Illness/Sickness: Red Axolotl Nose

[PiscianBlue]

Hi! So my black Axolotle, Costello, hasnt been eating much lately, is losing weight, has a curled tail and now has a reddish coloration on his nose.

I have my two, 4-5 inch, Axies in a 20 long tank with a filter. I feed them bloodworm cubes and, as of today, earth worms. I try to do a 20% water change once a week (though I have been slacking a bit lately) and I keep the tank at room temp unless its really hot, then I use frozen water bottles.

My gold Axie, Abott, seems fine and is taking to the earth worms really well. Costello just looks terrible and the red nose really concerns me.

Any advice would be lovely!

 

[silk]

Re: Red Axolotle Nose

A picture would be helpful. What are your tank parameters? What's the exact temp of the tank? How often do you feed them?

 

[auntiejude]

Re: Red Axolotle Nose

Red usually means infection, I suggest you seek out a vet to take a look.

 

[PiscianBlue]

Re: Red Axolotle Nose

The tank is usually arpund 70 degrees, though I try to keep it closr to 65. I feed them once a day, now exclucively earth worms because they wont eat the bloodworms anymore. I cant afford to take them to a vet, money is very tight for me right now. I attached a photo of him as well.

 

[silk]

Woah, that guy is skinny. You offer them earthworms every day? How often does he actually eat, and how big are the worms? His gills also look very deteriorated, which is generally a sign of poor water quality. Could have something to do with the temp, you may want to take some measures to bring it down to about 60. What are your parameters?

If he is eating pretty regularly, it may be an internal parasite. A lot of vets will work with limited funds, I'd call around and see if you can work something out - your baby needs help.

 

[PiscianBlue]

What do you mean by parameters? Yes, I feed them every day. I havent been able to get him to eat any of them so far, not even the bloodworms anymore. The earth worms are no longer than two inches and my gold eats them just fine. I'll work on the temp, a chiller is too expensive but I can have my roomie trade out frozen water bottles while Im at work. I'll look in to a vet but Im almost going paycheck by paycheck at this point due to repairs on my car so it might take a month or two to save up for it. Thank you so much for your advice!

 

[blushed]

What do you mean by parameters? Yes, I feed them every day. I havent been able to get him to eat any of them so far, not even the bloodworms anymore. The earth worms are no longer than two inches and my gold eats them just fine. I'll work on the temp, a chiller is too expensive but I can have my roomie trade out frozen water bottles while Im at work. I'll look in to a vet but Im almost going paycheck by paycheck at this point due to repairs on my car so it might take a month or two to save up for it. Thank you so much for your advice!

Water parameters. Ammonia in PPM, Nitrite in PPM, NitrAte in PPM. Your water quality.

 

[Swag]

What kind of filtration do you have and is your tank cycled? 20% water changes every week would not be nearly enough if you haven't cycled your tank already, especially if you're "slacking off" on it... That would explain why he won't eat, that would explain why his gills are shriveled and gone, why he's skinny, why he looks terrible, etc.

 

[PiscianBlue]

Ok, so I checked my parameters today:

Nitrates: 20
Nitrites: 0
Hardness: 75
Chlorine: 0
Alkalinity: 100
pH: 7.5
Ammonia: .5

I did a water change yesterday, my tank is cycled and my filter is an internal filter set on the lowest setting for minimal current.

 

[Fimbriae]

If you have any ammonia readings, your tank is in fact not cycled or something has caused your cycle to crash. The rest of your parameters seem fine. If you have a cycled tank you should consistently get Ammonia: 0ppm, Nitrite: 0ppm. As far as NitrAtes, <40ppm is fine, with 20 being ideal. I would do more water changes to get ammonia as close to 0ppm as you can. If you are cleaning your filter, make sure you are using conditioned and dechlorinated tap water. If you are replacing filter media, make sure you don't do it all at once but staggered. Reddish rashes or bloodshot veins can either mean bacterial infection or toxic levels of ammonia.

 

[PiscianBlue]

I've started doing 2 water changes a week and I've been trying to feed Costello separately to give him a good chance at getting enough food. So far he still isnt eating. He tried to eat a couple blood worms at first but stopped after that. He wont touch the earth worm that I waved in front of him, either. I have noticed that he comes up for air a lot but Im assuming thats just because of the poor state his gills are in. I work at Petsmart as a pet care specialist so I know how to maintain a healthy tank and filter, Im just new to Axies. I'll check my water quality again in a couple of days. The red is still there, my gold is still doing just fine but Costello might be getting worse.

 

[Fimbriae]

If you are running a submersible filter, it may explain why your ammonia levels haven't plateau'd at 0ppm. Generally they lack the surface area and oxygenation to sustain a large enough colony of bacteria to cope with the high bio-load/waste that is associated with axies. I am generalizing, and I know something better may not be an option at this time. The water changes you are doing should be sufficient to supplant the work of the filter. HOBs, canisters, and air driven sponge filters would (in almost all cases) be a far better option. The last PetSmart fish department employee I spoke with didn't know what chemical filter media was (purigen/carbon/clearmax/zeo-carb etc) and had never heard of SeaChem. You probably know your stuff, but I was sad to find that I had lost confidence in job titles alone . Yes it's possible this person was a new-hire, and no it is not a knock on your profession by any means. Is the redness on Costello's snout increasing in size? I hope it's not a bacterial infection. You could quarantine him in a tub and do daily 100% water changes, it might be easier to monitor his health this way until you get him to a vet.

 

[PiscianBlue]

Ok, its been a while so here's an update. I have been doing 2 water changes a week and my tank no longer has any amonia. My gold Axie is still eating fine and seems healthy but Costello is getting worse. He barely moves now and just kinda floats around the tank except for going up for air. The coloration in his nose has faded a but but is still there. My filter is a white carbon, submersible sponge filter and I change the filter and media once a month, staggered. Fimbriae, I know you werent trying to knock my job and Im sorry if I sounded a bit testy. Im just worried about Costello and didnt know how to express that I know what Im doing for the most part. I really do appreciate all of the advice from everyone but I think this might be a lost cause at this point.

 

[Fimbriae]

No problem I just thought I'd try to be clear, and remove the ambiguity that these forums are notorious for. When you say Costello is worsening, is it his activity levels you are referring to or further loss of weight? Since a vet isn't an option the only other thing you could try is salt baths/fridging. I know salt baths are usually administered for skin conditions and fungus, but it has a shot at jump starting his osmoregulatory functions and probably providing some electrolytes. Fridging usually for constipation, but the drop then rise in temperature may stimulate appetite. Both these treatments are really harmless, so there shouldn't be any issues even if they aren't the best course of action for his symptoms. There is also almond leaves and tea baths, both said to have mild antiseptic effects though I have no experience with these.

 

[PiscianBlue]

Thank you! I will give both a try and get back to you in a few days with an update. And yeah, I meant his activity level. He barely moves anymore and just kind of drifts around the tank unless he needs to breathe. I'll let you know if the suggested treatments have any effect on him.

 

[Fimbriae]

Sounds good. If you haven't already, take a look at the stickies on fridging / salt baths. Let us know how he's doing

 

[Lofti]

I'm having a similar issue with a red spot on my axolotl Tofu above her eye. Any help or input is appreciated

I feed her live bloodworms every day with a dropper, she's still eating well. Temp in my tank is 68°