floating axolotl... eep!

my new pet axolotl has been floating on the top of his tank for about 2 days now... i have read some posts on here concerning similar problems but need some more specific help
he is floating with his back arched and slightly out of the water... and hasn't eaten since hes been floating
i went to the store i bought him from and they suggested it could be the water temperature... i went home and took the temperature and it was 25 degrees (eep) so I moved his tank to a cooler area away from sunlight and have been putting frozen bottles of water in his tank, however I don't seem to be able to get the tank cooler than 21 degrees.
i do have him on gravel as i only bought him on Tuesday and wasn't aware it was bad for them, but will be getting him some sand as soon as possible...
so far i have read that it could be the heat, a bacterial infection that is causing excess gas or that he may have ingested gravel.
how would you suggest i go about fixing these things?

it would also be of great help if someone could give me a quick rundown on refrigerating my axolotl... apologies for my ignorance, i am a first-time owner and don't want to harm him.

here's a photo if it helps
taken yesterday, have since lowered the water level

He looks really skinny too. I'm sure someone with a lot more knowledge than I have will answer you soon, but here is what I think. He looks pretty sick to me though.

I would put him in an esky and use the lid and ice bottles and see if you can keep his temperature at 10-15 degrees. He is unlikely to eat in the fridge at 5-8 degrees, or may regurgitate if he does eat and he really looks like he needs to eat! You need to use dechlorinated water and change 100% of the water daily and probably keeping a bottle in the esky next to him would be the best way of achieving this to avoid a big temperature fluctuation when you change his water. If you happen to have a second fridge, you could maybe set that for 12 degrees and keep him there and I'm sure that would be easier.

I don't know what you've tried to feed him, but I would try earthworms which are available at bunnings or fishing shops if you don't have any in your garden. Moving food will be more tempting and earthworms are very nutritious. Frozen bloodworm cubes are usually popular too. Clean up any uneaten food within an hour or so.

While he is in the esky, remove all the gravel from his tank and leave him with a bare floor and don't put him back in there until the water has cleared. And I wouldn't be in a hurry to put him back unless you can get him eating and the tank temp below 20 degrees.
Have a good read of this site if you haven't already, particularly about tank cycling and food.

Good luck

If i were you i would get some clean dechloinated water, pop just enough in a container to cover you axies back, pop him in and put in the fridge with a dark cover, this will stop light and heat fluctuations.
Put a spare bottle of dechlorinated water in there with him for water changes.
Axies tend not to eat much in the fridge so live food is the best thing to tempt them with.
Then remove all the gravel from your tank and give a clean.
Axies need low temperatures, low lighting, the darker the better, slow flowing water and places to hide.
Lots of people fridge their axies for the entire summer to avoid over heating so please do not be concerned about popping him in there, as long as the temp is 5 or above he will be better off in there then in a hot tank.
Good luck and please keep us informed.

What's an esky?

...er Lisa, never heard of an esky? What is it....?

SarahandRich said:

...er Lisa, never heard of an esky? What is it....?

Click to expand...

Sorry to answer for Lisa but I think an esky is a term Aussies use to refer to the fridge.

I agree i think it is a mini fridge, or box chiller

If your a kiwi or a pom you would call it a chilly bin or picnic cooler. Normally insulated plastic boxes that are filled with food or drink and frozen cooling pads.

Hi Jessica

Your axie looks really thin, firstly I would immediately remove your axie to the fridge in the manner describe by Frances. Then I would remove all of the gravel. A bare floor is fine for axies and there really is no need for any substrate.

Now have a look at www.axolotl.org it has great information about all things axie.

Floating with an arched back usually indicates constipation or impaction.

Finally I would be off to see whoever sold you that axie in such poor condition and tell them a thing or three.

Sorry about the esky thing . Yep, Ians right, I meant what he said. Let us know how he goes Jessica Rabbit.

okay... an update for you guys
I kept him in the fridge for a while and have now returned him to the tank.
He has stopped floating and is roaming around on the bottom of the tank and in his plants .
However I am still unable to get him to eat... I am a bit concerned as it is now the 4th day he has gone without food. When I hold the food in front of him he shows a little interest in it, almost goes for it (opens his mouth slightly) then stops and swims away, or comes towards my fingers.
I am hoping he starts to eat soon ... when he does so is there anything I can do to fatten him up? Or will it just happen over time?

What kind of foods are you offering? I suggest live and wiggly. 4 days isn't terribly long for an axolotl to go without food. But yours is pretty skinny. I'd try feeding it small meals every day. Again, live and wiggly: earthworms, waxworms, blackworms, any softbodied worms will do just fine. People have also had luck with slivers of fish/beef/heart/liver etc. Keep offering lots of different things.

Also, when doing fridge treatment, it's best to leave them in the fridge for a few days at a time. By moving them between the fridge and the tank, you are subjecting them to lots of temperature stress.

ahh okay... i will keep that in mind if i refrigerate him again
i have been trying to feed him beef heart... the pet store said they had been feeding him that and gave it to me when i bought him, he was fine with eating that the first two days i had him
as for live and wriggly... i wont lie, i have a strange fear of worms and will cringe at even the sight of one, live or dead
however as a child i did get conditioned to feeding my dads fish with frozen bloodworms so I might try him on those

Hello everyone, Interesting post!

Here's the thing! I bought a new axie that got stressed from his new home! you can look more into this in the next posts by me:

http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=59658
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=59606

So i don't have to write everything again! lol

I read that I should clean everything on the tank, but the problem is that I already have a couple of axies that are quite used and comfortable with their home (They've been living in it for 3 months without problems) If I do a 100% Water change I think that'll drop the balance a lot, and cleaning the sustrate and rocks and plants will only harm the other two while maybe being benefic for the newbie.

What should I do in this case? Because the tank is big enough and nice, and I just wanna have the new baby in it...

So what are your recommendations on what I need to do after I take Mr. Nogada out of the fridge so I don't stress the other two?

Hi Asprine,

There is no necessity to do 100% water change for your aquarium tank, just regular 20% water change will be enough. You do not need to scrub clean your plants, substrate or rocks because they have beneficial bacteria growing on them that would help keep the water cycled.

Providing you have enough space to house 3 axolotls in that same tank, you can just try introduce the new axolotl in after a period of 30 days quarantine. Monitor them to check for aggression. If that happens, you may like to try put a tank divider.

Also ensure you have about 2 hiding places per axolotl. So ideally you should have 6 hiding places.

Cheers

Awesome! Just a last question.

The quarantine period is on a different tank in a normal room or should it be on the fridge?

Sorry if that's a really dumb question.

How big is ideal for the tank, so we can put Nogada in for 30 days.

Hi Asprine,

For that question, it really depends what you have already set up.

If you already have a spare tank in another room, with cycled water, a basic filtration/aeration, you are set to go. You can just use that tank, but you would also have to do the usual husbandry of checking the water parameters regularly, performing 20% water changes and ensuring the water temp is cool etc.

However, if you do not have another tank set up in advance, you can always fridge your axie for 30days. The method is exactly the same as what you would have done for usual fridging. You can place your axie in a container large enough to allow it to outstretch its limbs and tail comfortably. Fill water enough to submerge it fully but not float it. Use a perforated lid/netting to prevent it jumping out. Place a tea towel over it to provide it with the dark conditions it likes. Perform 100% water changes with fresh clean dechlorinated water daily. You can pre prepare bottled of dechlorinated water in the fridge and then use them to change the water. Offer food daily and remove uneaten food within 20mins.

Cheers.