Toby turning red, HELP

[MistyMeadow3]

Toby is sick. the only change i've made is using a beta water decholorinator. he's turning red and keeping his mouth open. i have moved him into a bin with fresh water and the dechlorinator he's used to. he won't eat and doesn't want me to touch him. Please help! i can't lose him, i love him so much...

 

[Donna001]

Don't panic. Let's just work through a few questions.
What are the water parameters - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temperature?
When did you change the water conditioner?
When did you notice the redness and other symptoms?
When was the last time he ate and what did he eat?
When did you move him to the other container and what water conditioner did you use for that water?
Sorry about all of the questions, but if you can provide as much information as possible all the forum users can review the information and provide help.
Hang on in there. :happy:

 

[MistyMeadow3]

ammonia .25
nitrite 0
nitrate 35ish
temp-70-72ish

Right now he's in a one gallon tub with fresh water. i probably used two or three milliliters of the tetra water conditioner he's had since i got him in January.
i noticed his face flushing yesterday and he was being stand off ish and not eating.
he last ate Sunday (day before yesterday), several earthworms and possibly a couple turtle pellets.
his face has flushed before but never his whole body, he's gasping in the water even though he has an air stone in the little tub.

Thank you!

 

[Donna001]

Ok.
Was your tank cycled before you got your axolotl?
Basically your ammonia and nitrite should be 0 and your nitrates shouldn't be more than 20 above your tap water.
Your temperature is also quite high. Your axolotl will do well in temperatures around 60 - 64F. Temperatures around 75F are very stressful for axolotls. This is very important to remember.

For now I would suggest that you keep him in the one gallon tub and do daily water changes with conditioned water using the conditioner that he's used to. Try to get the temperature to 60-64F in the tub, I'd suggest by using conditioned cold water.
Don't worry too much about the food, he has had a good meal recently and can go for a few days without any worry.

Let's get the water and temperature sorted first as I think these are you major problems.

What was the brand of the more recent water conditioner that you used? I'm just wondering because on another thread someone mentioned that conditioners that contain aloe vera can sometimes cause irritation, but we will investigate that after the water.

Let us know how you get on. :happy:

 

[AxolotlChris]

The .25 of ammonia is hopefully closer to 0. Your test results do seem to show the tank is cycled. What test kit do you use to test your water?

Your tanks temperature is definitely a risk, and it will exasperate other issues as well as causing stress, plus if you had a heat wave you have no room for error, the temp could rise over 24 degrees Celsius which could be fatal if left for too long. There will be no simple efficient method of dropping your tanks temperature from 22 degrees Celsius to 16-18 other than purchasing a chiller. You can try placing fans blowing on the surface of the water and make sure you have a lid which can allow evaporation, then see how low that drops your temperature, but I doubt it will be significant.

Your Axolotl does seem like it could be slightly bloated, its hard to tell in those images so upload some more, slightly further away at various angles.

Red skin is usually attributed to ammonia burn (poor water quality), but since your tank appears to be cycled and the gills are in good condition I'm not sure if that is the issue.

You'd do best to find a vet near by that can deal with amphibians just in case, better to be safe than sorry.

 

[Elise]

Can you post more pictures of what he looks like today, along with some pictures from the side and of his mouth?

It looks like it may be bacterial stomatitis, from the first impressions.