URGENT: Axolotl owner is angry at cannibalistic axie

[JLCoolJ]

Hi everyone, I hope you can help a super disgruntled axie owner.
I've had my axies for about a month now (1 leucistic, 1 wild-type) and when I bought them they were roughly about the same size and around 6 months old. Since then my leucistic axolotl has grown much quicker than my wild-type even though I have been feeding them the same amounts of food. Today when I went to do the daily water change, I noticed my smaller wild-type has had his whole arm bitten off and a white substance coming out of the wound (cartilage?tendon?No idea). My leucistic axie had another snap at him while I was watching, even though she had half of an earthworm 2 days ago. I had read about their cannibalistic tendencies before I got them but assumed that mine wouldn't be as aggressive as they are similar sizes. They are currently sharing a 54L Juwel aquarium and have hidey holes enough to go around. For now, I have put a separator in between then because I'm panicking but I'm not sure how long I can keep them this way because obviously they have half the room each. I'm very reluctant to allow them back in the same space again but am also worried about the efficiency of the filter with a very make-do plastic biscuit lid separating the tank. PLEASE HELP! (Rubbish pic of tank with divider and without attached)

 

[Olivia97]

When you say there's a white substance does it look "cotton wooly" some photos would be great.

 

[NeekaLovesYou]

Minimizing aggression in axolotls isn't particularly simple - even fully grown adults can choose to nip and take chunks off their tankmates if they feel like it. It helps to have a well planted tank with lots of hiding spots. You say they are fed the same amount, but are they each fed enough? Developing at slightly different rates is perfectly normal. As for the material around the, now, missing arm would you say it's cotton wool like in consistency or sort of ragged and meaty? If cotton wool like, it's fungus or not it's just bodily tissue.

 

[JLCoolJ]

Thanks so much for your replies! I have had a look and the white material doesn't look fungal, it's dangling a little, like it's the remnants of what has been torn off : ( I couldn't get a good photo as it's pretty late now, but I will try tomorrow. Should I keep the axolotls separated? Or is this all part of them getting used to each other? I'm not sure if they're fed enough. I feed them about 3 times a week, a mix of earthworms and frozen bloodworms. The shop that I got them from told me that overfeeding was very dangerous and told me to feed them a quarter of a cube of bloodworm each twice a week which didn't sound right to me, so I got the earthworms as well and feed them more often. The leucistic axoltol shouldn't be hungry today though as I fed her yesterday so I have no idea why she's snapping. Looking at my tank, the attachment above, do you think I should put more things in there? I've just ordered a bridge and a castle ornament which should be on their way soon. I don't know what to do!

 

[xxianxx]

At six months they may still want to feed them every day, also try upping the volume of food. I have seven 3"-5" they feed every day on one -two small worms, pellets, maggots and bloodworm. They will start to feed less often as they grow to adulthood but like yours at six months old, they are probably a bit far off being fed every couple of days. If you tong feed the worms you can see how much they want to eat, give them a few minutes break between worms and feed them till they are full. Hunger may have been the cause of the aggression.

 

[JLCoolJ]

Okay,thank you! I will feed them a bit more them and feed them every other day to start with.Does anyone have any advice re: keeping them separated? I looked online at tank dividers which don't restrict the filter. Is it worth getting one of them? I don't think I can keep the biscuit tin lid in there much longer. Or should I be putting them back together? I've just noticed that my wild-type also has a few toes missing on his back leg

 

[jessicaanne]

I had an aggression issue with my male and female. At first people said it was a 'hunger issue' buuuuuut it continued to happen even after I increased their meal so I put it down to having two axolotls that just weren't compatible. Although I didn't want to, I eventually had to give my wild type away to someone else on the forum because my male caused damage to her front leg and then she became very shy and wouldn't come out of her tunnel.

See how your two go with more frequent feeding times. Hides may help but just keep in mind that too many ornaments can cramp the tank space. This is where plants (silk or real) are great because they don't take up much space and the axolotl's can still hide

 

[JLCoolJ]

Oh noooo, your poor axie! I would be devastated if I had to give one away They've been fine up to now, it's so confusing! I'm not sure what sex they both are as they're still a bit too young to tell. So in conclusion, do we think it best that I feed them now, go and buy another plant, and then reintroduce them to each other and keep a close eye on them and not to bother buying a separator? Such helpful advice as always, thanks, everyone!

 

[Olivia97]

Feed them now whilst separated, then once eaten remove the barrier and add a few hides, keep on the lookout for fungus on that tail because it looks rather white in the second photo (May just be the photo) and just keep a general watch over them. If they are continually aggressive,stressed and missing limbs/toes/tails then it maybe time to separate them for good.

 

[JLCoolJ]

Okay I will do! I feel better now I have a plan. Doesn't fungus have a cottony texture? I think it might be the photo, my leucistic is just really white. The temperature in the tank is pretty much at a constant 18C. It's going to be horrible at night when I can't watch them. WHY CAN'T THEY ALL JUST GET ALONG? I might try playing 'Give Peace a Chance' on repeat.

 

[Olivia97]

Okay I will do! I feel better now I have a plan. Doesn't fungus have a cottony texture? I think it might be the photo, my leucistic is just really white. The temperature in the tank is pretty much at a constant 18C. It's going to be horrible at night when I can't watch them. WHY CAN'T THEY ALL JUST GET ALONG? I might try playing 'Give Peace a Chance' on repeat.

