Very stressed over junior.

You can get your worms and suitable play sand @ bunnings (check the kiddy play equipment and sand pit section it's usually near the playground just make sure you wash it thoroughly) . They also sell the worm farm setup (cheapest is about $70 ex. worms) to put you worms into and as long as you feed them and keep them moist (their are instructions on the box) they will breed and be a never ending source of the complete diet your Axie needs in a convenient wiggly package :wink:
If you don't have that kind of cash around right now I'm sure you could rig something up yourself for them from one of the many DIY worm farm guides that a google search would provide to you :happy:

Do you know what I LOVE about Australian tap water? They don't use choloamine stabilizers which means if you take your bucket of water out in to the Aussie sun and leave it there for an hour all the chlorine and chloramine will be gone and you are left with, almost instantly, aged water. Won't do much for any heavy metals that may be present but I'm yet to have a problem with them.

Juniors tail raising concerns me a little I had a look at you Pics and there are a few stones that looked like they might be on the too small side I'm really hoping he didn't manage to swallow one and is showing signs of impaction :confused: Thankfully you have now removed the rocks :happy:
Don't worry about him swallowing the sand as he eats. All 3 of mine are very good a spitting out the sand while keeping the food in their mouths and the sand will pass straight through causing no harm at all to your little guy.
 
Okay I have tested my water for the following:

PH: 7.1

Ammonia: 4.0

Nitrate: 2.5

I've got GH and KH solution but no chart to compare against, any suggestions/help with that will be really appreciated.

Please note that these test results have been collected BEFORE I have made a 20% water change.

Thanks for the help guys... I will once again attempt to feed him.
 
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hi dazza
you could do another test and see if the ammonia has gone down if your worried, if it is still high you could do another water change.
For a worm farm you could go to a fruit shop and get 2 of those white boxes(that mangoes come in) and put hole(to allow for dranage) into 1 and place it over the other one put your worms and soil in the top one cover it with wet newspaper. hey presto you have a worm farm.
Maybe try feeding junior at night. You could also put defrosted bloodworms in a feeding jar(i use a clean peanut better jar) and place it near him. He might go in when nobody is looking.
You might need to put him in the fridge for a while, this will help him destress and if he has eaten some rocks they might come out. He wont eat while he is in the fridge so
please dont this until someone else can confirm it. Im just giving up the heads up.
hang it in there your doing your best.
lea
 
Hi Dazz,

The ammonina is crazy high :)

PH is fine.

GH an KH are not a real problem right now, so dont worry about them too much - keep testing your ph everyday, if you get big swings up or down, it could mean the KH needs work (a buffer) , but if it stays pretty steady then you should be pretty right.

With GH, my tap water is very soft, so i have to use a hardener. Without knowing the brand etc of test kit for gh & kh we might not be any use in assisting mate - maybe just get your local fish store to test it for you

Too soft or too hard water is not as bad as high ammonia, but will need to be addressed. This is how it was explained to me - Axies "drink" by ozmosis, kind of drinking through the skin. Too soft, and they can get too much water, and "drown" - Too hard, and they dont drink enough and "dehydrate" GH 160 - KH 60-80 is about what i was told to aim for - But, as i said, fix the ammonia first

Did you test nitrites? with an ammonia reading that high, and a nitrate reading two weeks into a cycle, i'm tipping the nitrites reading will be crazy high too :)

So, nitrates and ph and GH & KH are not really an issue for you right now.

You need to get the ammonia reading down to 0.25, and the nitrites as low as you can.

Test for amm again later today, and probably change another 20% - then again tomorrow, and the day after. You need to try to keep that amm reading below 0.25 while cycling the tank.

After 4 or so weeks the ammonina reading will be consistently 0, as will the nitrites, and you should then get a nitrate reading of 20-40 - once it gets up to 40, do a 20% water change or every 10 days, which ever come first

You are getting there mate.

Bren
 
Thanks a lot guys, this help is really appreciated.

I have taken out 20% water out of the tub, and replaced it with 24 hour aged water, is that appropriate?

I have cut out a piece of PVC pipe and he dose not go into it what so ever.

I have tried to feed him in a confined space, still no luck.

Maybe as Lea suggested, frigging is the best option? I doubt it as I made sure the rocks I put in there were impossible for him to eat. The only thing I have seen him ingest is sand really, but what I see and what he has done may be two different things.

Since the ammonia is really high, should I put the sand back in and turn on the filter? If I do but the sand back in, should I buy some plants to use the nitrites? (Yes I have been reading up :D)

I have also uploaded more pictures of the tub and environment.

