one of my axols is not eating

Hi guys im new to this site and an keen to learn as much as i can to take care of my axols real good.
Ive just set up a 4 foot tank and i have 3 axols, they are doign really well but i have noiticed they get stressed alot each time i move out they rock and platstic plants at feeding time, they dont like to be disbured i think. they are all 18 cm long and on of them doesnt look fully developed yet , that one has only small gills, and is the hardest to feed out of the three, the other two eat there meat really well but my white albino one hasnt eaten in three days, although last night i noticed it eat some small blood worn.

My tank is set up well , has a good filtration which is not to stressful for them, i suck up all there poo every day i am amazed at how now there is, No gravel just glas bottom with 1 big rock and lost of floating plastic plants. Nitro levels are great, all dechorinated and HP is perfect so i am really happy with the water condition. Ive had the tank 1 week now and today i changed have the water in the tank, again i think they found this very stressfull, but I didnt want to let the water get to poluted so decided to do a water change, was this a good itea???. My axols are all 18cm long should i be able to define the sex yet?? I was considering breeding guppies for a food source do you think this is a good idea???

My tank temp this week has gone from 22c to down to 18 is this ok?

final question does anyone in sydney want to sell me a good mature female for breeding

Hi and welcome to the forum!

I've moved this to the axolotl part of the forum so others can help/advise you if needed.

First things first, a piece of good advice wait till you get the hang of looking after these ones before enquiring about a female for breeding! If you've never had them before it can be a big learning curve. You have yet to find out what gender/s your current axolotls are.

1) If you've only had your tank for one week, I assume you got the axolotls all at the same time! Did you get them from the same place/breeder?

2) Am also assuming you didn't cycle the tank which is important, see: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

3) As such you will need to do more regular water testing, of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, ie: daily or every two days and then do a 20=30% waterchange if ammonia or nitrIte levels are over 0.

4) Axies can live in pH levels of 6.4-8.0; so no need to adjust anything if they are between these levels.

5) As they've only been added to the tank recently they may still be trying to settle in - it can take a week or two.

6) It may be a bit difficult to tell sex at this stage. You can try and post some photos or check out the following link, which may give you more of an idea: http://www.axolotl.org/biology.htm

7) Axies are coldwater creatures, prefer cooler temps to warm. So ideally do try and keep the temperature below 22C, ideally lower 18-20C range. Fluctuating temperatures can also stress them out. Here are some cooling methods: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml

8) Guppies can be bred for your axolotls. Just make sure whoever you buy them from, that you keep them quarantined from your axolotls (in another tank) to ensure they are healthy and don't pass any disease etc... onto your axolotls (this can happen if they're sick or come from a diseased tank). Then once you're sure they are fairly healthy, continue to keep them in a separate tank and let them breed and feed the offspring to your axolotls. This will ensure you have a healthy known source of food for your axolotls.

9) Things like lean meat (ie liver, steak, snitzel, heart) should be fed as treats, ie occasionally. The best primary food is live earthworms (available from Bunnings stores = you can buy some and setup a wormfarm if you don't have a garden); slaters (woodlice), slugs, garden snails as long as they come from a pesticide free garden.

Hi Shifty, welcome to the forums.

Anyway, firstly, you say your axolotls seem stressed when you move around the ornaments.. what symptoms are they showing of stress? I occasionally move my tank ornaments around but have not really noticed any stress so not sure what is causing that. I guess if this is stressing them out, perhaps you should set up the tank so you don't need to move around ornaments at feeding time.

Also did you let your tank cycle before putting them in? You only mentioned 'nitro' levels (and HP - not sure what that is sorry) so not sure what you are referring to - nitrite/nitrate? You should also be monitoring your ammonia levels, especially if you did not cycle your tank first. If you have ammonia present you should do 15-20% water changes each day until the tank is cycled. When you did the water change today, how much water did you change?

With your axolotl that is not eating, it could be due to the fact that it is still adjusting to a new environment. If it is eating, even if it is a small amount, that is a good sign, but if you are worried just keep an eye on it for the next while and continue to offer food.

