Speaking of floating axies....

Hi everyone

My axolotl has been floating in his 10 gallon tank for the last THREE WEEKS . Water lvls and temp are all good and he's been eating just fine. I usually feed him 2x per week with tubifex worms and salamander pellots and sometimes a cricket or mealworm or two every once in a while. Though since the floating started, I've only been feeding him a tiny mouthful of the tubifex worms once a week (the pellots (which are probably better for him) sink so he can't get to them). I had him in a small container for a few days a little while back and the floating seemed to stop, but as soon as I returned him to his tank the floating started up again (I had him in the container for about 4 days and he hadn't pooed once).

He doesn't seemed stressed out at all...he just kind of cruises up there all day. I'm just getting worried that it's taking so long for him to come down. I'm not sure if he's been passing poo or not. I haven't tried putting him in the fridge yet because I'm not sure if it could be too cold? Isn't there a point where a fridge can be too cold? I'm not even sure what the temp of the fridge is. There's no thermometer, just a number setting 1-10.

He's somewhere between 3 and 4 years old and has had the same diet/water lvls his entire life. The only thing I can think of is that maybe I overfed him. A month ago I left for a week and threw some salamander pellots at him right before i left. It wasn't an outrageous amount, but it might have been close to two feedings worth at once. When I returned home a week later, we was floating and has been ever since.

Sorry for such a long post, but any help/insight anyone could give me would be greatly appreciated.

water lvls are as follows:

Temp- 68 F/ 20 C
Nitrate- 30 ppm
Nitrite- 0 ppm
Ammonia- 0 ppm
pH- 8.0

If he is eating fine, that generally indicates that your axie is not that sick, as food refusal is one of the major signs of stress in an axolotl. How come you have been feeding him smaller amounts?

What is your substrate? Just wondering, if it is gravel might he have ingested a piece? That could cause floating. All your other levels seem fine.

Some axolotls have a 'hang out' mode, where they hang in mid air. Mine does that in the morning but I haven't noticed it for extended periods like you are having.

Anyway, if you are worried about him not pooing and the floating, the fridge is a good option to suss things out. Have the water so it just covers his back so his feet can reach the bottom. My fridge sounds the same as yours... so what I do is put a thermometer in a glass of water on the same shelf to measure the temp. The top shelf is the warmest in most fridges I think... Anyway you need to keep the temperature above 41F (5C). Also you will need to change the water 100% daily with fresh dechlorinated water. It helps to keep a bottle of the water to change in the fridge so the temp is constant. Finally, it is a good idea to cover the container with a cloth to block out the fridge light. And resist checking your axolotl every little while as it can cause further stress. But yea, not sure if there is something to worry about as your axie is eating well.


Anyway good luck with your axie~

His substrate is large rocks so there's no way he could have ingested a piece...and as far as feeding him less, I was worried that if he had a compaction that feeding would make it larger? Though he doesn't look bloated at all....

Thanks for the input. I'll see if I can stick him in the fridge then.