Weird gills... is he old or is something wrong? (Update: Morphing?)

[Binditheaxolotl]

I guess the only thing I worry about is that his current tank setup might be causing him stress. do you think I should keep his tank in this deconstructed state just in case he’s morphing? Or do you think he would be more comfortable if I return it to normal? I know I can’t do anything else for him at this point otherwise; just water changes and food until something changes.

I would keep it the way it is just in case. He certainly looks like he’s morphing, with his bulging eyes and loss of gills. Has he gone up to the land at all?

 

[Murk]

I guess the only thing I worry about is that his current tank setup might be causing him stress. do you think I should keep his tank in this deconstructed state just in case he’s morphing? Or do you think he would be more comfortable if I return it to normal? I know I can’t do anything else for him at this point otherwise; just water changes and food until something changes.

The current set-up is fine for the axolotl.
He doesn't necessarily need a higher water level.

However, it would be much easier for you if there is more water in the tank. The more water in the tank, the more stable it is; the longer it takes to get dirty; it's easier to control and you'll have to do water changes less often.

If I were you I would raise the water level, just because it makes it easier to keep the water quality under control.
Just in case he is morphing you can just put something floating on the water surface, or have something sticking out of the water. You'll notice once he would try to get out.

Also wanted to say that I'm still not sure what the exact problem is. The gills and tail make a lot of sense with high nitrates - but the eyes still weird me out. Fixing the water quality (and waiting to see how it develops for a while) is a good first step, but I can't guarantee it will solve everything.

Also also: please don't be discouraged by the conflicting information. I don't think anyone here is really disagreeing with each other; but none of us is absolutely sure, so you'll see a lot of different theories. That's only good, right? The more different perspectives you have the better you can form your own ideas!

 

[Helloworld]

The current set-up is fine for the axolotl.
He doesn't necessarily need a higher water level.

However, it would be much easier for you if there is more water in the tank. The more water in the tank, the more stable it is; the longer it takes to get dirty; it's easier to control and you'll have to do water changes less often.

If I were you I would raise the water level, just because it makes it easier to keep the water quality under control.
Just in case he is morphing you can just put something floating on the water surface, or have something sticking out of the water. You'll notice once he would try to get out.

Also wanted to say that I'm still not sure what the exact problem is. The gills and tail make a lot of sense with high nitrates - but the eyes still weird me out. Fixing the water quality (and waiting to see how it develops for a while) is a good first step, but I can't guarantee it will solve everything.

Also also: please don't be discouraged by the conflicting information. I don't think anyone here is really disagreeing with each other; but none of us is absolutely sure, so you'll see a lot of different theories. That's only good, right? The more different perspectives you have the better you can form your own ideas!

I definitely agree as long as long as you try your best, its going to be ok! Its true that none of us are experts, but we will all work together to find an answer!

 

[Helloworld]

Ok, so normally when they are in bad health they don’t eat much... so im a bit lost, but no matter Im not sure whether hes morphing, though please continue updating us on his condition, My new neighbour turned out to be a vet so I could mail them some images and get some basic professional help, Wish you the best of luck!
p.s. here are a few images of morphed lotles so you can compare them dont stress
Yep that one a axolotl, not a salamander!

 

[Helloworld]

I really hope everyithing’ll be ok

 

[leomleite]

Well so I tested the water after I posted last weekend and my mom’s tap water is dirty. I was throwing 80ppm of nitrates in there every water change. I feel like a dumbass because that’s exactly the mistake I made when I moved out of my dad’s house. I should have tested my mom’s water. I blame the stress of the move I guess.

This past week I’ve been using bottled distilled water with a very small amount of roright until I can get my ro/di filter back up and running (I have to get new filter canisters for it because it got messed up during my move and now the mail is slow).

OK, I don't really wanna mess with your head and throw more conflicting info, I'm just venting ideias.
What I am thinking is MAYBE the use of distilled water can be the cause of stress for your Axoltl. You said you use salts to remineralize the water, right? Do you have any general hardness (GH) tests? Maybe you are adding inconstant amounts of salt, and your axolotl can't properly heal his gills because of that.

It's just an idea, hope I can be helpful tho...

 

[KOsika]

Doing this on mobile so sorry if I missed anyone:

Bindi: he has checked out the rocks I put in but hasn’t gone all the way out of the water at all, no

leomeliete: I had wondered if the remineralzed water would have an effect but both times he’s deteriorated it was because I forgot to check the tap water at the place I was moving to, not due to the filtered/reminteralized water. I’m not saying it’s not possible that it’s doing harm, but based on the timeline I’d say it’s unlikely. I also have no idea what else I would use for clean water. I would absolutely be open to more info on the subject of water additives.

everyone: Steve has still shown no signs of interest in the land and in fact is eating more than he normally does. Usually I can only get him to eat one small earthworm every other day because he’ll be too full and spit it back up, but now he’s eating one a day no problem. After reading what Murk wrote about the water levels, I decided to add another gallon to the tank and rearranged Steve’s decorations again. I can get pics tomorrow but basically I had rearranged the tank since the first pic to put his log on land, hoping that having his hide on land might make him more comfortable with surfacing. Now I think Its better to have more water so I put the log back in the water and rearranged the rocks so he has a large flat area outside the water with my smoothest rock acting as a slight ramp. I think this is the most comfortable I can do right now. I’m going to continue monitoring his water quality and adjusting accordingly. I’ll update if anything changes or if I have questions, or to respond to anything else you guys think of. Fingers crossed!

I really appreciate everyone giving your opinions and observations. Idk what’s going on with his eyes either. They’ve looked like that for a while so I assumed it was normal but I’m now realizing it isn’t.

