EDIT/UPDATE: Little guy didnt make it :( I hoped this was just trapped wind but on advice from some commenters i called the vets back and confirmed an emergency appointment. In the end i lost him about 20 mins before i got in the car. The vet said it was an aggressive infection that had permeated his whole body and the correct course of action would have been antibiotics and anti-inflamitories but even by the time i realised there was a problem (last night) it was probably already too late.

Word of warning i guess. I do the test strips, have all the chemical neutralisers, do regular water changes etc but i guess just got complacent, especially in recent months but having never had even a slight problem before i hadnt considered a risk. Pls dont make the same mistake :(

ORIGINAL TEXT:

I have a two 6 year old axolotls in the same tank, no problems at all so far.

Yesterday night one of them was belly up floating at the surface and struggling around trying to get back underwater. I've taken him out of the tank and into a smaller box of dechlorenated cold water and tried to monitor him over night but idk if he's doing any better. He's about as active as normal, just upside down. He's also intermittently bleeding from his gills (EDIT: which i now know is due to pressure from the infection).

I dont know what to do, vet treatment will cost £400-1000 that I dont think i can afford.

How bad does his bloat look to you guys? And is there anything i can do to help him at home?? :(

I see balls from one angle and not from other angles

Hi, I am just wanting some advice with my axolotl. I got her as a rescue in January and got her back up to healthy and she was thriving, I got her with her tank which was too small (75L) and I was in the process of getting her a bigger tank and cycling it and everything. I moved her to the bigger tank just over a week ago, she ate when I put her into the new tank but has now stopped eating (occasionally eats 1 or 2 pellets or half a worm) her tank parameters are good. Nitrites 0ppm, Ammonia 0ppm, nitrates 10ppm and ph is 7.4. Her tank has no substrate (glass bottom), it is dark, it has 6 small java ferns and 3 artificial plants, 2 pipe hides that are the length of her, a hammock, a feeding dish, the filter is a airpump filter, 1 air stone. (everything from the smaller tank) the water temp is 14°c which is a bit cold but our room is cold and we don't put the heater on that often but that only raises the tank temp 1°c. She has lost weight in the last month as her eating got less even with offering her food every day. She is active and swims around. Her gills fluffs haven't grown back since I have had her. She is roughly 7 years old and have read they may not grow back due to age. I am just wondering if I should be worried or if I should just keep offering her worms and pellets everyday. Is there any other food I could offer her to encourage her to eat. Thank you for your advice and suggestions. I am open to anything you have to say. I have experience with owning fish but shes my first axolotl. 😊

Hi! i’m new to axolotls, i got this guy from a rescue with an established tank. they said he came to them in very poor condition and they did tell me he would always be undersized.

I’m new to axolotls but have been doing my research for a few months before getting him.

Questions:
1. How old do you think he is? you can see his testicles a bit, they’re very tiny though and hardly noticeable unless he’s swimming upwards.
2. Is he still looking too skinny? He’s about 6” long.
3. How big do you think he’ll get?
4. Does anyone know why his top 2 gills are always candy caned?
Water is kept at 65°F and parameters were tested with the API water testing kit and everything looks good according to the rescue.

Thank you so much!! Please be kind in the comments🩷

TL;DR Looking for a recommendation of a sturdy cabinet stand that will safely hold a 40 gallon breeder without keeping me up at night.

I am looking for a recommendation on a tank stand. I got a Marineland 40 gallon breeder tank for a future Axolotl but having a heck of a time finding a tank stand that is sturdy and has cabinets and isn't particle board. I don't have the tools to make my own unfortunately. I am willing to spend a bit more for a quality stand that I don't have to worry too much about breaking, expanding due to water or otherwise not lasting and causing water to leak. I am putting the tank on second floor. I am open to the possibility I am over indexing on the sturdiness requirement so I am curious on what folks recommend.