If it's not cottony then don't worry! Maybe you could hire in some body guards to watch over them whilst playing a live rendition.

 

[JLCoolJ]

I might invest in some CCTV at least. Update. I fed them half a big worm each while they were separated and I've cut them more private plant pot hideouts and got them 2 new plants and a proper tank divider in case it happens again. They've been reintroduced for about an hour now and they're keeping the peace even though my limbless wild-type has stepped on my leucistic's head a few times. He's fearless!
I have attached photos of my new tank arrangement and 2 terrible photos of Spook's injury so that hopefully you can confirm that it's not fungal. Having said that, I was inspecting my mopani wood and it appears to have a fluffy white substance growing on it. I've attached a photo. Does anyone know if this is fungus? If so should I take it out? What is the best way to remove it? Will rinsing it and giving it a scrub in water get rid of it for good? So many tank issues.

 

[Kaysie]

That's bone sticking out. Leave it be and keep the tank cool and clean and it should heal up fine. As for your mopani, it's not the best in aquarium settings. It goes moldy (as you've seen). You can scrub it off with a nylon brush, but it'll probably come back.

I didn't see anyone mention this, but keeping multiple axolotls in small tanks (yours is only 14gallons US) will almost always lead to nipping. They are sight-driven predators and snap at anything that moves. Since you're keeping them in a rather small tank, they're always bumping into each other. When one sees a dangly arm move by, instinct kicks in and *snap*.

I disagree about them not being ready to be fed a couple times a week. My larvae get fed once a day once they sprout legs, and by the time they're 3 inches or so, I only feed them 3 or 4 times a week. My adults, twice a week. At 6 months old, they're practically adult (even if not sexually mature), and are perfectly fine being fed only a couple times a week.

You also need to keep in mind that axolotls are opportunistic feeders. They'll eat regardless of whether they ate 5 minutes ago or 5 days ago. If it moves, it might be food, and they'll eat until they throw up.

 

[JLCoolJ]

Thank you, Kaysie. I'll have a scrub of the mopani. I've read some articles and such around mopani wood and apparently sometimes it just disappears. I would ideally like to keep it in as the axies love to perch on it but I don't want mould around a healing axolotl of course!
I agree with what you said about feeding them everyday as well, I think. I don't feel comfortable with it so I'll keep the feeding to every other day tops.

Yes, my tank is an issue. I've got myself into a right pickle with it. The aquatic shop recommended it for 2 axies so I bought it. Now I've obviously been told it's too small for axolotls but I haven't got much money. I'm really annoyed at the advice the aquatic shop gave me, every single piece of information they gave me was completely wrong.
Obviously, the happiness of my axies is my number 1 priority and I will save up all I can to get a new tank (Christmas time-worst time to try and save money ever). They don't seem to be stressed by the space they're in at all but I am aware that limb nipping could be a sign of overcrowding. Has anyone got any advice regarding this? Should I look into getting a bigger tank asap or are they alright in the space that they are in for a few more months? Could anyone recommend an ideal tank for me that is large enough for 3 axolotls (I would like to get a golden one in the future), can be bought in the UK and is on the cheaper side of things? I obviously already have a filter/ air stone and an aquarium fan already. The thought of starting cycling again when I haven't even finished cycling this one is horrific :dizzy:

 

[Kaysie]

You can get a large rubbermaid bin and keep them in that until you can get a bigger tank. They're cheap, waterproof, and easier to access (if you're smart and leave it on the floor!).

A new tank doesn't necessarily need re-cycling. If you move your filter, your substrate, and all your decorations over, it should cycle itself, and you won't have to go through the whole cycling process again.

 

[JLCoolJ]

Music to my ears! Thanks, Kaysie! Could you possibly tell me what exact size of tank would be best for 3 happy axolotls so that I know from a a trusted source and don't mess up again, please? Then I can have a browse for a bigger tank and when I have the money, I can get it as soon as possible!:happy:

 

[Kaysie]

At least 3 feet. But bigger is always better. In fact, get rid of the TV, use the money for tanks, and put them in its place! They're more entertaining anyway.

 

[CJ1981]

Music to my ears! Thanks, Kaysie! Could you possibly tell me what exact size of tank would be best for 3 happy axolotls so that I know from a a trusted source and don't mess up again, please? Then I can have a browse for a bigger tank and when I have the money, I can get it as soon as possible!:happy:

Try ebay and gumtree. Myself and several friends have had some really good bargains (£65 for a 5 foot tank most recently!) especially if you are willling to collect from people.

 

[JLCoolJ]

Thanks guys! I'll get on there tomorrow. Do we know how many UK gallons I need at the very least? I would deffo prefer to watch my axies than a TV, as long as they play nice, mind!

 

[FX1C]

I just watched a 7ft x 3ft x 2ft
(Yes - I was only dreaming )
Fully set up tank with everything including test kits, multiple filters, skimmers, air & heaters - it went for
$17.89AU 0.0 a bargain!!!
I just need to work out how to add at least one aquarium to every room - including bathrooms & laundry lol =D



<3 >o_o< <3