Axolotl not eating

[Phillotl]

Hello everyone!

I'm looking for some advice to figure out what's going on with my axolotl Phillip. He is 9 years old and I adopted him 2 months ago. He is the first axolotl that I've owned/cared for, and I worry that I made some mistakes along the way. I was told to fill up his new tank with water and put him right in (it's roughly 50 gal). He lives in my basement where the temperature is cool between 17-20C. Most recently I added a fan which has kept the tank at around 18C. He came with some mixed rocks of various sizes that he was housed with at his previous home (some smaller than his head, some larger), I believe they were washed prior to transporting him but I'm not sure how thoroughly. He has a hang-on-back Fluval 50 gallon filter. He also came with some java ferns that have been slowly disintegrating as there is little to no light in the room. I didn't know about tank cycling so the tank was not cycled.

He has always looked a little off to me, his gills were short and curled back, not very active, etc. Up until 2 weeks ago he was eating a night crawler every other day. He started to become a little fussy, spit the worm out, but eventually eat it. Now he hasn't eaten for a week and he doesn't show interest in his worms. I have not noticed any lesions or fuzzy bits on his gills. But the very tip of his tail is curled. I can tell he has lost a little bit of weight.

I started testing his water frequently. Ammonia and nitrites are always 0, nitrates are btw 40-80 ppm. I started doing 25% water changes every 2 days because I read that high nitrates were poor husbandry. The dirt has been very difficult to clean due to the rock substrate, so I began to gradually do a switch from rock to sand. I didn't want to do a whole tank revamp because I was worried too much at once would stress him out and I also didn't want to completely wipe out the bacteria that was living in it. I started to add more aquatic plants including an Anubis and some pothos hanging out the top as I read that they could help with nitrate levels. pH has been high so I started adding a small pinch of the sea chem buffer to water changes, which has brought the pH from 7.8-8.1. Perhaps I am not adding enough (I'm worried a sudden change will stress him out). It was about 8.2 before. I am on well water (previous owner was on well too). I got a TDS meter which reads high at 480 ppm. I am getting an RO system installed this week which I will begin to gradually add (again so as not to shock him). I have an inconsistent RO source from my work so when I get the chance I add about 1L of RO water.

I was recommended a few days ago to add a sponge filter in addition to the HOB filter. I did so but it seemed to stress him out. He was on the opposite side of his tank, refused to go to the sponge filter side, and appeared to be trying to dig out. I removed the filter and he is now resting almost exclusively in his hide (a cement tunnel). I also added a cool light that I turn on manually for 4 hours a day to try to keep the new plants from deteriorating (the photos are before I removed the sponge filter).

I've been doing water changes every 2-3 days to try and reduce nitrate levels, but they simply won't budge. I have tested my tap water and the nitrates were 0. I do condition his water, even though I'm not sure it's necessary as there is no chlorine added to my filtration system.

My hope was to turn his bland rock home into a more natural oasis with lots of plants and hides and things for him to explore to enjoy his golden years. Do you guys think that me changing so many things in the last few weeks have caused him distress? Do you think my well water is the issue? Could it be the cycle has crashed? Or has it never properly cycled to begin with and it's just catching up to him now? Could it be his diet? I was considering offering him blood worms, but with the tank being so hard to clean I worry they will make a mess. I was recently teaching myself about gH and kH - do you think it's worthwhile for me to check in on these things?

Thank you so so much for reading and considering his situation. I appreciate any advice for my lil Phillip. I do not want to give him away, however I do know of some experienced axolotl owners in the area that may be able to take him on if I can't find a solution I hope it doesn't come to that though.

 

[wolfen]

gh and kh is very important and worth knowing the levels.
do you know the levels ie.. ph etc.. that he was used to before he changed ownership, this could be anything from ph to lighting, temperature to mineral level.
hooked tail is showing that he is stressed.
is the filter the original filter for the tank, if it is when was it last cleaned, the filters job is to remove debris from water and to convert harmful nitrogen compounds into ones that are less harmful ie.. ammonia into nitrites then nitrates, if the filter is clogged with debris then it would cause the nitrates to rise.
because of his age he has had years where everything has been the same where as now it has changed.
although bloodworm are messy they do tend to be an axolotl favourite.

 

[Phillotl]

gh and kh is very important and worth knowing the levels.
do you know the levels ie.. ph etc.. that he was used to before he changed ownership, this could be anything from ph to lighting, temperature to mineral level.
hooked tail is showing that he is stressed.
is the filter the original filter for the tank, if it is when was it last cleaned, the filters job is to remove debris from water and to convert harmful nitrogen compounds into ones that are less harmful ie.. ammonia into nitrites then nitrates, if the filter is clogged with debris then it would cause the nitrates to rise.
because of his age he has had years where everything has been the same where as now it has changed.
although bloodworm are messy they do tend to be an axolotl favourite.

Thank you so much for your response! I will pick up a test kit and update with results. I’ll also give the blood worms a try.

I do not know much about his previous water parameters. He was in a basement and the home had a well. He had more natural light, no thermometer. The filter cartridge was replaced before I picked him up. I rinsed it once in his old tank water during a change but I did not replace it.

I checked the filter last night. It was clogged up. I rinsed it again in old tank water and a lot of poop came out. It’s flowing better, but after a 25% tank change and a few hours nitrates are still 40ppm. I don’t have any replacements but I will pick some up today. It’s a sponge with carbon in the middle. Is there something more heavy duty? And how can I replace it without wiping out the old bacteria? I read I can put the new filter in with the old for a week to innoculate it, then remove the old. I don’t want the cycle to crash but I also do my t want the waste in there longer than it needs to be

 

[wolfen]

if you are getting a replacement filter try to get one that holds bio-media, or add bio-media to the filter that you already have, the bio-media will then hold the bacteria colony rather than sponge media.
carbon is only useful for around a month before it has to be replaced, leaving it in too long will cause bacteria to try to colonise it which will affect the overall bacteria when it is replaced.
because you have a concrete hide which is porous it will house some of the tanks bacteria colony.
make sure to go through the sand prior to a water change to release any debris and gasses that can build up.
if you are going to use ro make sure to remineralise the water.
if your water doesn't contain chlorine it will be pointless using dechlorinators.

 

[Phillotl]

Phillip ate half a worm today! Cleaning the filter must have helped immensely. I can't believe I overlooked this basic step in aquarium keeping. I feel so awful

Ok so next project is to change the filter. I will get the ceramic rings, a sponge, and filter floss and forego the carbon media. Can I add a few rocks from the substrate to the canister to help recolonize the bio media? Do you think adding those live bacteria pouches would help with recolonization (I have one that came with the sand)? Should I wait a week with both new filters in before removing the old/exhausted filter?

Do you know of any resources on how to safely remineralize water for an axolotl?

Sorry for so many questions. You have been extremely helpful.

 

[wolfen]

when starting new filters it is always a good idea to either run in conjunction with the old filter or transfer media over, although the rocks will contain some bacteria the capacity might not be as high as specific bio-media although it should help encourage colonisation, using live bacteria should help speed recolonisation up.
if the water is ro then adding minerals at the amount used in 50% holtfreters should be adequate, info here.. Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity