Illness/Sickness: My Axolotl just passed away

[GreenKnight]

Hi I'm new here, and this is my first ever post.

I recently decided to be pet owner, I've never personally wanted pets until recently.
I bought two Axolotl, as I was very intrigued about them. The local pet store had two in stock, they look so cool, and after a few days of thought. I picked up the two Axies, a tank, filter and supplements.

An introduction for my Axies:
1. Wild Type - name: Soul
2. Leucistic - name: Maka

I was a bit stressed out, as I learnt the different conditions required for good Axie care, and was learning some new each day. Caring of them has been very rewarding, I never knew having pets was so much fun. It really lightens up my day, seeing them swimming around and healthy. I remember bring them home, and they were still so shy, but I would hear them swimming around when I was working at my desk. Then eventually I had to relocate their tank to some place cooler, as the temperature in my room was too difficulty to regulate.

On the Tuesday(27/10/15), I noticed Soul was floating at the top of the tank, and was having trouble remaining at the bottom. I knew there was something very strange, he was more passive than usual, like he was too weak. After reading forum posts and searching around for guidance, I concluded that Soul needed to be fridge. So I prepared a small tub, and relocated him to the fridge, with a Cardboard covering.
Fridge temperature is set to 6`C.

He was still floating after half a day in the fridge, but I noticed some change on Thursday(29/10/15). He wasn't floating anymore, and was swimming around. I also bought so Axolotl pellets and gave him some, but he wasn't eating.

I should have wrote on the forum earlier, I've been too stressed out about Uni exams and lacked attention to their care. After seeing how he didn't eat, but noticed him swimming around again, I thought it was safe to reintroduced him back to the tank. I noticed Maka seemed depressed and just chilling on the plants, and hiding her dead in the plant shrubs.

So this morning on Friday(30/10/15), at 10am I took the fridge tub out and let it sit in room temperature, to slowly readjust the temperature. Then at about 2:30pm, I reintroduced Soul back into the tank. After that I went to bed, as I was up all night studying.

I woke up at around 8:30pm, then right away went to check on Soul. I looked in and saw Maka staring at Soul. Soul was laying on his side, I think he is dead.
I took him out, and tried to pat his side and head to see if he was just passive.
I prepared another tub and fridge him again.
Maka is fine, thought She seems depressed, always turning away and looking at a corner.

I feel extremely guilty, I bough them and had a responsibility to take care of them and give them the best living condition. I was going to buy a bigger tank soon and water testing kit, once exams are over. I think I am still in denial, I should be grateful Maka is still alive, and that I didn't lose them both.

I don't want to lose Maka as well. :sad:

I have so much to ask, but most importantly is:
1. What are some probable causes to Soul's death?
(possibly an ammonia? , I just remembered I have been lacking on supplement that reduces ammonia and nitrate)

2. Has anyone every on their forum has ever lost their Axolotl?
(The reasons why I shy away from pets was I always knew they are going to pass eventually, and I don't want to experience that. But it's something I am learning to accept.)


Nice to meet you all, Thank You for your time, I wrote this as it has occurred within the last two hours. I'm quite sad about the passing, still in shock and denial.

 

[AxolotlChris]

Firstly I can understand your guilt but try not to be too hard on yourself. It is all about learning and its a very rewarding process gaining knowledge and being able to support and care for another living creature.

It may have been down to the water quality, if you haven't cycled the tank then you may have had high ammonia and nitrates which could allow disease and fungus to affect Soul. It's hard to say what was wrong with Soul without seeing pictures of him at the time, floating could be attributed to various things. Were his gills looking big and healthy or had they shrunk down to a small size? Did his skin look lumpy or bumpy in any way?

Fridging isn't always needed, I have helped a friend who's Axolotls where badly affected by ammonia from poor water quality and just putting them in a tub of dechlorinated water did the trick, they were better within a day or so.

Cycling your tank is very important, take alook at this guide: How to Cycle a Fish Tank

This image will help you to understand the cycle that takes place within your tank: http://www.caudata.org/cc/images/articles/misc/NitrogenCycle.jpg

You should probably put Maka in a large plastic tub(one of good quality so it doesnt leach chemicals into the water), full of dechlorinated water and change the water 100% everyday. You need a water testing kit for your tank, then you can begin cycling to get it ready for maka to move into. I recommend: Welcome to API Fishcare: FRESHWATER MASTER TEST KIT

Have a read on: Axolotls: The Fascinating Mexican Axolotl and the Tiger Salamander this will give most of the info you need to care for Axolotls.

