquariums and test that way. Also yea, I am not sure what you mean by the parameters you mentioned.

As you have done a 100% water change your tank will cycle again so it is important you watch the ammonia, etc as it will probably spike again and you don't want your axie to get sick. Here is an article to help you (I know I had no idea about cycling when I started!): http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

I think with keeping the tank cool, you shouldn't be using ice directly. As I am still waiting for a transformer for my cooler to arrive (it broke right at the start of summer grrrr), I have been using 1.5L bottles of frozen dechlorinated water about three times a day. I put one in wait til it melts and after a few hours put in another. It has kept my 60L tank's temperature steady at 19C when the ambient temperature is 30C. But you really have to watch it carefully to make sure the temperature doesn't drop too rapidly. Anyway another useful link from Caudata Culture on cooling is this http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml with more ideas.

 

[dancas]

GH is General hardness of the water and KH is Carbonate hardness according to my kit...

 

[kclinton]

Has he eaten for you yet?

 

[Arwen]

No he has not eaten. I have tried handfeeding a tiny peice of beef and also a cube of frozen bloodworms but no interest whatsoever. I have the bottom of the tank bare so that I can easily see if he passes anything (faeces, gravel). I am going to try him with earthworms tonight... quick question: are earthworms bought as fish bait ok to feed axie???

 

[kclinton]

That is the kind I feed mine. My dad goes fishing all the time I get to use the left overs. With him being small and seems a little week you might want to cut them up into some small.

 

[Arwen]

also... he has numerous small white spots on his tail and behind his back legs. He is moving alot more today than he was yesterday, I honestly thought he was dead when i saw him in the pet store. Today he is moving around quite a bit... still trying to sit up high all the time. I have the filter on, and he seems to like sitting on that right next to the bubbles best. he has no frills on his gills so there is nothing to worry about in terms of damaging his gills. Still, it is strange behaviour...

 

[kclinton]

The white spots might just be color. A pic. would be helpful. With good care he's gills will grow back. He might just like siting up like that. One of mine likes to float in the plant the other always on the bottom.

 

[Arwen]

ok so things are looking bad.... i came home just now and he was floating and i thought he was dead but no. He is still alive and not looking too good. He is just floating at the top barely moving even when you touch him (i checked to see if he was alive).
what should i do? Please help someone!

 

[kapo]

Arwen

Fill an icecream or plastic container, that fits him lengthwise, with dechlorinated tapwater,(tapwater treated with water ager/dechlorinater/conditioner drops to remove chlorine and chloramine).

Remove him from the tank and place him in it. Lower the water, if you need to, so he doesn't float and his feet rest on the bottom. Cover it with a lid.

Can you keep this container cool if not then place him in the fridge? (assuming your fridge temperature is 5C or above.)

If unsure of fridge temperature, check by putting a thermometer in a glass of water and place in the fridge. Check it after 15-20minutes. Keep a bottle of dechlorinated water in the fridge so you can do complete daily waterchanges.

 

[kapo]

Don't be tempted to add any medicines or treatments to help your axie, these can be toxic to axolotls.

As for your tank, invest in some test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate if you can afford them. While your tank is cycling (establishing good bacteria), then it is more important to focus on ammonia/nitrite and nitrates rather than pH, GH and KH. While your axolotl is in the fridge don't bother doing any waterchanges on the tank.

Whereabouts is your tank placed, are you able to move it to a cooler part of the house away from direct light/heat.

You can also place polystyrene, available from hardware stores, around the sides and back of your tank. This works well for cooling combined with using either a fan blowing across the water surface (pedestal fans are good for height/angle adjustment for this), or bottles of frozen dechlorinated water floating in the tank and rotated before they completely melt (as advised by a few other Australian caudata members on previous threads ). Try not to use straight ice. This will invariably cause fluctuating temperatures (cool to hot to cool again) without actually maintaining a constant temperature which can stress your axolotl.

 

[kclinton]

I agree with Kapo with him floating like that Put in the fridge.

 

[Arwen]

ok sorry its taken me so long to put up photos.
i think i have done it right... i uploaded them using attachments ???
axie will go in the fridge then, i was considering putting him in there earlier today, and already checked the temp. it is at about 8C. so it should be ok. He has still not eaten and ive tried earthworms. nothing. no interest at all. but my other adult female hasnt eaten today either so im thinking maybe its the heat. both their tanks have been warmer than usual today despite ice bottles being put in.

Thanks for all your help so far by the way everyone! i sure hope we can save little alien.

 

[kapo]

He may be settling in or adjusting. Having no gills could also be why he's at the top by the filter. Warm water has less oxygen and being near the top he can access oxygen.

While he's in the fridge the colder water has far more oxygen which will help and alleviate any stress (on both your parts). The spots could very well be related to the conditions he was in prior to you getting him.

I forgot to say, wrap the container with a teatowel to stop the light/temperature fluctuations from normal fridge usage. While he's in the fridge he may not eat. You could drop an earthworm in his container and check it a few hours later, if it hasn't been eaten remove it.

If you have any garden slaters (they may be a bit sparse though with your heat!) they may also eat those.

Don't be tempted to use feeder fish or mealworms!