Hi everyone, concerned beginner axie owner here!

Hello, I'm hoping I'll be able to find some answers and solutions for some of my concerns, along with becoming a member of the community here!

I recently got a juvenile axie dumped on me, he is about 4 inches long and has his limbs and gills, and I am concerned about his living conditions! The previous owner never checked water parameters and did not cycle his tank. He got here yesterday and today I went out and got the testing kit and the levels were as followed:

pH - 7.6
Ammonia - .25 ppm
Nitrite - .25 ppm
Nitrate - 10 ppm
Water Temp 65 degrees F.

He seems to be hanging out around the top of the tank for the most part (which I thought odd considering they're bottom dwellers I heard?) and will only eat bloodworms handfed. He is in a 10 gallon tank at the moment with no filter, and I am really not sure what to do to improve his situation.

Should I buy another tank ASAP and start cycling it and then move him in when its ready? I would have to do some percentage of daily water changes in the meantime I presume. Any input would be great, I am new to axolotls and to aquatic pet keeping in general, but I would really like to keep this little guy happy and healthy! Thanks for any help that can be provided!

-Jericho

Hi ya, generally speaking I wouldn't exspect him to be hanging out at the top with those readings. I'd do a 50% water change and invest in a filter with some live bio media to sort out the nitrite and ammonia levels. Does he look healthy otherwise? Are any of his gills missing?

Amyglistens said:

Hi ya, generally speaking I wouldn't exspect him to be hanging out at the top with those readings. I'd do a 50% water change and invest in a filter with some live bio media to sort out the nitrite and ammonia levels. Does he look healthy otherwise? Are any of his gills missing?

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Thanks for the response. He seems healthy, all gills are there. He's a little sluggish but I figured he could be a little stressed from the move, his gils are curled a bit.
I'm going to get a filter and new tank today and start cycling it. Any recommendation on a filter ?

Depending on the size of the tank a sponge filter with a small powerhead and a spray bar would be ideal. If you can't get a spray bar to deter the current you could always put some plants in the way to stop the flow.

In response to the gill curling, I could be wrong, but I think that often, after a move, axies often curl their gills. Nothing to worry about there.:happy:

Unfortunately I didn't see your reply about the filter until after I had already bought one today...
I got a Fluval 20 Power Filter. My plan was to place a rock beneath the waterfall in order to disperse the flow as I have read that this does just fine. He is in a 10 gallon tank.
I should be able to get substrate for the new tank in order to start the 6-8 week cycling process. Until then I'm assuming I should do full water changes once or twice a week?

And thank you for the response about gill curling, I appreciate it!