Sick/Stresssed Axie?

I got pet about 2 weeks ago, his water temp has varied quiet a bit, but the past week i've kept it steady at 18 degrees celcius. His tail is now often curved, which I read is caused by stress, and his gills have started facing forward. I can't really get any pictures very easily, but I was wondering if anyone has any ideas what could have caused it.

Do you have a lot of water flow in the tank? What else is in the tank with him/her gravel or sand other fish? Did you cycle the tank first. What are your levels ph,nitrate,nitrite and ammonia.

The filter causes a small current, but it's near the top of the tank where he rarely goes. I did I PH test last week and it was at 7, i've yet to find a nitrates testing kit. I was also wondering if it could be the food, I have frozen bloodworms/daphnia blocks which I cut up and put in the tank, I was wondering if he accidentally ate a frozen one and that might have made him ill.

How long are you leavind the left over food in? You need to defrost the frozen food in a cup whith the tankk water suck it up with a turkey baster slowly put it on a feeding dish. That is how I feed mine blood worms.

I think the first thing is to get your water tested first for Ammonia/ Nitrate/ Nitrite..If you haven't yet got the tests try not to use the 5 in 1 as the readings can be inaccurate..get the individual ones. It was a bit mind blowing at first but doing regular tests become quite easy. In the mean time take a sample in a clean container to your local fish shop/ pet shop and ask them to test it for you..write the numbers down as it will sound like they are talking a strange foreign language, then let us know. I suspect that the tank may be cycling and you may be able to help sort this out by doing daily 20-30 % water changes, this may seem to go on for ever but when the readings drop you'll be able to then drop back to weekly 20-30% water changes. A build up of ammonia etc will cause your axolotl all sorts of problems. Also the water that you put in the tank must be dechlorinated.
After you feed your little axolotl do you clear up any waste or left overs , if not this will start to decay and add to the water quality problems.
Also if you can let us know what else is in the tank we'll be able to help..

I agree with Bellabelloo - try to get your water tested as soon as possible!

How long is the tank running now? And what size is the axolotl? Bloodworms and especially daphnia are food for juveniles, the problem with daphnia may also be that they sink into the gravel (if you have some) and may mess up your water quality.

Hi Emmur

There are a couple of other considerations for stress, water quality and temperature have already been addressed. So noise or Light, and tank setup then.

Axies dont like loud noises, and from my research the lower the frequencies the greater the distress. My test equipment was only able to generate as low as 20 Hz and up to 20,000Hz which is the range for human hearing. The axies started responding to 1 second bursts of sound at 95dB at 315 Hz the most reaction came from 53 Hz - 125 Hz. To put it in perspective 95 dB is about the same as shouting or a 100 watt rms home stereo on half power.

So from the bottom of the low mid range down to the subs at a reasonable volume 1st woke them then 2nd made them move into the caves. Is your axie subject to any noise? Axolotls have a lateral line which sense vibrations so frequencies rather than volume is the issues.

In the wild axolotls are nocturnal, domestic axies seem to prefer darkness although many have become accustomed to tank lighting. Excessive or bright light can stress axies. Is your axie near a light source?

Which is why tank setup is important Axies display less stress in habitats with lots of plants fake or live and hiding places. Do you have hiding places and plants in your tank?