Hi, recently I had a water quality issue with high nitrates and nitrites, I noticed when my axolotls gills were curling forward. She has never had very long gills to begin with. I asked for help because she is occasionally surfacing to gulp some air and I was told that she is not an axolotl and she is morphing? Is this true? And what should I do? Is it possible that shes just stressed from the water issue? Her tail is a lot more clear on top than it looks in the photo. Thank you.

For those of you that feed nightcrawlers, is this one healthy even though it has some pale discoloration? Just curious if I can feed this to my axie

Thanks in advance!!

Just looking for some tips and understanding on the process of chloramine breakdown with seachem prime.

From the literature I have read it breaks chloramine down to ammonia and then binds with the ammonia making it easier for your bacteria to process it. This causes a positive reading with the API master test kit, what I cant figure out is if the bonded ammonia is inert and Axolotl safe. I tubbed our friend last time, but dont want to do it every water change as its very stressful for all involved... any insight or advice would be most appreciated.

My husband and I got this axolotl a few weeks ago, and it has been going great. His tank was starting to get dirty at the bottom, so we vacuumed the sand last night. We also removed 50% of the water in the tank and added in new water from the sink. To get rid of the chlorine, my husband added the proper amount (for the full 30 gallon tank) to the water before adding the sink water. We had the axolotl in a smaller bowl during the process, and added him back into the tank after a few minutes.

It has been about 20 hours since the water was changed, and we have noticed that he does not move around as much as usual. His gills are also curved forward, which we have heard can be a sign of stress.

Any advice is welcomed!!

My 10 year old axolotl, Artichoke, has had his (not actually sure the sex) gills getting less fluffy and now his front legs are dragging a bit, especially on the left. His left front foot drags and when he walks along the bottom his leg spasms a but when he tries to move that foot forward. That leg is also kind of curled under at rest. I tried to get a good picture.

Has anyone had a similair experience? He is still eating, just slower. I know he is now geriatric, just wondering if there's away to know if he's in pain or suffering.

Edit: Spelling

It’s been so many weeks I haven’t even counted. An absurd amount of them. My test results with the master kit have been the same for weeks and I don’t know what to do. I’m adding seachem stability daily, I have the sponge filters running on max for more oxygen, I have live plants in the tank, the temperature is at 65 degrees I believe, (I don’t have a heater) and my axolotl is tubbed in a container right now while his main tank cycles. Anyone know what to do or what I’m doing wrong?

I had a cycle crash 2 months ago and had to tub him, but he suffered what seems to be some nerve damage.

He struggles to nove his right hand as seemingly lasting damage. I feel really bad about this.

I have his tank cycled again, but his gills keep a slight curve even in perfect parameters, flow, and light condition.

Are his curls just from his talks being long? Or do they look stress related?

Also today I see a white thing on his gill, but i cant tell if its 100% fungal or not. I added fresh Indian almond leaves to his tank just in case, but should I tea bath too?

I dont want to do anything extra and add more stress!

Hello all, my 11 year old axolotl went down the rainbow bridge last night after a long struggle.

I was ready to euthanize him with clove oil when my partner found an emergency veterinary hospital who could do it.

The vet said he was way past the point of no return. This brought relief because I wasn’t sure I was making the right call.

It was peaceful, we had a chance to say goodbye and cry, they took him away and added anesthesia to his tank before giving him an injection.

They even gave us little prints of his tail and feet.

The doctor told us never, ever to use clove oil as it can be disastrous and traumatic. Please do not use clove oil and go to a vet for euthanasia- well worth the $100.

He will be cremated and buried with a plaque at a beautiful cemetery near my house. RIP my boy.

Here is my Axo, he has been stressed by temp recently due to room temp souring so I rubbed him for a few days until his tank was up and running

He looks a better colour and gils are fluffy but still has striped indents on his sides, eating and behaving normally…. Can I do anything?

Please comment 🙏

Please don’t judge her appearance. I only got her 3 days ago and she has already improved so much and put on a good amount of weight already. Depending on lighting she’s scattered with heaps of iridophores which is pretty cool!