Anyways thanks for the help guys, I think it might be helpless though, I'm thinking he might die of starvation real soon, its almost been 2 weeks of no eating straight.
 
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Hi Daz,

I think less is more at this point.

Pipes - it's new, he's bound to be a little cautious, he'll go in

Read up on fridging before you try, but remember rome wasn't built in a day, changing the water etc is not an instant cure

Re sand and ammonina - putting the sand back in wont make much difference to the ammonia level - ammonia either needs to be removed by water changes, eaten by bacteria (in a cycled tank, or using something like Amquel ( a chemical ammonia neutraliser) in your case maybe the ammonia neutraliser might be worth looking at to instantly get rid of the ammonia

Plants are good for nitrates, not nitrites, nitrates are not your problem right now, they wont be high anyway because the cycle isnt established the cycle goes - Animals & plants make ammonia > Nitrites eat ammonia > Nitrates eat nitrites > Plants eat Nitrates - Plants wont help you much right now because it would appear your cycle is not estbalished

If it was me, here is what i would do today -

1 Check the ammonia, if it is still high (over 0.25) i'd probably change some more water out or go and buy some Amquel or some such

2 Leave the pipes and cover, let him get used to it

3 Cover the tub to make it dark, keep it cool, and leave him alone for a while, let him sit over night and just relax, no poking, prodding, sloshing, feeding etc from you

I think you and your axie just need to take a breath, calm, and see where you are at tomorrow.

First priorities - Keep him cool and dark, get the ammonia down.

Worry about the rest tomorrow

Bren
 
Where are you in aust??? Do you know of a vet near you that treats axies??
If you fridge, this will buy sometime for you to get the tank/water fixed up.
To fridge a axie get a sealable container and put in some fresh treated water(i use prime), put in enough water to cover junior. Put the container i n the fridge and cover with a teatowel(so the light doesnt upset him). Also put a bottle of water near him so when you do daily water changes the temp is the same. You can also put a worm(only do this with live food) in there with him as he might have a nibble when he is chilling. While he is in there he might not want to eat but it will help destress and if he has eaten something he shouldnt have.
lea
 
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Hi Dazza,

Sorry again for another negative but you seriously cannot put an axie in water that has not been treated you will be damaging his health and also like any animal you should not take one on if you can't even afford the basics for it and a water conditioner is a very basic necessity.

Anyway on a positive note well done on getting rid of the gravel and for also listening to everyones advice its good to know your keen to fix the problem :happy:

So next step is a bigger tank and some plants and betting your axie will soon destress after that.

Good luck
 
Hi guys, its Dazza once again.

Okay so far, I have been making 20% water changes everyday (for the past 3 days) and I have also bought products:

Prime- ''Removes Chlorine, Choloromine, Ammonia, detoxifies Nitrite and Nitrate, also provides a slime coat"

Stability- ''New tank stabilization system. Establishment of bio-filter

I have also bought live ''black worms'' as I could not find blood worms. I hope he eats it..

Junior has become noticeably thinner and I fear his time if rapidly coming to an end..

I was wondering if I have used the correct solutions.

I thank everyone again for their help and suggestions, it has greatly helped me. Anymore suggestions would be really appreciated, thanks again! :D
 
I am new to the world of axies as well, but I had a similar problem when I first got my little guy. Wouldn't eat anything! I had tried earth worms and blood worms... wasn't working.

So I got some frozen brine shrimp, put a chunk in a shot glass and let it thaw. Then used tweezers to grab a bit of it and wave it right in front of his face... and he ate! Now he LOVES to eat! And gets all excited when he sees the shot glass lol!! :happy: He eats the blood worms too now, but still prefers the brine shrimp. Maybe give that a try? Good luck!
 
Wow, thanks a lot mate, really appreciated.
I think I will give that a try when I get enough capital :( (I know it sounds lame)

I THINK he is eating the black worms that I bought..... Not too sure, I will have to pay closer attention to the amount I put in and see how much gets eaten I think.

Thanks again mate!
 
Where about in Australia are you? if your in sydney and close to me I'll give you the frozen brine shrimp I have left over. I brought it for my axie, but she's not interested in it so Ive been giving it to my goldfish. Theres not much left but your welcome to whats left, saves you buying another thing and it not working.
 
Wow that would be great!

Yeah I'm in sydney- in the St george area, Kogarah.

If you're too far away, don't worry about it hehe, thanks alot mate.

Muc appreciated, bless you for your generosity and to all others who have aided me through this stressfull time!

