Question: Help with setup and healing Axolotl

[jcjchdjdj]

So I when I got my axolotl I thought the guy I got it from was an expert but I was not properly informed of how dangerous his poop could be and I was not told that he had to be in cold water so he has been in room temperature dirty water for about a year now (three total years old I got him when he was a baby). After he was growing and I went to buy a bigger tank(20 gallons) was when I found out that I was taking care of him wrong and the dirty and room temperature water was why his gills were so small. Here are a list of questions I have some are about his health and some are about tank setup. Also I will add pictures

Health questions
Will his gills be able to grow back to normal size and fluff.
Why are his eyes white and not black.
Why does his face look different than other axolotl pictures I have looked at.
Why is he so small

Setup questions
What food is most recommended. Right now I am using SA axolotl pellets.
I am putting two frozen water bottles in the tank and replacing them when they defrost to keep the tank cool. I was told this was a good way of cooling the tank but I would want a second opinion.
I am planning on adding ghost shrimp to the tank and I can’t find a good answer on how long to quarantine the shrimp and do you have any other advice about keeping the ghost shrimp/having them not get chomped.
I am going to clean out all of the poop in the tank once a week is this often enough.
Is sand required for the tank or how big of a risk is it to have ( Axolotl eating it or messing up the filter)
Should I add more decorations/places to hide
Should I have live plants in the tank and do I have to quarantine them too.
Are there any other general supplies I should get I heard a bubble making thing was recommended
Anything else that would make happy

 

[wolfen]

her (from the first photo he looks like a she) gills will grow back over time but not always the same as if they hadn't reduced in the first place, the most important area of the gills are the filaments which provided enough grow back your axolotl will be fine, add an air stone to increase water oxygenation, also using 2g/l non iodised salt in the tank water will help grow and also protect them.
if her eyes are white/pink then she is an albino.
due to the axolotls being bred with other species of the ambystoma family they sometimes take on other body/head traits, also like other animal species axolotls come in all shapes and sizes.
average size for axolotls is around nine inch which means that as well as there being some large axolotls there are also some that are small.
axolotls are carnivores so they require a meat based diet, the fresher the better, live being best, then frozen and lastly pellets.
using ice bottles can reduce the temperature too fast and can shock an axolotl, try to bring down the temperature slowly by only using one at a time or use a more stable means of reducing the temperature, fan can be used to reduce the temperature by a few degrees but for a high degree of cooling chillers are better (unfortunately more expensive though)
as for quarantining shrimp that is up to the owner but to prevent possible parasites/illnesses 30 days in quarantine is advisable, also be aware that although shrimp make good clean up crew they will also be good food for an axolotl.
on a bare bones tank although cleaning once a week will look messy it will be less likely to suffer ammonia/nitrite swings (this is due to the biological filtration be used to a larger amount of waste where as with daily spot cleaning the waste level will be lower so if there is accidental left over waste the bacteria colony is no longer large enough to cope and the ammonia/nitrites spike), in a tank with an adult axolotl (over five inches) it is fine having sand although it is advisable to go through it weekly (prior to water change) to help release any trapped debris and gas, a decent filter that has good mechanical filtration should be able to cope with any debris/insolubles in the water.
unlike fish axolotls spend the majority of time walking around rather than swimming so having caves/hides/ornaments to climb on and to also hide in is ideal.
live plants can be used although some struggle with the conditions axolotls require ie.. moderate/hard slight brackish water.
for more information try here.. Axolotls: The Fascinating Mexican Axolotl and the Tiger Salamander

 

[jcjchdjdj]

her (from the first photo he looks like a she) gills will grow back over time but not always the same as if they hadn't reduced in the first place, the most important area of the gills are the filaments which provided enough grow back your axolotl will be fine, add an air stone to increase water oxygenation, also using 2g/l non iodised salt in the tank water will help grow and also protect them.
if her eyes are white/pink then she is an albino.
due to the axolotls being bred with other species of the ambystoma family they sometimes take on other body/head traits, also like other animal species axolotls come in all shapes and sizes.
average size for axolotls is around nine inch which means that as well as there being some large axolotls there are also some that are small.
axolotls are carnivores so they require a meat based diet, the fresher the better, live being best, then frozen and lastly pellets.
using ice bottles can reduce the temperature too fast and can shock an axolotl, try to bring down the temperature slowly by only using one at a time or use a more stable means of reducing the temperature, fan can be used to reduce the temperature by a few degrees but for a high degree of cooling chillers are better (unfortunately more expensive though)
as for quarantining shrimp that is up to the owner but to prevent possible parasites/illnesses 30 days in quarantine is advisable, also be aware that although shrimp make good clean up crew they will also be good food for an axolotl.
on a bare bones tank although cleaning once a week will look messy it will be less likely to suffer ammonia/nitrite swings (this is due to the biological filtration be used to a larger amount of waste where as with daily spot cleaning the waste level will be lower so if there is accidental left over waste the bacteria colony is no longer large enough to cope and the ammonia/nitrites spike), in a tank with an adult axolotl (over five inches) it is fine having sand although it is advisable to go through it weekly (prior to water change) to help release any trapped debris and gas, a decent filter that has good mechanical filtration should be able to cope with any debris/insolubles in the water.
unlike fish axolotls spend the majority of time walking around rather than swimming so having caves/hides/ornaments to climb on and to also hide in is ideal.
live plants can be used although some struggle with the conditions axolotls require ie.. moderate/hard slight brackish water.
for more information try here.. Axolotls: The Fascinating Mexican Axolotl and the Tiger Salamander

Ok thank you!