 

[AxolotlChris]

Also, did you change the water in the tub Soul was in over the days you had him in the fridge? And what had you been feeding before you bought the pellets ?

 

[GreenKnight]

Thank you for your kind words and reply.

Soul's gills looked healthy, long and think with fluffy filaments, he looked like he was from the wild. Like this https://youtu.be/bHwAguHqYnU?t=5m29s, except with more filaments.

I did notice something odd about the lining on his spine, there was a 2mm dip. The dip looked like it was bitten off, but there are only axies in the tank. His skin looked normal, but when I cleaned him up a bit after I removed his body, and notice a slimy layer. I'm not sure if it's natural or if his skin had problems.

Oh no, I did not do a daily water change for Soul during his fridge time. :shocked:
Could that a contributing factor?

Didn't think he could get sick, he seem buffed and swam around the tank like a dinosaur.
But the last few days, he seemed weaken, even let me rub his head when I visited the fridge.

I had a long think about how to send him off, and decided on cremation.
My boy is ashes now.
Rest well buddy, I am sorry I failed you.
2Pac - Life Goes on : https://youtu.be/yKC1PDe77sc


I have relocated Maka into a new tub as suggested, with dechlorinated water.
She was so scared, the change definitely stressed her out. But I so grateful to have gotten this advice before something fatal occurs.
After the move I saw that all the veins of her feet are more red than usual, and the tip of her tail and the lining on her spine was very red.
The similar to what occurred on Soul's spine, I couldn't see it because of Soul's colour, but I can definitely see red on Maka.

Here is a Picture of Maka's axie smile: https://goo.gl/owOQU7
^ her right gills, and toes of her left feet got bitten off before I bought her, but watching them grow back slowly has been a wonderful experience.

 

[AxolotlChris]

If his gills and skin looked normal then I don't think it was down to water quality, if there was a high amount of ammonia there would be damage to the gills and the skin, ammonia burns it will attack the gills and they can shrink to stumps. It's more likely that Soul had something else wrong possibly a disease or some other internal issue.

The dip may have just been wear Maka took a little bite of him or he may have caught it on something in the tank, it's not abnormal to find little notches out of Axoltols tails if they live with other Axolotls, it's inevitable that accidents happen when the mistake their tank make for moving food.

The slime layer is normal, the slime layer is like a natural defence. Ammonia will break through this slime layer and then damage the skin, it's also not advised to handle Axolotls with bare hands as it can affect their slime coat due to the oils in our skin.

Daily water changes are mandatory when the Axolotl is in a container which is not cycled. The water will develop ammonia so it has to be changed everyday to keep the water safe and allow the Axolotl to heal.

Make sure you change Makas water everyday with declorinated water, try not to handle her with your hands directly.

The redness on Maka is probably due to the fact that she is luecistic, so you can see the blood a lot easier because of the skin colour, and when you move her into colder water the blood in the veins stands out even more. Aslong as you chane the water everyday and feed her most days she should be fine. She won't be stressed when changing the water or moving tubs aslong as you do it calmly and slowly, I always change the water by tipping the tub and pouring most the water away leaving enough to keep the Axolotl emersed in water, keep the tub tilted so the Axolotls is in one side of the tub in the shallow water then re fill using dechlorinated water.

I'll post my method of changing water on here sometime.

It's good you really care, you'll do fine aslong as you read as much as possible and ask questions. Always post pictures as soon as you suspect a problem and you will be fine! :happy::happy:

 

[Skudo09]

I am sorry to hear Soul did not pull through. Owning pets is an incredibly rewarding experience but unfortunately, most pets have much shorter life spans than our own so it is inevitable that we have to experience the loss of a pet when they die. I have had pets for most of my life and it never gets easier when they pass away but the joy and fulfilment I get from looking after each of my animals and giving them the best quality of life I can outweighs the sadness of losing them.

It is difficult to tell why Soul may have passed away. It may be due to water quality, bacterial infection, there could be genetic factors at play, a combination of things.

If Maka is showing more veins and redness than usual, it may be due to water quality or possibly a bacterial infection or something less drastic, you may see her tail and gills may be more red due to recent activity. So it is worth noting whether you notice after she has been quite active whether the redness appears and whether it goes away if she has been inactive for a while. It is also worth noting whether you notice them swimming frantically or just casually. If the swimming is frantic, it could indicate something is irritating them.