Axolotls can be sexed when they become sexually mature so at 18cm I think yours might be approaching this? There is a page on this http://www.axolotl.org/biology.htm for info about how to sex them. Mine became sexually mature at 20cm (he is an albino and his toes went black ), and I am pretty sure he is male... but not 100%! It can be hard to tell

With guppies, if you breed them yourself you won't have to worry about things such as quarantining them so that is a plus. Guppies are also easy to look after, highly tolerant of temperature changes, and are nutritional. Things to be careful of though with using guppies as feeder food is to make sure you only use small guppies (I don't put any in over 1.5cm) as bigger ones will probably nibble on your axies' gills and stress them out. Guppies are dirty fish too so it will add to your bioload, so be careful about how many you put in at a time. Also some people find that their axolotls won't go back to non-live food after getting used to feeder fish... I haven't had this experience though.

Finally, temperature should be under 20C ideally. 22C is starting to get a bit hot and anything over 24C will quickly lead to death. So if you can keep your tank on 18C that is good Try not to let the temperature fluctuate too much each day though.

Hi Sarah, I assumed by HP he really meant pH levels, as opposed to the brown sauce variety!

Also, you shouldn't need to move the rocks and plastic plants when feeding, how are you feeding them - by hand or just dropping them in?

Thank Kabo and Sarah great advice guys

you guys are awesome, i am so pleased to with your advice so far.

FIrsty Kabo, i respond to your post. hmmm ok my threes axolotols i bought 1 week ago from Ponds and Aquariums in Windsor Sydney. Im pretty sure they are all related, they are all of similar size and age.

Not sure if i cycled my tank or not, Basically i set the tank up 1 day before getting the three new family members. I 3/4 filled a four foot tank and Dechorinated the tank. I tested the pHtest and the results were 7.5 , after 5 day i tested the pH again and it was 8 slightly higher after a half water change the pH went back to 7.5. Ok now before the axo entered the tank the Nitrite NO2 was 0 after 5 day it went up to 0.25 each day i have been vacumming the old food and poo up into the filter. These are the only tests i have conducted , hmmm should i been doing other tests???

Today when i changed half the water I also completely cleaned out my filter box which has four levels and its great ive got the inflow sucking from the bottom of the tank and the outflow raining into the tank all along the top of the 4 feet creating like a creek type effect, is this a good idea??

When i put the new water into the tank i did it 4 litres at a time, I dechorinated the water and climatised the temp before pour it in slowly.

So cycling a tank, is that like empting out all the water or something

I checked out all those links they were heaps excellant.

I agree Kabo i need to establish my expertise with axolotols before considering breeding LOL

Cont for Kapo

Hmm, thanks for that great site about temperature cool the tanks, there are some really great ideas for me to help cool the tank, Im gunna go buy some foam to attach to the sides back and bottom they might help me keep the temp below 20 constantly. Also the idea of a fan good idea, no so keen on ice cubes though. casue they will melt and the temp will go up again hey, anyway thanks for the info and site address.

Yer im thinking seriously about purchasing a 4 foot tank and dividing it into 3 section for a guppy colony.

Hi Sarah

Thankyou also so much for your response.

now lets see hmm ok what do i mean by stressed hmm good question, well i noticed when i put my hand in the water the water spashes around a fair bit and when i remove my plastic plants and rock they dont look happy, they tend to curl their tails for a little while , but the good news is once my hand leaves and the water settles their tails go straight again.

DO you think plastic plants are a good idea???

and is one large rock enough?

I find i need to move the rock come feeding time cause they tend to hide under the rock alot

that why im think a live guppy farm might be a great idea. I was looking at a site early today which told me set by set how to set up a guppy farm. Ill get the website and post it on here sometime this week

Thanks for the great advice about guppys I will make sure i keep the large ones in the breeding farm, so for 2 axolotols in a 4 foot tank how many guppy do you think they would eat in a day or few days, and how many guppys do you think i should consider feeding them. Oh yer i tried earthworms the other night and they really enjoyed them.:rofl: Can you really feed axolotols garden snails , what do you do about the shell???

hmm now my tank water do you think im doing the right thing, pH 7.5 Nitirite 0 , not sure about amonea levels, but i do know i dont have any live plants .

I have been vacumming my tank out every day is that a good idea, once again i dont think my axolotols like me stirring up the water but, i can see all their poo and yukky stuff so i just have to have it sucked up. how do you get rite of their poo

Cont Sarah and Kapo

Thankyou both for your time and great advice.

