I think my axolotl is sick, please help

[Red Robin]

My axololt has been looking kind of off lately, but I don't know if it's just because he's growing or is sick. lately, he's been getting a bit patchy (he's a black axololte, but white patches have been showing up), and his eyes are bugged out more than usual. I can't tell if his gills are any different than they usually are, because they have always been less frilly than a normal axie, but I think they look a bit less healthy than they normally are.

Water conditions should be fine, pH between 70.2-7.6, there was a small amount of ammonia but I cleared that up, and I always treat the water to remove both chlorine and chloramines when I do water changes. Does he look sick to anyone else? Thanks in advance
(sorry if the picture isn't that great, it kept focusing on the glass, not Batman)

 

[Olivia97]

have his gills begun shrinking? and does his tail fin look any smaller?

 

[xxianxx]

White patches can indicate heat stress, what is your tank temp? If it is over 20c try to drop it, I know you may have problems with this but under 20c is a lot better than room temp.

 

[Red Robin]

the tank temperature is currently at 19 degrees Celcius (unexpected warm weather, didn't have time to freeze some bottles to cool the water down), but it's usually around 15 degrees.
his gills look like they have shrunk a bit in size, but his tail is the same length it has always been

 

[xxianxx]

the tank temperature is currently at 19 degrees Celcius (unexpected warm weather, didn't have time to freeze some bottles to cool the water down), but it's usually around 15 degrees.
his gills look like they have shrunk a bit in size, but his tail is the same length it has always been

Its not heat stress then, 10/10 for the good temp though, must be hard work in Oz.

 

[Red Robin]

Thanks , In winter it's not so bad, but in summer I use a system of frozen water bottles to keep it below 20 degrees

 

[Olivia97]

The white may just be natural colouration? I'd have to get an expert opinion on this however.

 

[Red Robin]

Yeah, that's what I thought it might be. Because the substrate I use is also white, I just assumed that he was just changing colour to blend in more with the surroundings (he used to have no white markins on his face).

The main thing that's worrying me is the eyes and the gills, which have definitly become less frilly (I found an old picture of him from close to when I first got him about a year and a half ago, and they were more frilly then)

 

[Jacquie]

Hi Robin,

Just a few questions:

Is Batman eating well? What does his main diet consist of? And, how frequently does he eat?

Has he ever been exposed to feeder fish (or any other type of tank-mates) that were not fully quarantined first before being 'introduced' to him?

Is the white substrate you mentioned that you are using just plain fresh water aquarium sand, or is it the sand that is used for tropical salt water aquariums?

Is there anything that you may be using as tank ornaments that were taken from a beach (such as shells, sand, clams, mussels, etc) and added to the tank?

Are you using any plant fertilizers?

 

[Red Robin]

Batman is eating well, about once a day (it's getting warmer, so I feed him more), and his diet consists of frozen goldfish food (I defrost it for 10 or so minutes it before feeding it to him), and the occasional bloodworm for when I forget to buy more food

He hasn't had any other tank mates or feeder fish in with him

The white substrate is just normal tank pebbles, the kind that you can buy at the pet store (I feed him close to the top of the tank, so there isn't a risk of him accidentally inhaling some of them in this way, although i've been meaning to switch over to sand)

A couple of months back I put a bit of wood in the tank, as something he could climb on, but i don't think i soaked it in water for long enough and it leached something into the tank that turned the water kind of yellow. I removed it, and had to do weekly water changes for a while to get the water back to normal, which only recently happened

No plant fertilisers in my tank because I only use plastic plants

 

[Jacquie]

He is not likely getting enough nutrition from the frozen gold fish food.

Earthworms are nutritionally complete for axolotls, are you able to get hold of some? If you are reluctant to feed live earthworms, then salmon, trout, or axolotl pellets are also a very good staple food.

Poor nutrition can lead to health problems.

Axolotls are oppurtunistic and nocturnal feeders, and will snuffle through the substrate foraging for food during the night. I would strongly recommend removing the stones as soon as possible as it's only a matter of time before he does ingest some.

 

[Red Robin]

Thanks, i'll swap to axolotl pellets. I was thinking of canging the rocks over for sand earlier this year, but didn't know where to get any. would I just buy it from a pet store?

 

[Jacquie]

When I was looking for sand for my tanks the other week, I had a look around some petstores (Megapet warehouse, Best Friends, etc), and much to my dismay they only seem to be stocking gravel. I ended up buying the sand from an aquarium. Hopefully you will have better luck than I did!

You will want fresh water sand, not tropical or reptile sand as these can have a dramatic effect on your water chemistry. Sand sold at aquariums tend to be quite expensive, though. I bought a 20kg bag for $20.00 (this aquarium was one of the cheaper ones. Another wanted to charge me $46.00 for the same!).

The good news is you can buy a large bag of children's play sand much cheaper from Bunnings, for about $6.00. Play sand is safe for axolotls as it has been sterilized for use by children. The minor downside to this is that you will need to rinse the sand more thoroughly before adding it to your tank, so it doesn't cloud up the water.

Please don't use beach sand! This can also skew your water parameters and it's not sterile.

Alternatively, you can use pool filter sand. I don't use this myself, so have no idea how expensive or inexpensive it is - sorry!