r/axolotl

I put sick axolotl as I’m aware curled gills is a bad sign, but he doesn’t actually seem sick

Backstory. My son, 6 has been obsessed with axolotls for 2 years. We did research & decided to adopt one. We adopted him from a family that was moving. Obviously my son doesn’t actually look after him, we do. The lady said they got his water tested every 3 months at the pet store and put in what they tell them to. She also said she does a 25% water change every 3 weeks. We are aware this isn’t great. We have had to cycle the tank with him in for obvious reasons. His tank is 26 or 29 gallons (I can’t remember which sorry!) He is apparently 2 years old, unsure of their gender, we just started calling him he instinctively I suppose

It has taken 3 weeks but everything is in normal range but the nitrates. They are a lot better, they are now 20ppm, which I’m aware isn’t great but we’re working on it, and it has been coming down slowly. We put in 4 live plants when we got him, and have added a few more last week. We also added 2 plants that float on the top (unsure of any of the plant names my partner handled that side of things).

We are getting a cooler as the water sometimes climbs to 19C, it’s usually 18C which I’m also aware is the high side of normal, hence wanting a cooler. We currently put frozen water bottles in the tank

He has had what I assume must’ve been constipation once in this 3 weeks as his butt was floating a bit. But he also wasn’t really eating. I read online to give him salmon. We did that, he ended up pooping and now eats as normal. We have not continued to feed him salmon. I read a lot on reddit about salmon being good for constipation but then someone said it’s not good for them.

My concerns are we adopted him with one of his gills curled forward. His water is getting better, yet it seems to be curling forward even more and one of the gills on the same side has also started curling. The other side seems quite straight though

I’m also concerned he has a slight shade of blue on the side of his stomach on one side which he has had since we got him

Ps. I have removed the excess food he didn’t eat, these photos were taken immediately after feeding him :)

Edit to add we are testing his water everyday currently. We bought a testing kit.

Isn’t she the cutest? #ClassroomAxoltl

Hi Everyone !

Today I popped into the aquarium shop in Shoreditch to get a few extra hiding decorations for Miso & Matcha and they gave me these products for the plants. I asked twice if it was alright to put in the axolotls' tank and they said yes. Google Gemini told me that it's extremely toxic so I didn’t use it. Please, I need your opinion. Gemini also told me to send this message 😂:

“Thank you, but I checked the back label and it contains Copper (Cu 0.006%). Copper is highly toxic to amphibians like axolotls because of their permeable skin, even in trace amounts. I won't be using it and would like to bring it back for a refund/return. Thanks”

🫶🏻🫶🏻

I have three axolotls I’m raising right now. All are successfully thriving in tubs as they grow and heal vs where they came from. My smallest in particular, Snow, has a curve in her spine, an uneven abdomen shape and seems short bodied compared to her sister. Since having her for about 3 months or so her appetite has vastly improved. She‘s a happy girl, eats like a champ and has no erratic movements, or stressful activity. She has come a long way since taking her and her sister out of their situation. Her sister, Marsha, is longer with a perfectly straight back. She doesn’t eat as much but she does not refuse her meals either. I’m just curious if anyone else has had a spinal deformity and if it affected a juvenile into adulthood. Her curvature seems to be getting worse as she grows sadly.

In June , when they came home with me , they were really small.At the time ,the shop said they were 5 months old , but I have the feeling that they were younger than that . 🫶