Why are they dying (Drowning)

[bruce]

<font color="0000ff"><font face="arial,helvetica"><font size="+1">
Why are they dying I have lost another Axy my girl she was 10 "long and healthy as ever, 4 days ago she stopped eating and my boy stayed eating
I came home from work and she was dead Water was fine Ph was fine temp was fine
It was if she drowned,Can this happen?
Now my boy has a white jelly thing at his bum
does this mean he is a girl and these are eggs??
Geekers this is so difficult </font></font></font>

 

[edward]

What is the pH, ammonia, nitrite and temperature in the tank? Stating it is fine does not help to determine if there is a problem.

How long has the aquarium been set up? When was the last water change? How much water did you change? What kind of filter do you use? Is there an airstone in the tank?
What have you been feeding the axolotls and how much?
Do you have a substrate on the bottom of the tank and if so what is it?

Some questions that may help answer your questions.

Ed

 

[bruce]

Large rocks on the bottom but mostly glass No Airstone although do run now and then
Sponge filter large
water change once a month
Am now using Melafix

 

[bruce]

Oh Temp is 18c

 

[bruce]

I feed them Shrimp only (He is fussy)
Do this by chopstick
Please help I dont want to lose my last one}

 

[michael]

My guess is water quality. If you don't have good biological filtration you will probably have big swings in water quality. 100% water change is o.k. in an emergency but good filtration and small water changes are better. Occasionally running a sponge filter might be a problem. Beneficial bacteria will colonise the sponge. When the sponge is shut off the bacteria die.The water is the first thing I would look at. The next thing I would look at is the diet.

 

[edward]

The sponge filter needs to be run all the time to be of any benefit to the animal for the reasons Mike mentioned. Depending on the water quality you should probably be performing at least one 10-15% water change a week and possibly two. 100% water changes can cause the tank to recycle over and over again which can kill the axolotls. This is why they are not recommended except when it is an emergency.
You need to test the ammonia and nitrite at the very least. And once again what is the actual pH?
I would suggest being very careful with the melafix as this is an extract from the melaleuca tree and has been shown to be toxic to mammals and is readily absorbed through the skin (see Villar D, Knight MJ, Hansen SR, Buck WB. Toxicity of melaleuca oil and related essential oils applied topically on dogs and cats. Vet Human Toxicol. 1994;36(2):139-142.

Abstract: "Cases of melaleuca oil toxiosis have been reported by veterinarians to the National Animal Poison Control Center (NAPCC) when the oil was appled dermally to dogs and cats. In most cases, the oil was used to treat dermatologic conditions at inappropriate high doses. The typical signs observed were depression, weakness, incoordination and muscle tremors. The active ingredients of commercial melaleuca oil are predominantly cyclic terpenes. Treatment of clinical signs and supportive care has been sufficient to achieve recovery without sequelae within 2-3 days."

"Toxicity: The most common clinical signs reported to the Animal Poison Control Center by veterinarians with adverse reactions in dogs and cats after dermal exposure of melaleuca oil include ataxia, incoordination, weakness, tremors, behavioral disorders and depression. The acute toxcicity (rabbit dermal LD 50 and rat oral LC 50) for the major terpenic compounds (linalool, ocimene, alpha-terpinene, 1,8-cineole, terpinolene, camphene) ranges between 2 and 5 g/kg body weight, which is considered a moderately toxic range. From a toxicologic standpoint melaleuca oil can be compared to oil of turpentine, which is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and skin.")

Ed

 

[bruce]

Ph is 7.0
Damn this means Ive killed my fish
What do I do in this case
Wolliam is still alive not eating but fighting for life
keeps leaning to one side and arching his back
Ps thankyou for help

 

[edward]

You may not have killed the fish depending on the quantity of the melafix added to the tank but you will have stressed them.
The symptoms you describe in the axolotl can be a result of poisioning from the melaleuca extract (lack of coordination, inappatant) but can also be the result of poor water quality.
I would strongly suggest doing 50% a day water changes until the treatment is removed from the aquarium and testing for ammonia and nitrite which can also produce these symptoms.
Are you adding anything to the tank to maintain the pH at 7? (I ask as this is not a common "natural" pH for many areas of the country.)

I would also recommend to not feed the animal until the situation clears up as any uneaten food particles will negatively affect the water quality.
Ed

 

[bruce]

Thankyou Ed I have removed William from the tank in pure water he is hardly breathing. Floating on top and leaning to one side when he swims its side to side.
I think tonight my William will die
Its up to GOD and William now

 

[edward]

If you can add an airstone to the tank, this will help as the water movement will help the axolotl to breath.

Ed

 

[mik]

Possibly a silly question but when you say pure water...do you mean tap or bottled water or have you used deionised water.
If its deI it will leach salts out of poor chaps body in no time and kill him. Same as if you drank deI you would have awful belly ache.
Bottled drinking water usually has a few minerals in it so it ain't so bad if you need water in an emergency.
Regards,
Mikki

 

[mik]

Oops just noticed your earlier comment. You feed shrimp only? Variety is the key to ensure they get all the nutrients they need. If you have had this chap a while and he is suddenly going down hill perhaps its his diet that is blame.
Very best of luck with him...
Mikki

 

[bruce]

To all the people that tried to help
William died today approx 2-6pm Australia time
He is in Axy heaven now
After losing all 3 and having so many people with diff ideas how to keep them we have decided never to have them again.
A petshop told me to use Melefix
I feel that we need more education on these pets
and its websites like these that will succeed Well done on your site
We thankyou for your time
Bruce and Jana