Can't figure out why they are stressed

My tank is all cycled properly, the readings are perfect, as in PH about 7.2 Ammonia 0 Nitrite 0 and Nitrate 10, the water flow is virtually non existent, and the temp hovers around 18 to 20 degrees, 90% of the time at 19 degrees, so because everything is within acceptable ranges, any idea as to why my axies would be stressed?
Does vibration upset them? but I doubt the filter vibration could be stressing them as they settle themselves right under it at times, logic sorta says to me, that if it stressed them they would keep as far away as possible from the source. Am I wrong?
I hope someone can give me an idea, because I am trying so hard to do all the right things.
Eddy seems less affect by what ever it is, he's eating, but Shoana, just hides most of the time and her gills are forward like the pic on the
http://www.axolotl.org/health.htm page

Are you sure they are stressed? What are they doing that is showing signs of stress?
Maybe they are just taking a while to settle in.
It took a while for my axies to come out of their shell, QUITE a while.

jojo she mentioned the signs, but Shoana, just hides most of the time and her gills are forward. gill tilting forwed can be a sign of water flow stress as im sure you already know. how long are her gills? my axies had long gill and they tend to just flop forwed sometimes. can you see the little things that hang of the gills move?. if so then the filter is most likely to strong. they might be hanging around the filter because the water is mostly airated around it.

My axies hide time to time too, and on occasion their gills are forward (i never knew they were that long HA). Majority of the time though, when they are stressed their gills are tightly folded back.
No bright lights directly above the tank?
The vibration MAY be an issue. I have a HOB filter and when i turn it off it completely drains leaving hardly ANY water in there. Once l turn it on again, it vibrates and makes an AWFUL noise - this stresses my axies for a short time... in saying that... how strong is the vibration?
I cant image its too strong with hardly any water flow ??

Its more like a process of elimination l guess...

I am of the belief that they may be constipated, cause i have not seen any fresh poop for a day or two,um I have to change to sand... my partner was getting frustrated with me buying all this stuff for the axies, so I was hoping i could get away with the smaller gravel, but it is proving, I think, still too large for them, so I have convinced him to let me get some sand... But he is getting to the point of, what next for these "Fish" smiles.... He's ok, but you, someone who doesn't understand...
Thank guys the suggestions, and it was just a process of elimination, I hope... I have them in the fridge now and hopefully soon they will poop.. and in the mean time I will change to sand... smiles... Oh god I do hope this is the last thing I have to spend money on for them, my partner will kill me if there is anything else.. lol

um I don't think the water flow is too fast, nothing in the tank moves, as in the plants etc.. any any floating things like bit of broken plant leaf, hardly moves... there is filtration, but very very little flow...

Yeh i dont think its a water flow issue either.
Im glad you'll be swapping to sand. I didnt know that you had gravel as substrate, your display pic looks like sand
So i didnt even think of the little ones being constipated.
Hopefully there is nothing else wrong. I hope they are ok!!

Good luck sand hunting. Let us know how your bubas go

(Message edited by jojo_is_here on February 10, 2006)

well it's supposed to be sand, was labeled as sand.but once I got it out of the bag I found out it wasn't, but i hoped it was still small enough ... but them getting what I think is constipated, it's too big still.

hey. My Axoltol's gills face foward too like that. well not foward more of a 90 degree angle. they have always been like that since i fist got her. at first i thought it was stres but she is perfectly happy eats everytime i feed her, gets along with the other (as far as i can tell) and the water flow isnt strong, no plants move.
maybe its just the way they are?
duno :S

That happened to me too Jenny.
I went to the my local aquarium, queried about sand, they showed me the best they had. From the outside of the bag, it looked like black/brown sand. I asked them to show me exactly what it was, and it was sharp small pieces of gravel.
They are pretty hopeless!!

when I have them out of the tank, either in the fridge or in the esky with freezer pacs they are fine, and in a more normal position... I am going crazy trying to get it right.....

To me, that would then indicate a temperature problem ... but then again.. you temp sounds fine to me (18 - 20deg cel)!! My temp is higher then that and my axies are fine.
Hmmmm...

??