For now, I would keep Maka in the tub of cool, dechlorinated water and do 100% water changes daily whilst she remains in there. Read up on cycling and get yourself a liquid test kit. The one Axolotlwrangler has suggested is a good and popular one. Have you got a thermometer in the tank? If not, I would also get one as this will help you to monitor the temperature more accurately.

 

[GreenKnight]

Yesterday I took a sample of the tank water to get it tested, the result was that it has become acidic. The pH was at 3.5.

It kills me as I was going to get a testing Kit but delayed, and the water changes were not enough. I picked up a bottle of buffer agent and bacteria tablets.
The advices give above has saved Maka, I'm lucky I didn't lose both of them. Soul could have been saved if I didnt reintroduce him back into the tank, but then Maka would of gotten sick and I wouldn't have known.

I thought the water changes were enough for the last 1.5 weeks. Maka is not completely isolated from the tank and I am doing 100% water changes daily. I fed her once before the last water chamge but She didn't have a bite, I did the change last night, and fed her again this morning, She's eating again .

AxolotlWrangler was asking about 'skin bumps', I noticed there is a reddish orb forming along on her back tail, on the tail spine.
What could that be?

I'll add photo's soon, to help with the diagnosis.


Thank you again, for all your advices and support, it's been extremely helpful

 

[Skudo09]

Did they test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as well as PH?

You could offer a black tea bath which may help soothe the skin and it does have some mild antibacterial and antifungal properties and is a gentle treatment. Here is a link on how to do this

Caudata Culture Articles - Illness Part 2

 

[GreenKnight]

I was completely overwhelmed and didn't request the test for those variables. I'm starting to have doubts about the manager there. He just concluded it was the pH when the test came up.

I did asked about about Soul's floating, and it never occured to him about sickness. He seemed to be against forums and internet advice, which made me a bit angry as internet advice has been the most helpful.
Sorry if I sound salty, I'm still a bit upset about how everything went down.

I'm picking up the recommended Water testing kit this week, and also a bigger tank with two axolotls who need a new home.

Thank's I'll check the link now, and make it happen.

 

[Skudo09]

The PH is likely to be a factor but it is definitely necessary to test for at least ammonia, nitrite, nitrate as well. Have you read up on aquarium cycling? It is important to understand the nitrogen cycle and how it affects aquatic life.

I can understand you are upset. It is never fun dealing with sick pets and it can be very worrying and stressful. Particularly if you have not had experience keeping particular species before. Try to stay calm. There are plenty of experienced people here to help and support you.

I suggest taking the time now to read up on the cycling process. I would keep Maka in the tub with daily water changes and not return her to the tank until you can be sure all the parameters are safe and you can do a fishes cycling method so when she does return to the tank, the tank will be fully cycled. Here is a link on the fishless cycling method.

The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community

 

[Skudo09]

There is a lot of negativity towards the use of online forums for pet care and there is reason to be cautious when using them. There is a truckload of misinformation on the internet including forums that can be detrimental to your pets rather than any benefit and unfortunately some people follow this misinformation and this can sometimes cause more harm than good to their pet. However, pet stores often give out very poor advice as well and their employees are not required to undergo any formal training in pet care. Whilst some might be knowledgeable and caring, you have little way of knowing who is giving accurate and reliable advice and who is giving dodgy, poor and sometimes detrimental advice. This issue is relevant to both pet stores and online forums/websites/articles.

My suggestion is to take your time to research, research and research some more and don't rely solely on one website, forum post or article or pet store to get your information. Read multiple websites, posts from multiple threads on forums and online articles. This way you will learn a lot of information and it will allow you to gain an insight into what information is worth accepting and what information may be a little dodgy. If your pet is sick, it is OK to ask for advice on forums, but it is very important that you are prepared to seek veterinary help and be cautious of advice given out through online forums as advice given out by people with no veterinary training can cause more harm than good.

I don't mean to scare you away from using forums at all as forums can offer a great deal of valuable information and offer a great deal of support from other keepers. I personally really love this forum and would recommend any axolotl carer to participate in this forum . It is great to be a part of a community of passionate and caring axolotl enthusiasts! It is just important to do your own research and you will also improve your skills and knowledge through your own experience as well as learning from other members here