 

[KOsika]

More pics! Got a pic of the tank as it is right now, and I finally managed to get a pic of him with his foot behind his gill, although it’s not great cuz he follows the phone around while I’m trying to take pics lol

 

[Helloworld]

That sounds great! Just try to keep the water stable and he’ll do great!

 

[Calgarycoppers]

The eating is great !!

GH and KH may be your next things to look at. Both are vital at the right levels - General hardness being most important.

Making sure the remineralization is enough

 

[Helloworld]

Also the leg behind the gills does look a little strange! Ill try my best to get some answers!

 

[leomleite]

Doing this on mobile so sorry if I missed anyone:

Bindi: he has checked out the rocks I put in but hasn’t gone all the way out of the water at all, no

leomeliete: I had wondered if the remineralzed water would have an effect but both times he’s deteriorated it was because I forgot to check the tap water at the place I was moving to, not due to the filtered/reminteralized water. I’m not saying it’s not possible that it’s doing harm, but based on the timeline I’d say it’s unlikely. I also have no idea what else I would use for clean water. I would absolutely be open to more info on the subject of water additives.

everyone: Steve has still shown no signs of interest in the land and in fact is eating more than he normally does. Usually I can only get him to eat one small earthworm every other day because he’ll be too full and spit it back up, but now he’s eating one a day no problem. After reading what Murk wrote about the water levels, I decided to add another gallon to the tank and rearranged Steve’s decorations again. I can get pics tomorrow but basically I had rearranged the tank since the first pic to put his log on land, hoping that having his hide on land might make him more comfortable with surfacing. Now I think Its better to have more water so I put the log back in the water and rearranged the rocks so he has a large flat area outside the water with my smoothest rock acting as a slight ramp. I think this is the most comfortable I can do right now. I’m going to continue monitoring his water quality and adjusting accordingly. I’ll update if anything changes or if I have questions, or to respond to anything else you guys think of. Fingers crossed!

I really appreciate everyone giving your opinions and observations. Idk what’s going on with his eyes either. They’ve looked like that for a while so I assumed it was normal but I’m now realizing it isn’t.

I'm thinking that maybe, if you aren't adding enough salts to the distilled water, your axolotl may have trouble regenerating and recovering from the damage made by dirty water.
I read on Amazon that some people reviewing this RO Right salt said that adding only 1tsp wasn't enough to get the right amount (for 10gal). If you had a gH test you might be able to verify that.

Anyways, it's a long shot. Your axy seems OK and I wouldn't bet on any morphing on his part !

 

[Helloworld]

It looks a bit like a dislocated leg but according to this website its actually your axolotls skeleton changing during morphing

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/joa.12846

Heres the website
Good luck!

 

[Helloworld]

I still dont believe hes morphing but try your best to keep the water ideal and he’ll be fine!

 

[KOsika]

I'm not looking at the package right now to tell you exactly how much I was using but in the past I was using more than 1tsp per 10 gallons. I'll keep an eye on the gH anyway tho!

The picture of his arm behind the gill makes it hard to see where his elbow and shoulder are. I don't *think* its dislocated but I'm not sure about anything now lol. He walks just fine on it and it seems to have full range of motion. It's just sometimes when he makes a hard right turn to look at me or anyone passing by, he paddles his left leg kinda high and it goes behind the gill since it's exposed, and it just gets stuck back there. idk if that makes sense? I can try to get a clearer picture or a video.

 

[Helloworld]

Sure, that would be really helpful

 

[Binditheaxolotl]

I'm not looking at the package right now to tell you exactly how much I was using but in the past I was using more than 1tsp per 10 gallons. I'll keep an eye on the gH anyway tho!

The picture of his arm behind the gill makes it hard to see where his elbow and shoulder are. I don't *think* its dislocated but I'm not sure about anything now lol. He walks just fine on it and it seems to have full range of motion. It's just sometimes when he makes a hard right turn to look at me or anyone passing by, he paddles his left leg kinda high and it goes behind the gill since it's exposed, and it just gets stuck back there. idk if that makes sense? I can try to get a clearer picture or a video.

A video would help, if possible. I still think he’s morphing, he’s bulging eyes lead me to believe so.

 

[EasternRomioi3]

@KOsika

How is your axolotl doing and how are you doing during all this? I hope all is going well and you're being a real trooper by sticking with your pet. IF they morph, well, they do, but its still your pet and you're still gonna love em.

And since everyone seems to have an opinion on if your axolotl is morphing, I don't know at all. Totally perplexed. You could just have a unique looking axolotl. My girl has two huge bumps and a scar on her face from injuring herself when she was little, makes her look goofy. Gives her charm. Your little buddy has charm too.

 

[Helloworld]

@KOsika

How is your axolotl doing and how are you doing during all this? I hope all is going well and you're being a real trooper by sticking with your pet. IF they morph, well, they do, but its still your pet and you're still gonna love em.

And since everyone seems to have an opinion on if your axolotl is morphing, I don't know at all. Totally perplexed. You could just have a unique looking axolotl. My girl has two huge bumps and a scar on her face from injuring herself when she was little, makes her look goofy. Gives her charm. Your little buddy has charm too.

Agreed, its all going to be ok, well ill try to help in any way I can.

 

[KOsika]

I got two videos of him moving around. One he got his foot caught behind his jaw, although this time he got it unstuck more easily than he usually does. The other is just him walking with the stuck arm visible so you guys could see if there’s anything wrong with it. The files were too big to upload here so I made them unlisted videos on my YouTube channel

Stuck foot:

Walking:

like most pets he moves around a lot until you get the camera out lol hopefully that helps? I’ll reply to other comments after I get back to my computer and can read them properly.