Need help with axolotl! :C

Hey everyone i'm new to the site but i thought i join as my axie isn't doing to good.
So i'm from sydney AUS, it got really hot one day and his water temp went to about 23 degrees celsius, i was not home and had no idea it was going to be so hot.
When i got back the tip of his tale was bent (sign of stress) and he only ate a little bit (another big give away).
So i changed his water (it was due to be changed) but as it was hot the water wasn't that cold when i changed it so i don't think there was much of a dramatic change in temp to freak him out even more? but it did cool down and i got it too about 20 (still not great) and have been struggling to get it down to the good 16 - 18.
He also has a tad bit of discolouration on his head near his gills and the next day after changing the water his gills were all angled forward so its pretty clear he is stressed.

So now i have a fan on top and an ice brick trying to get it too 16 - 18, i have my filter running on full (it spits bubbles) as i was also was worried it was lack of oxygen. The waters looking fine and the PH is at about 7.4.

To give some info about the tank its just one axie with a aqua one sponge filter that the flow goes to the top of the tank (does not disturb him) There are a few live plants and a plastic log thing he sits in, there are no other things inside the tank appart from some snails that randomly popped up in the tank a few days ago?
I have no idea what else i could do to try help him :C any help would be great thankyou!

Welcome to the forum

Have you tested parameters for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as well? Is your tank cycled? Could you post some photos?

Sometimes the weather can surprise us but I find it is a good idea to keep an eye on the forecasts so I can predict when I may have to watch the temperature on my cold water tanks more closely and take further measures to keep them cool. It can be hard in the hot weather here and sometimes the forecasts don't quite match what the weather does. Chillers are the ultimate cooling method but they are expensive so I can understand wanting to try cheaper alternatives.

Clip on fans and placing damp towels around the outside of the tank can help. Turning off lights and placing the tank in the coolest part of the house can help a little as well. You could even get a car windscreen cover (the aluminium looking ones) and wrap that around the outside to help insulate the tank. 20 degrees Celsius is outside of the optimum parameters so if you can get it down it is great but it is not really enough to cause stress.

Another idea if you absolutely cannot keep the tank at a good temperature, is to use a method as suggested in the thread below. A member here, Nex Socius, suggested it and it is a clever idea.

http://www.caudata.org/forum/f46-be...ls-ambystoma-mexicanum/95713-heat-stress.html

You may get more advice posting this in the axolotl section of the forum.

Hey thank you for replying!
Unfortunately i have not tested for them because i stupidly thought that PH testing was the same thing until about an hour ago.

My tank is cycled and he has been living in there for about 5 months maybe more?
I will try find out myself but how do you post photos? haha

I put a clip on fan for him and its dropped down the temp to 18 which is good

Back to the testing.. i will get a test kit tomorrow ASAP and get back to you on that... what do i need the levels to be? and if it is a problem will he be okay until its fixed or should i do anything now to help him?

also yeah i thought it be a better idea to post it somewhere else but being new to these kind of sites i had no idea how haha
thank you for responding appreciate it!

I worked out how to put it in the axolotl part of the site i will also post there just in case thankyou!

To know if your tank is cycled, you will need the test kit. After five months, it will have hopefully established a cycle (provided it has not crashed that is). Below is a link on cycling.

Scales Tails Wings and Things, What is Aquarium Cycling? How to Cycle your Tank

Just in case, it may be worth doing more frequent water changes for now until you can get your test kit. In a cycled tank, you should get readings of zero for ammonia and nitrite and a reading above zero for nitrate. However you want to keep nitrate below 40ppm by doing regular water changes. Having live plants will help a little with nitrate as well.

It is great you have got the temperature down. 18 is perfect

I should also add to get a liquid test kit rather than test strips. Test strips have been known to give inaccurate readings. Liquid test kits are more reliable.

thankyou so much for the help!

I checked out that link i did add things in for a week and a bit before i added my axie as instructed as i had read some things about it. Although i never was aware that it could crash or how it would crash.

if my cycle has crashed should he be okay if i get it back on?

Without a kit, you would not have known whether it is fully cycled or whether it has crashed.

To know if your tank is ok for your axolotl, you need the testing kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and PH. This is the first step. Once you have your kit, test the parameters and post them here. Give the link a thorough read to ensure you fully understand the nitrogen cycle and how it works and how to establish the cycle. Once we have the parameters, we will be able to determine whether your tank is fully cycled or whether it has crashed or if something is a bit off.

