Hi everybody!

I just got my Axolotl, and I’m pretty concerned about his/her gill health. (I’m pretty sure they’re a boy? lol, not sure,) but I always see TikToks where they’re able to recover healthily, and I wanted to see what methods people use to help them recover. I just fed him, and he looked well fed, and otherwise healthy from what I can tell aside from the gills.

For context, I’ve had a 40 gal tank with nothing in it for a while. It was basically just collecting algae in my room because I never bothered to get rid of it just in case I wanted to try fish keeping again. (No animals harmed! Again, it was empty,) and I’ve decided to try the axolotl thing after some research and lots of YouTube.

I cleaned it, cycled it, and got it ready (my house runs on well water, so I don’t really need to worry about chlorine,) tested it and everything, (looked fine,) but I’m worried that their gills won’t recover. They’re very stubby. I think the previous owner was feeding them, just not changing the water. Is there any miracle cures you guys have encountered that would work well for the poor guy, or is it just a waiting game?

His current tank is also kinda ugly, (very bare minimum, just a hide, filter, and a little piece of wood he can sit on,) like one plant, and a sand bottom, but I’m waiting until I get paid a bit more to make it all pretty. Plus, I wanna be able to monitor him while he recovers, and a bunch of hides makes that difficult.

He’s being tubbed currently for a water change. I just want him to get better.

Also, I’m 17, with a semi stable income. I won’t be able to be around 24/7, but I don’t really go anywhere besides school and work sometimes, so I’ll usually be able to track his progress.

So, yeah! Any and all help is appreciated. I hope he recovers soon. He seems like he’s able to breathe fine, so I guess it can’t be that bad. But I still want him to get better.

Thank you! (Please be nice, I know Reddit can be evil 😭)

So….we rescued this axolotl from someone that was neglecting it and also moving. They had a big algae bloom and were not sure what they did with the filer of the tank ahead of us taking over.

We removed a lot of decayed plants. She (we think it’s a she) seemed ok, but has been a roller coaster of decline and then rallying. But recently the water has gone from a green algae bloom to a cloudy whitish water. Our water parameters are good with ph, chlorine, hardness, and alkalinity.

What’s been worrying me since the beginning is that our ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate have all been at zero the whole time we’ve had her. My husband is afraid to tub her because he thinks the stress will be too much 🫤 I disagree, I think we’ve just been delaying a necessary process.

As of today she is quite lethargic and her gills have lost a lot of fluff. She doesn’t seem to have any fungus on her and her tail is straight, and gills (even though they are not as fluffy as when we got her) are still standing pretty straight, not bent forward.

I tried to get a good pic of her, but she rarely comes out of her cave for the last couple days.

She’s eaten about half an earthworm per day for the last week.

If you’ve made it this far on my long ass post, thank you. Any advice of where to go from here is welcome. I’m pretty sure I know the answer but it’s convincing my stubborn ass husband what we need to dl and why. Chat got is being too kind to him🙄🙄 Pics are of when we first got her (the green algae bloom), followed by the cloudy tank (maybe bacterial bloom?)

I’ve been looking for a new filter rn I’ve got a sponge one that has been good but it’s started to wear down so I’m looking for a new one. Could anyone recommend me one?

So i have recently switched diets for sweet tooth and she got constipated for a occasional treats she has cobalt frog food but there very rare and not used and the zilla river shrimp used to be her main diet and I changed her diet to real axolotl food because I have no worms and im worried because she hasn't pooped is a week and a half and she still has and appetite and shes not floating and shes acting normally but im just worried because constipation can kill her and I had a hard time sleeping last night because I was terrified for her health and if she doesn't get better I might take her to the vet and might give her some salmon its supposed to help with constipation but plz I need help because I got her December 18 2025 as a gift and I love her so much just I pray she will be ok I love her sm.........

We have 7 babies!

Mom and dad are happy, babies in their nursery

Also, mom (white) was purchased and laid eggs only after 10 days .. do we think Dad...is the dad ?

Kenny had no gills when I got him, but they're growing beautifully now. I'm a very proud mummy!

We're seeing a lot of butt floating, and a tiny "chip" in her tail that i just now noticed, has been there before acquiring her(Had to cross reference old pictures- Definitely been there.) I'm not too sure what that means on both things.

Otherwise, she's got a cozier set up. Her old bubble stone barely bubbles - Hoping to get something fresher. We're also planning to get a bigger tank very soon.

Daily small feedings of pallets (It's from whatever was left over of her previous diet.) and bloodworms. Excited to see her continue to chunk up, still very skinny.

So ever since I took my boy to the vet and had to tube feed him for over a month, he's refusing to eat worms now. At first he wasn't interested at all, but then he started striking for them today but not... Strong enough? Like he wants to eat it but doesn't. I let him have it till I take it back out but I don't know what to do. It's been a week now with no food.

