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Floating axy worries

qwidge

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I have a floating axy. Went to my parents for a few days and when i've come back today and checked on them one is floating and she seems really stressed out and can't get herself to the bottom and stay there. However her tankmate The Bandit is fine, he's just chilling out at the bottom. Don't have a water test kit so can't tell you what's what in the tank. Can anyone fill me in as to what causes it and what i need to do to help little Smokey, i'm getting worried that she's going to stress herself to bits!

Have done a 25% water change in the tank to ensure fresher water cos it does look like there's a certain amount of cack in the tank. I've fridged Smokey for now to isolate and destress her, however i'm still concerned as to what could have caused this and how i might help her. Almost 100% certain she can't have swallowed any substrate because we use large and i mean LARGE stones which if she had even managed to swallow (massively unlikely) would be immediately visible in her system and she appears normal.
 

blueberlin

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Hi qwidge,

The most common cause of floating is impaction. How long have you had Smokey? Perhaps she swallowed something at the place where she was before?

If you can't test the water, you can take a sample to a pet store and have them test it for you. They almost all do this for free. In the meantime, I would be doing daily water changes of at least 30%. If somethingis not right with the water, this would be the solution anyway.

-Eva
 

qwidge

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I've had her for about 3 months now. Wondering if i should do 30% water changes over the next week or so and remove all my big stones except the massive ones that are the hide. Would you recommend sand or nothing for the bottom? Will her tankmate be ok with that level of water change do you think?
 

blueberlin

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Ok, are the stones bigger than, say, a gold ball? Are they smaller than the axolotl's head? Anything smaller than its head and bigger than 3 mm is a danger. With Smokey in a smaller tank, you will be able to see when and what she passes.

After three months I would say that your tank is in the middle of a fully blown cycle and you just need to be doing daily !! water changes of at least 30%. Water changes will not harm either of your axolotls in the slightest. If you are not informed about cycling, you can read up on it here, more info also here.

Sand is a good substrate, many people go without substrate, too.

-Eva
 

qwidge

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Ok, stones are between 10mm and 30mm in size. They're big stones. Too big? Do you think it's possible she swallowed something that size?

Sorry wasn't clear before about the water changes. Daily of 30% - for how long? If i remove the substrate and replace with sand will this affect my cycling?

MAny thanks for your help, as you can see i'm a relative new comer to the world of axys.
 

blueberlin

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Hi qwidge,

1-3 cm stones are indeed a danger. Wait. I should probably ask how old (big) your axolotl is? For an adult axolotl, the stones are a threat because they can definitely be swallowed. They need to be removed.

If you remove the substrate, this will set your cycle back a bit because the beneficial bacteria settle on surfaces. They will eventually catch up, though. It's just a matter of time. You will need to be doing the daily water changes until your ammonia and nitrite readings are at 0 and you show some nitrate. You will need a dropper test kit for this (not the dip strips; they lie!), or take samples to your pet shop once a week.

-Eva
 

qwidge

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Ok she's an adult i reckon as she's about 15 or 17 cm long i think. She's spawned some eggs since i got her if that helps age her at all.

Ok stones coming out tomorrow morning first thing. And off to the pet shop to get a dropper kit, thanks so much. Hopefully with the helpful advice from here i'll have them in a safer more appropriate environment.

Is she likely to pass such a stone on her own if she's swallowed it? Can i help her at all? Are there any foods with laxative qualities which might help? She's certainly passed some faeces while in the fridge but nothing large or substratey.
 

blueberlin

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Hm, if she is pooping that is a good sign and maybe she is not impacted - does her belly look swollen? Is she eating normally?

Having her separated and cool is not going to hurt her as long as you change her water each day. You can observe her better like that, too. If she has swallowed something, you really can't do anything except wait it out.

-Eva
 

qwidge

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Temp is fine, low room temp in uk winter and sthey have a fluval on low low flow so currents are fine too. Went to get water test kit today and the one pet shop local to me didn't have any of the right kind so i'm off elsewhere to get one. Have done a water change and removed the stones, removing the stones stirred up a whole lot of greenish gunk, is this yucky stuff that i need to be rid of or is it helpful bacteria that i should be keeping?
 

blueberlin

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Hi qwidge,

That would be yucky stuff you need to get rid of. Thanks for writing that, too - shows how much gunk can collect under stones. Bacteria makes a sort of slimy film on surfaces. You can't really see it but you can feel it when you touch the inside of the glass or an ornament.

-Eva
 

qwidge

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Ok so when i changed her fridge water this morning Smokey had really cacked something out, it didn't look like a stone but it was substantial and icky. However she had white fuzz on her gills and slightly under her arm pits. After reading on here that it could be fungus i decided to do a course of salt baths, i hope this is the right thing to do. After the salt bath i put her in her fresh fridge container and she managed to sink cos i'd made it a bit too deep, so we appear to have gotten on top of the floating thing, now it's just the gill fuzz that i'm worried about.
How long should i treat her with salt baths? She should stay isolated from her tankmate til it's gone right?
 

Greatwtehunter

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Try 2 times a day for 3 days then 1 time a day for 4 more days and see if that clears it up. Since she will need to be fridged during this time then it is a good idea to keep her isolated.
 
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