SO i got it tested the result was:
0.6 Amonia
0 nitrite
30 Nitrate

how do i get the amonia down to 0??? should i keep changing the wwater?

Keep doing water changes often and keep testing the water daily to ensure the ammonia is kept down at a safe level (ideally below 0.25ppm).

From what i've read i should do a 30% water change daily until the levels are down? does this sound right?
Also do you think this is defiantly the reason for him being sick??

So your tank is not fully cycled. So you are basically doing a fish in cycle (or axolotl in). For some reason, the good bacteria colonies in your tank have died off resulting in the increase in ammonia as there is not enough bacteria consuming it. You will be re-establishing the colony. So once it is again fully cycled, you will have readings of zero ammonia and nitrite and some reading of nitrate. Once cycled you do regular water changes to remove the excess nitrate and keep that below 40ppm. But whilst your tank is cycling, you need to do more frequent water changes to keep the ammonia and nitrite down at safe levels. You can start with doing 30% water changes daily but test daily so you know whether you are changing enough water or need to change more to keep the ammonia and nitrite down.

He may have been stressed due to high temperature but ammonia or nitrite can definitely cause stress. This is why it is important to check all parameters regularly and make sure you understand the cycling process and how it affects aquatic life. If your axolotl is showing unusual behaviour or any signs of ill health, it is always a good first step to test the parameters as many illnesses or odd behaviour stem from water quality issues.

Hey mate wanted to give an up date. After changing the water again he seemed to be more lively (changing it everyday and testing as instructed). Before he was just sitting on my filter for ages,
but now he's gone weird its like he cant swim and he's not moving his back legs :S.. could this still be a symptom of high ammonia?

Hmm. Could you post some photos? Is there anything outwardly obvious like swelling or redness or anything else unusual? Has he been pooing normally? Is his back end floating higher than the front?

What are the readings now?

yeah i will try upload some in a minute.
uhmm... not really he doesn't look much different apart from he has gotten skinny from not eating...
i haven't noticed him pooing at all lately..
The back end of him kind of just sits flat he keeps having his legs back though..

I havn't checked the levels since last water change which was when i got home from work i was going to check them tomorrow before the next one.

I know now it's bad to have the rocks but the damn pet shop wouldn't sell me sand for him -__-.. i always hand fed him so he wouldn't accidentally eat one but you never know i guess...do you think he may have swallowed one?

I think i should also add his gills have straightened up allot more since the water changes and as for behaviour he has been acting like he wants to swim and when i tried to feed him just now he literately shakes his head in a "no" movement. Also found 2 poos not sure if they were fresh or just unseen before

Oh gosh he is very skinny.

Yes it is entirely possible he could have swallowed some of the gravel. It is best to remove the gravel straight away to prevent this from happening. Bare bottom is fine for now and probably best so you can monitor closely to see if he passes any gravel. But for sand, you could get a bag of play sand from Bunnings. Just make sure you wash the sand thoroughly and sift out the gravel in the sand. Also, don't feed him directly on the sand. Use a feeding dish or hand feed above the sand.

Keep testing your parameters daily and keep on top of water changes to keep nitrite and ammonia at safe levels. He looks like his dorsal fin has receded. This may be due to water quality.

yeah i know
is there any other sand you can use and i could just tell them its for a gold fish? haha.
I had him in another tank a few months ago with very washed play sand but when ever he or i hit the sand at all it would murk up the water and it was really annoying..


Yeah will do .. because he may have swallowed gravel should i fridge him at all?.. or is it a bad idea as he isn't eating as it is...??

If you wash the play sand very thoroughly before adding it, it should be ok. It may be a bit murky to begin with but usually settles and goes away with water changes. You should also stir up sand regularly to avoid build up of noxious gas pockets.

Whatever sand you use, silica based fine sand is best. I have found the richgro brand play sand is good as long as you sift put the gravel pieces and wash it well. I can't recommend any at the pet stores though they generally cost more as well.

Fridging is an option. Make sure you follow the fridging guide in the sick axolotl section of the the forum. If swallowed gravel is the case it may help him pass it and he may gain appetite. However his receded dorsal fin and condition otherwise also suggests water quality as well. It may be best to put him in a tub of clean, cool, dechlorinated water and change 100% of the water in the tub daily. Whilst fridging you will need to store some fresh dechlorinated water so you can change his water to new water that is the same temperature. He is unlikely to eat in the fridge due to the slow metabolism.