Reguards, Dazza
 
Hmm, thats about a 40min drive for me it seems, I'm guessing you have no reason to visit Gladesville? Let me chat to the other half, we were thinking about reliving our childhood at sizzlers. But that may not be until the weekend I'm afraid.

Sorry Mate, I'll pm you once I chat with him :)
 
Hey guys, its Dazza.... again..

So I have noticed a SIGNIFICANT reduction of mass in Junior. His gills are spread way out- meaning his body is really thin making his head and gills look massive.

I have recently purchased live black worms, I haven't seen him eat it but I have noticed the amount of worms reduce next time I check.... At least I think

I have also purchased a chemical that ''removed ammonia, detoxifies nitriate and nitrate and also provides a slime coat''

So in short... I hate to say it...... Junior looks like he will be gone soon... Yes I hate myself for letting this happen, I have been trying my best, I'm just new and really bad at this..However I do not believe all hope is lost... He is still living and as I said, the worms reduce (in my opinion)

I will post pictures up as soon as possible....

Thanks to everyone who has helped me in this stressful time, I will keep you guys informed.
 
Hi again guys, its Dazza :D

So this is the situation, Junior is still in the plastic tub with no substrate, he has a PVC tube in which he hardly uses.

His body is very thin and it makes his head look massive.
His gills look like they are turning lighter.
He revises to eat, this is the 3rd week.
I have tried black worms, pellets, frozen blood worms which I break to small bite size proportions.... All no luck.

I have been making 20% water changes every day for the past week and have continued to do so.

The ammonia level is 2.0, I have recently purchased a product that claims to eliminate ammonia and detoxify nitrites and nitrates.... Looks like it hasn't worked..

It seems like time is slowly running out for Junior though I wish that wasn't the case.

I would just like to thank everyone who has helped me through this stressful time, it is much appreciated!

I have uploaded pictures on my personal album for you guys to see Junior.
 
Is the ammonia from the tank water or the tub water? If it's the tub water the cycle is not kicking in. What I would do is start the canister filter up in the actual tank, and get the benificial bacteria started and do a 100% water change on the water in your tank. Just get as much as you can out. The canister filter should have something like bio balls, or ceramic rings and will eventually start building up bacteria, which doesn't form in the water column, so doing a large water change in a bare bottom tank shouldn't kill much beneficial bacteria. If you havn't cycled your tank do a 1/4 water change every day to keep the ammonia down which is toxic to your axolotl. If theres still ammonia in the tank after the 1/4 water change, do another one. Once you get your water parameters back i would assume there is a much greater chance in getting your axolotl to eat.

Also is there ammonia in your tap? That seems like a lot of ammonia, and from what I've read you've done water changes. Oh and any product that claims to get rid of ammonia/nitrite/nitrate is probably going to be more harm than good. For example the ph up/down products only make the ph fluctuate and actually cause more stress than they releive.
 
Wow, thanks a lot for your insightful knowledge!

I got rid of the tank because I was told it was much too small. Right now he lives in the plastic tub and has been for the last week.

I actually don't have a canister filter, just a normal filter as I believe the canister filter would be much too powerful for the tub, in fact I believe the filter I use now is too powerful for it, however I have no other choice.
I currently use a 50L tub, with water filled half way. I use a filter that claims to be perfect for tanks 50-110L.

So based on your advice, should I get rid of 100% of my tub water and replace it with 24 hour aged water?

Also, when and if replacing all that water, should I clean out the filter? Any suggestions you can give me to get rid of the ammonia in my bare bottom tank such as plants or substrate? I do currently use chemicals that claim to get rid or it, which I fail to see with my 2.0 ammonia reading.

I think I will put back the sand I previously took out. I was worried he might suffocate from ingesting it when I saw him going crazy doing 'fit' like behavior where he continuously ingested water and expelled it immediately though gills and his body was vibrating gradually faster simultaneously. However more reading has shown me that this is highly unlikely...

Thanks a lot, I hope to hear from you really soon

Sorry if I do sound stupid, its probably because I am, and also I'm new to this..... I am just really desperate for him not to die, even though he has caused me quite a bit of stress from the second week I had him, I have grown attached to him.
 
I would do water changes but not change all the water, also add more water and try to cover the tub to be secure he cant jump out

if the filter is too strong remove it

to lower the ammonia make water changes everyday and try to get a tank as soon as possible
 
I think you'll find that the chemicals you are using neutralise the ammonia, not remove it.

So you will still have the ammonia in there and get a reading, it just loses the toxicity
 
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