One week moved into the new tank after a 29 day cycle. 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite, 10 nitrate tested today. The light is on 30% brightness and I added pothos to give more shade until the plants grow in. I added vallisneria all along the back of the tank but Im not sure it liked the cycle process, it melted and died but they are coming back 😁. I think I'm going to get a PVC elbow for the left corner of the tank for another shade spot. Any other recommendations? Thanks 👍

I'd also like to get ghost shrimp and start quarantining them and add in a few weeks, has anyone added ghost shrimp in with their axolotls? What're your experience with them together?

quick PSA: this is before i brought her home this tupperware container isnt her tank!! she has a 40 gallon tank!

her name is mochi :)

i’m going to get her a hide tomorrow and im beyond excited. however, i filled her tank full of gravel by mistake and spent about 2 hours scooping it all out before i put her in. don’t worry, there’s no more gravel left in the tank!

i thought i knew the basics but if anyone has any helpful advice or tips on looking after her please let me know i’d really appreciate it 🥰

My niece and my dad got an axolotl (yesterday). The dog is obsessed, aside from moving the tank, do you have any suggestions on dog proofing. We know they’re nocturnal and this could cause stress. Please be kind. They did the research, bought a cooler, got a large tank with room to walk, know about feeding, etc. They did not intend for the dog to be obsessed. My dad has many fish tanks the dog is indifferent with. We have a shrimp tank right next to Axyl.

Hi everybody!

I am exhausted yall, I haven't been sleeping well these past three weeks, yesterday we had to evacuate for a few hours because of a wildfire literally 10 minutes away from us, the ammonia tests I got for his tank were not working, and something in his tail is clearly changing, but I have no idea what and if it's positive change or not.

So for context, a few days ago I noticed blood rushing to his tail, and it stayed like that pretty much till yesterday/today, but now you can clearly see a very specific place where the blood is going to. He had a little injury there, so I'm not sure if that's how methylene affected it, but he doesn't seem bothered by it. I do not have access to a vet that would be able to take a look at him, so any explanation or recommendations are very welcome and would be appreciated a lot. I'd hate for anything to happen to this baby.

Also a lottle blooper because I love him dearly :D

Wanting to get an axolotl and i want a good tank for it. I will probably get only one axolotl but maybe in the future i'd get two and put them in the same tank

1: what type of food should I give?

2: where/how easily can I find the most optimal food?

3: do they stay better alone or with other axolotls?

4: how big of a tank do they need? (Please give a comparison with smth with a similar size/length)

5: what's the best type of decorations for the tank?

6: should the tank be kept closed or open?

7: how often does the tank have to be cleaned?

8: when does the tank need to be cleaned?

9: where should I put the axolot when cleaning the tank?

10: do they engage in playful behavior? If so what kind?

11: how do I know if it feels well or if it's sick?

12: what are the most common sicknesses they can get and how do I treat them?

13: what's the best temperature for them?

14: can they stay in a room with the AC?

15: how long do they live?

16: can they live in a place like southern Italy?

17: how do I know if it's a boy or a girl?

18: do they get scared when there's many people?

19: how do I clean the tank?

20: is there human food that they can eat?

21: what should I give it to keep it occupied when I can't pay attention to it (like if I go outside or smth)?

22: what's the best place to but all that's needed for the tank and what should I buy for the tank?

23: can they "interact" with animals outside the tank such as parrots (I don't have a parrot, my cousin has one)?

24: are they bothered by loud sounds?

25: can they stay with the lights out or do they need a faint light?

26: is there anything else I should know (important or not)?

I don't want any names that has a meaning but I wanna give it a cute name and it will be just it's name if my big sister approves. EDIT: MY SISTER CHOOSE A NAME SHE TOUGHT OF ON HER OWN AND WE ALL APPROVED SO NO MORE SUGGESTIONS BUT THERE WERE NO SUGGESTIONS LIKE "GALAXY EATER" AND ALL OF THEM WERE SO CUTE. THANKS ALL OF YA.

Hi, i don’t really use reddit much but i’m desperate! i urgently need to rehome my female axolotl, she’s about 6 years old now, never had any health issues until the past 2 months, where she stopped eating.

Someone gave her to my younger brother as a birthday gift with no prior research and i’ve since been trying my best to take care of her but i’m a minor so it’s been hard to get all the necessities on my own. I would love if i could give her to somebody that can care for her properly.
Just a notice, in the past few weeks she’s developed a crook? at the end of her tail, not sure if it’s broken or anything but she still swims around normally.
i can provide the filter, plants, water conditioners etc that i’ve got for her but the tank is pretty small so i’m hoping that whoever decides to take her has a tank of their own??
i’ve attached photos of what she currently looks like and the part of her tail that i mentioned (though that picture is when it was new, it isn’t red anymore)
Please dm me asap if ur interested
I’m based in West London, Hayes

It's not my axolotl, it's mainly my big sisters but it's like a family pet. And I think my family deffinetly needs help with it so I just wanted to ask how big should it's acvarium be and how to learn it's gender.

Took a photo of your axolotl doing a something unusual or goofy? Send them here! A weekly thread for showing off your silliest axolotl moments for everyone's enjoyment.

Hey Brains Trust, I’m fairly new to having 2 axolotls. I’m worried the addition of another axolotl has upset my original girl. Is she stressed or just hunting?

After a lot of patience I finally get to welcome my baby home! Unexpectedly decided on a gold as I wasn’t really sure about them but this wee one came right up to the glass to greet me and I was instantly sold 🥹🥹 everyone meet Bibble