Illness/Sickness: Tail fin vanish

[Braxto]

So I redecorated and cleaned by tank out last week it’s been a week and suddenly my Axolotl Shade’s fin on his tail has vanished. Now I know his growth along with Goldie’s my other Axolotl was stunted due to what they were originally in. But shade’s tail has been fine and normal all his life up until now. They are in a 40 gallon long tank with a Ammonia and nitrite of 0. The temperature in the is and has been a bit high at 70 Fahrenheit but other than that nothing at all has changed. They get fed live worms and occasionally pellets but Shade’s tail is just basically gone. I’m starting to think it’s because of the sponge filter because they love to sit on the big one I have by the bamboo which has also been in the tank as long as them. Shade is the black one Goldie is well the gold one. I know original.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

What are the nitrate readings? This would be helpful. If they come out as zero, it's possible your cycle has crashed. I would tub Shade just in case he has something contagious and be prepared to tub Goldie just in case your cycle crashed.

AFAIK, I don't know if tank size will stunt axolotl growth the same way it does goldfish. How big are the right now, out of curiosity? Typical adult size is roughly 6-18 inches, with 9 inches being the average.

 

[Braxto]

What are the nitrate readings? This would be helpful. If they come out as zero, it's possible your cycle has crashed. I would tub Shade just in case he has something contagious and be prepared to tub Goldie just in case your cycle crashed.

AFAIK, I don't know if tank size will stunt axolotl growth the same way it does goldfish. How big are the right now, out of curiosity? Typical adult size is roughly 6-18 inches, with 9 inches being the average.

They ended up being 9 and Nitrate is 0. I just can’t find anything about this. I’ll move him in a separate cub with a small bubbler inside of it for the weekend because I won’t be home sadly. Yet do you have any idea of what can cause this? I mean this may help but all his life ever since I got him his gills haven’t been pointed they’re more small and round than anything.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

They ended up being 9 and Nitrate is 0. I just can’t find anything about this. I’ll move him in a separate cub with a small bubbler inside of it for the weekend because I won’t be home sadly. Yet do you have any idea of what can cause this? I mean this may help but all his life ever since I got him his gills haven’t been pointed they’re more small and round than anything.

9 inches is perfect size for an axolotl. I'm thinking if you didn't clean your filter properly, the tank cycle may have crashed, or if there was too much of a water change. If all three read zero, it's likelier than not that your cycle crashed. I would tub both of them. Unfortunately, in tubbing, you'll need to do daily water changes so you're probably going to have arrange with someone who can handle that, or if you have an established tank already that's safe for axolotls. But the gill shriveling sounds like ammonia burns.

 

[Braxto]

9 inches is perfect size for an axolotl. I'm thinking if you didn't clean your filter properly, the tank cycle may have crashed, or if there was too much of a water change. If all three read zero, it's likelier than not that your cycle crashed. I would tub both of them. Unfortunately, in tubbing, you'll need to do daily water changes so you're probably going to have arrange with someone who can handle that, or if you have an established tank already that's safe for axolotls. But the gill shriveling sounds like ammonia burns.

Upon moving him into a tub I’ve noticed a irritation around his neck and gills his gills have been like that forever and Goldie’s are perfectly normal she doesn’t have this either just him. Could he possibly have something lodged in his throat?

 

[Autistic Catholic]

Upon moving him into a tub I’ve noticed a irritation around his neck and gills his gills have been like that forever and Goldie’s are perfectly normal she doesn’t have this either just him. Could he possibly have something lodged in his throat?

If his gills have always been like that, then it could have been something in a previous environment or genetic. The irritation around the throat and gills leads me to believe that it could be a bacterial infection. Have you fed him recently and is there anything in the tank he could have possibly swallowed?

 

[Braxto]

If his gills have always been like that, then it could have been something in a previous environment or genetic. The irritation around the throat and gills leads me to believe that it could be a bacterial infection. Have you fed him recently and is there anything in the tank he could have possibly swallowed?

Only thing would be if he dug up a pebble that got lost in the sand. But now that I think about it more he could have because he loves hiding in my log decoration he could have eaten something inside of it. Though there’s this weird stuff on his fins resembling like a dead fish. The white slime layer stuff. I’m starting to think you’re right or a bacterial infection

 

[Autistic Catholic]

Only thing would be if he dug up a pebble that got lost in the sand. But now that I think about it more he could have because he loves hiding in my log decoration he could have eaten something inside of it. Though there’s this weird stuff on his fins resembling like a dead fish. The white slime layer stuff. I’m starting to think you’re right or a bacterial infection

That's definitely more than physical. Bad tank parameters from a crashed cycle can cause that as well as bacterial infection. You're going to probably want to tub Goldie separately until you can adequately rule out tank parameters, just in case it may also be bacterial, you don't want her to get sick too.

 

[Braxto]

That's definitely more than physical. Bad tank parameters from a crashed cycle can cause that as well as bacterial infection. You're going to probably want to tub Goldie separately until you can adequately rule out tank parameters, just in case it may also be bacterial, you don't want her to get sick too.

I have water on hand. I always keep a good bit extra as in enough for another water change up and ready to change the water think I should separate her and him then do a quick water change tomorrow morning? Also what would help with a bacterial infection for him?

 

[Autistic Catholic]

I have water on hand. I always keep a good bit extra as in enough for another water change up and ready to change the water think I should separate her and him then do a quick water change tomorrow morning? Also what would help with a bacterial infection for him?

For a bacterial infection, you'll need amphibian-safe antibiotics. A methylene blue bath might help as well as salt baths and tea baths, but you're going to want to stick to one treatment only, try not to mix treatments. You should definitely separate in case it is bacterial. A vet might be able to prescribe. If your cycle crashed, only re-cycling it will help because you'll need to rebuild the load of beneficial bacteria. I think it's a good idea to tub both separately until you can rule out either the cycle crash or the bacterial infection.

 

[Braxto]

For a bacterial infection, you'll need amphibian-safe antibiotics. A methylene blue bath might help as well as salt baths and tea baths, but you're going to want to stick to one treatment only, try not to mix treatments. You should definitely separate in case it is bacterial. A vet might be able to prescribe. If your cycle crashed, only re-cycling it will help because you'll need to rebuild the load of beneficial bacteria. I think it's a good idea to tub both separately until you can rule out either the cycle crash or the bacterial infection.

Alright thank you very much! I’ll ask my trusted pet store (not PetSmart or Petco) if they have anything tomorrow morning and if not I’ll end up going with a tea bath! I’ll change the water and recycle the tank!

 

[Autistic Catholic]

Alright thank you very much! I’ll ask my trusted pet store (not PetSmart or Petco) if they have anything tomorrow morning and if not I’ll end up going with a tea bath! I’ll change the water and recycle the tank!

There might be threads on this forum which discuss amphibian safe antibiotics too. You definitely don't want to use something that's fish safe on an axolotl just because it's fish safe. Hope Shade and Goldie get better.