Axolotl scratching gills

[Joebro12]

Lengthy post, sorry in advance.
I tested the water, parameters are .25 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 20 nitrate. Tank is cycled. Or was cycled, at least. I have a hob filter, and a sponge filter. Decor was a java moss ball wrapped in rock (just removed, noticed white fuzziness on it), these cute little sushi decor thats "aquarium safe" also removed, and the fake fluval java moss ball (still in the tank) and a hide thats plenty big and dark enough for her size. I understand ammonia is a little high. The tank was cycled with seachem stability and dr. Tims ammonia, I add stability after every water change to maintain the cycle. My question is, I'm doing water changes to lower the nitrate levels and ammonia levels for the next few days till I can get the aquarium under control. While I'm doing this, I have my axolotl tubbed. Shes not fridged, water in the basement stays at a constant 60° F and I have an electric thermometer to check the temp in case it rises for whatever reason. Am I doing the right thing by removing her from the aquarium till I get the tank under control?

 

[wolfen]

whats the ph?.
I assume that you dechlorinating the water before adding to the tank.
It says in the title scratching gills, how, like a cat would clean itself, or as if there is something irritating its gills.
if it is scraping it gills then yes until you find out what is irritating it tubbing is perhaps the best idea.
what substrate is in the tank.
I am more concerned about you mentioning fungus on the moss ball then the ammonia level.
check you axies gills and body for signs of fungus.

 

[Joebro12]

whats the ph?.
I assume that you dechlorinating the water before adding to the tank.
It says in the title scratching gills, how, like a cat would clean itself, or as if there is something irritating its gills.
if it is scraping it gills then yes until you find out what is irritating it tubbing is perhaps the best idea.
what substrate is in the tank.
I am more concerned about you mentioning fungus on the moss ball then the ammonia level.
check you axies gills and body for signs of fungus.

Yeah I always use prime as instructed. To describe her behavior, she'll be walking around as usual then she'll reach her gills with her back legs and kick at them. Then she'll continue walking. It happens every so often. Both sides. She did recover from a small case of fungus on a single gill stalk recently. Not a clue how it happened, the temp is a constant 62-64, levels were perfect at the time. This was probably 3 or 4 days ago when the fungus ran its course and fell off on it's own. Since it fell off, she's been scratching occasionally, since I would assume yesterday. She ate a whole nightcrawler today as usual, no diet issues. Now I have her in clean dechlorinated water and she seems much more settled at the moment. I have another tub to swap her into tomorrow while I manage the aquarium.

P.S. thank you for reaching out to me about it. It means a lot to me cause she's my baby.

 

[wolfen]

Yeah I always use prime as instructed. To describe her behavior, she'll be walking around as usual then she'll reach her gills with her back legs and kick at them. Then she'll continue walking. It happens every so often. Both sides. She did recover from a small case of fungus on a single gill stalk recently. Not a clue how it happened, the temp is a constant 62-64, levels were perfect at the time. This was probably 3 or 4 days ago when the fungus ran its course and fell off on it's own. Since it fell off, she's been scratching occasionally, since I would assume yesterday. She ate a whole nightcrawler today as usual, no diet issues. Now I have her in clean dechlorinated water and she seems much more settled at the moment. I have another tub to swap her into tomorrow while I manage the aquarium.

P.S. thank you for reaching out to me about it. It means a lot to me cause she's my baby.

it might be a idea to get some pink unrefined Himalayan salt and add 1g per litre to the tank, very important that it is unrefined so there is no iodine added.
also the reason I say to use Himalayan salt is because it has other trace minerals which will benefit you axie. a higher amount of salt can be added but it is best to start low.
also as mentioned ph is quite important check and make sure it is about 7.4 - 7.6 add bicarbonate of soda to bring it up if it is too low.
low ph makes it hard for bacteria to consume ammonia.
only test ammonia at least 24 hrs after doing a water change no sooner, as the water change itself can cause false readings.
it is best to use holtfreters solution or a modified version with axolotls, this is even more important if there is or has been issues with fungus. because of the difficulty in getting either the chemicals to make it or a supplier for holtfreters using Himalayan salt though not as effective can be used instead.