Question: Axie tank temp

katzenjammer360 · May 19, 2009

Okay, so I got an extremely young axie about eight months ago and it's doing pretty well. It's growing nicely and eating quite a lot. I keep it in a ten gallon tank and one thing that worries me is that the average water temperature is about 72 degrees. This is just the temperature that the water comes to naturally, I don't have a heating pad or anything, and I've heard that temps over 68 degrees can be fatal. He's lived his whole life like this...is this something I should worry about and/or does anyone have any suggestions for lowering the water temperature?
-Bri

Bellabelloo · May 19, 2009

The temperature is a little on the high side and ideally should be cooler. However if you can maintain the water quality it will reduce the risks of illness.

Darkmaverick · May 20, 2009

Hi katzenjammer,

I would highly recommend you lower the water temperature. Prolonged elevated water temperature is the catalyst for a myriad of stress and illness. This link would be useful to you.

Cheers.

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml

katzenjammer360 · May 24, 2009

OP here.Thanks guys, right now I have him in a smaller tank, about 8x3 or so with a bottle of ice most of the time...there are pretty severe temperature variations in that though, so I set up a cooling system with a pump and a cooler. I put ice packs in the cooler and ran a rubber tube from the tank using a pump, through the cooler, and back into the tank. I have yet to see if there is any significant temperature change in the big tank like this. He seems to have stopped eating though, which really worries me. I'm not really sure what I should do now.

Darkmaverick · May 25, 2009

Hi again,

Do you have a thermometer in the tank? Although lower temperatures are better, temperature fluctuations are also stressful. Aim for stable, gradual cooling. Temperatures of between 16-18 degree Celsius are best. Anything below 10 degrees Celsius can also reduce their appetite significantly as food digestion is drastically reduced.

To encourage feeding, i would say try live wriggly worms - blackworms/earthworms. Their movements will stimulate hunting/feeding behaviour. You may also try novel treats like bits of shrimp. Sometimes a yummy snack can kick start their appetites again. You can also make a mash out of a mix of worms, shrimp, fish etc. and roll into dough pellets. They are rather 'stinky' and often attract axies to feed.

Cheers.

bobberly1 · May 25, 2009

That's definitely the upper end of the temp spectrum.

Is your name after the Kyuss song?

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Question: Axie tank temp

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