Oh yer about amonium levels, oh cant spell that word, the pet shop that sold me the axolotols said i dont need to worry about that is that correct , they said to me amoniam is only a problem if you have live plants in the tank.

anyway thanks again from Shifty

night:rofl:

Hi

Cycling the tank establishes a good bacteria in your tank.

By adding your axolotls directly to the tank you effectively started cycling the tank, with animals in it (ie via feeding and their excreting from gills etc...)

The most important ones to test are ammonia and nitrites and nitrates. These should be tested every daily or every 2nd day (at most) then if the ammonia and nitrite levels are above 0, you do a 20 or 30% waterchange the same day. This will bring the levels down but still allow the tank to cycle (which is meant to happen). Cycling can take anywhere between 3.5-10.5 weeks to establish. pH levels can be tested but generally the first 3 mentioned are most important. If your pH levels are above 8.0 after your tank has established/cycled there are more natural ways of bringing your pH down; but that can be sorted out later.

Dechlorinating the water and allowing it to come to room temperature (approx. an hour) is a good idea.

While the tank is cycling, do not clean your tank filter at all otherwise you're cleaning of any good bacteria which is establishing.

Don't change anymore than 30% maximum when you do a waterchange. It's better to do frequent partial waterchanges than 50%+ waterchange once a week.

Invest in a turkey baster these can also be handy daily spot cleaners. I'm assuming you have some type of hose or vacuum/gravel siphon cleaner to siphon water from the tank.

And it's understandable getting excited about your new axolotls and the idea of breeding them! It is very exciting finding eggs in the tank and watching them develop, but boy are we glad we had about a year and 1/2s grace before venturing into it. We wouldn't have been able to cope raising the eggs within a few weeks of getting our axolotls as it can be very time consuming (as a first timer) with constant twice daily feeds and waterchanges; setting up brineshrimp hatcheries and ensuring there is more than enough live food for the many larvae for weeks to come.

Oh yeah really good petshop advice - we've all had that before (not!)

Sorry, but they're wrong. Ammonia is the most crucial one to test for - axies produce waste or any uneaten food - this becomes an ammonia source which is needed for the nitrogen cycle (which has started already). After ammonia, nitrites is the next one to test for.

So Yes you do have to test for Ammonia! If at any time you get a bit lax (it can happen to the best of us) in tank maintenance (waterchanging) because our busy lives just encroach and we leave the waterchange for a week or two or three then ammonia and nitrite can build up in the tank causing problems for our axolotls - invariably stressing them and making them sick.

And despite what the petshop person said ammonia is not a problem if you have live plants in the tank! Many people keep live plants in their tanks. As long as you're vigilant about tank maintenance. Ammonia will always be produced in a tank because of the feeding, excreting process of the axolotls and in the case of live plants (if they start to rot and are left in the tank). But the key is regular tankwater testing and waterchanges.

If you read the cycling link I provided it will explain it to you - here is another one concerning water quality http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/waterquality.shtml

Don't move your rocks and leave your plastic plants alone. Try and avoid putting your hand in the tankwater unless you absolutely have to - we use many detergents/soaps etc during the day and can contaminate the water or harm our axies.

Hence it is easier to drop live earthworms, slaters, slugs or garden snails (I break the snail shell and pick the bits of before dropping them in!). They will eventually come out and hunt for them. Best time to feed them is evening as they tend to be nocturnal creatures and are more active (you might need to move your tank away from direct light and partially cover it - that's why they're hiding under the rock to get away from light). As they're about 18cm just feed them once every two days. If you overfeed they'll regurgitate their food within a couple of hours, so you'll soon get the hang of how much they need (take note some axies will stuff themselves silly - they just wont stop when they're full!)

Regarding your questions about guppies - how many they eat really depends. Sometimes my axie will leave them untouched for days and then go on rampage and eat 5-10 at a time. I get about 15 babies from my friend every month or so and that usually does him for a couple of weeks. There is often a 'super guppy' that never seems to get eaten so if you have them getting big, you can add them to your breeding pool. I think you will have to experiment a bit with feeding. Perhaps just put all the babies in once they are a few mm and see what happens - you tend to get about 30 at a time. Don't go overboard though, as guppies are messy and too many will cause water quality problems.

Also, as kapo said, you must do ammonia testing. That is the most important test you can do. Test kits are at most pet stores and aquariums. I think you should get one asap