R
rheann
Guest
Ok, as most of you know, I have two Otocinclus, and I had been planning to get a few more.
Something very terrible happened.
My husband yesterday noticed Grimace, my black Axolotl went up for air three times one right after another, and then lopped off to the bottom, but didn't mention this to me as he thought it was normal axolotl behavior. he has seen them crash into my plants, so thought that he was just being his lazy axie self.
This morning I looked into my tank and saw Grimace go up for three or four breaths of air right after another, then sink to the bottom and flop on his side. His head was very swollen like he had something stuck inside of it or his throat.
I removed him quickly and put him in a bucket with fresh declorinated water. I know normally one should not hold an axolotl, but I had to hold him to look into his mouth, and sure enough he had tried to eat one of my Otocinclus. Its sharp little fins has become lodged in his throat, so that he could neither swallow or spit the fish back out. He was suffocating. I successfully removed the fish, which took about two minutes with a smooth metal stick and now Grimace is in the fridge with a little salt and is doing much better. If I had not seen this happen this morning, I probably would not have noticed because I have been so busy, and he would have died. I feel so stupid and embarrassed right now.
The little fish survived, and I am glad for that. I am not sure how Grimace was able to catch it, but he did, and is suffering for it now.
For anyone wanting to get these fish... Don't. I finally see why. They are small, they stay small, and can get stuck inside of the axolotls mouth and cause death.
If you want to get a tank cleaner, get something that will be big enough not to get swallowed, yet small enough that it won't hurt your axolotl, or become territorial. If you get snails, get ones that are big. If you get fish, get something that does not have sharp spines, and that swims fast. For me, I need tank cleaners. I have hydra, brown algae, and other little critters in my tank that need constant clean up.
Ghost shrimp are good... and I might try Corydora catfish, but I need to find out more about them.
I feel so bad right now...
Something very terrible happened.
My husband yesterday noticed Grimace, my black Axolotl went up for air three times one right after another, and then lopped off to the bottom, but didn't mention this to me as he thought it was normal axolotl behavior. he has seen them crash into my plants, so thought that he was just being his lazy axie self.
This morning I looked into my tank and saw Grimace go up for three or four breaths of air right after another, then sink to the bottom and flop on his side. His head was very swollen like he had something stuck inside of it or his throat.
I removed him quickly and put him in a bucket with fresh declorinated water. I know normally one should not hold an axolotl, but I had to hold him to look into his mouth, and sure enough he had tried to eat one of my Otocinclus. Its sharp little fins has become lodged in his throat, so that he could neither swallow or spit the fish back out. He was suffocating. I successfully removed the fish, which took about two minutes with a smooth metal stick and now Grimace is in the fridge with a little salt and is doing much better. If I had not seen this happen this morning, I probably would not have noticed because I have been so busy, and he would have died. I feel so stupid and embarrassed right now.
The little fish survived, and I am glad for that. I am not sure how Grimace was able to catch it, but he did, and is suffering for it now.
For anyone wanting to get these fish... Don't. I finally see why. They are small, they stay small, and can get stuck inside of the axolotls mouth and cause death.
If you want to get a tank cleaner, get something that will be big enough not to get swallowed, yet small enough that it won't hurt your axolotl, or become territorial. If you get snails, get ones that are big. If you get fish, get something that does not have sharp spines, and that swims fast. For me, I need tank cleaners. I have hydra, brown algae, and other little critters in my tank that need constant clean up.
Ghost shrimp are good... and I might try Corydora catfish, but I need to find out more about them.
I feel so bad right now...