Axolotl swimming towards the wall a lot? Stressed? Sick?

Hi guys, well, I'm having difficulty trying to decide if my axolotl's rapid swimming towards the walls of the tank is due to him being excited or if it's my water and he's stressed and wants out. I know he swims around a lot, but lately I've noticed that he's swimming towards the wall and wiggling hard (like he's trying to escape) against the wall, even though he's not moving anywhere. He sometimes swim up to the surface, but not to get air or anything. I have no clue if he does this often since I'm not home most of the time, but I've observed him do this for 3-4 minutes ...

I did some water testings:

pH: 7.2
Nitrite: 0 ppm
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Temp: ~15 degrees C/ ~58 degrees F

I have no idea what the Nitrate reading is since the lab I have doesn't have the testing for Nitrate.

He lives in a 10 gallon tank with one plant, a 10-20 gallon filter put on low, and one small airstone (1.5 inches long). There's also hideouts and caves. He's still pretty tiny like 2.5 inches so I'm pretty cautious.

It's my first time ever taking care of an axolotl this small so I'm not sure if this swimming behaviour is just normal, if it's my water, my filter, or my airstone. Compared to my 7.5 inch axolotl, he definitely seems to swim the most especially towards those walls. He's still eating like a pig and biting things in the tank, so I hope he's not sick.

I just want to know if it's my water quality, if should i take him out or if it's my airstone and if it's safe to turn it off and etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. THANKS!

Water quality looks fine. Try taking out the filter completely and just leaving the air stone in. Even though the filter is set on low it still may create too much current. With an axie that small you can get by with just doing a 10% water change once a week.

One of my little guys does the same thing every night he looks happy enough just really clumsy I think. I saw him once really panicking and trying to jump out of tank, So, I think you would tell if he was uncomfortable and not just swimming

How long has he been in the tank? Sometimes new homes take a while to get used to.

Mel

Does this always occur? Or just when you walk into the room? This behavior usually occurs when the Axolotl is startled (a light turns on, something spooks the axie).

@ Greatwtehunter: Take out my filter? Would that affect my water quality? I've been trying really hard to get it finally cycled. Would the airstone be enough? Maybe I should take out the airstone instead, maybe that's causing him to go crazy??...

@ tomkeogh: Thanks for telling me, now I know he's not panicking...

@ melfly: He's not new to the tank at all, lol. He's been with me since Dec. 23, 2009, so almost 4 months, but even when he was new, he didn't display that kind of swimming...

@ Shizeric: I went to check on him this morning and he's actually pretty calm, just laying on the floor. I'm guessing he got spooked by the bubbles from the airstone or something....The lights shouldn't bother him since I turn it on all the time and he doesn't display that kind of action...I'm wondering if I should take out the airstone, I really don't want to because the water he's in his pretty deep and it helps keep his tank water clean...I need to do something to keep the bubbles come out slower.

THANKS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!! I was a bit worried, but now I know that he's just a bit spooked or something, I'm relieved. Well, I checked on him and he is more calm than yesterday so I'm relieved that he's not sick or my water's not toxicating him. THANKS again!!!!

How does the Airstone keep the tank clean?

mine always does that in the night, he swims a lot for a few hours, now that he's about 15cm he does it for a shorter time, but he always did that
i have no filter and only an air pump that is very low and he actually likes to swim over the bubbles

i think it's normal, part of his temperament, some may be calmer and some other may be more active...

the water parameters were always fine, the tank has been running for like 4 months and he still does that in the night, then during the day he is really calm, he moves slowly around the bottom of the tank like if he was sleepwalking

i first thought his swimming like mad was because of something bothering him but now i assumed it's the way he is, he likes to move for a while and then he calms down, when he is very very active i usually just move my hand over the top to get his attention (he eats pellets that float so he is used to check on the top of the water for food) and he stops his swimming for a while...

today i should move him to a new bigger thank, i guess i'll see if the tank size is in any way responsible of that behaviour, i'm kind of stressed about moving him, i have yet to decide if i try a net to catch him or how to pass him to the new tank ...

@ Shizeric: Sorry, I meant because the water is so deep and he hangs out mostly at the bottom of the tank, that I don't want to remove the airstone. I like to fill my tank with a lot of water because it dilutes and keeps the water cleaner...Sorry. I think he's doing fine now, doesn't seem to move around as much. Maybe he was just in a startled or panic mode.

@ daremo: Thank you so much! It's a relief to hear this. I think mine might be like that too. Well, now I know it wasn't because he's bothered by my water. And my advice for you is to catch him with a net. I sometimes use a cup to scoop him too when I feed him in another container since bloodworms are a mess to clean. Good luck!

Thanks everyone !

My little axl loves to swim back and forth along the front if his tank,
But he usually stops when I put my finger against the glass and goes and puts his head against where my fingertip is! He does this every evening!