Question: Introduction stress?

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Outlandish1358

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It's not necessarily sickness that I'm worried about, but I just bought an axolotl yesterday afternoon. He was more active in the evening, but I noticed he still has the signature 'curled tail' sign of stress. How long will it take for my axolotl to settle in?
 
There are a lot of factors that can affect an axolotl...so please excuse all the questions but any of these could cause an axolotl to be stressed...

What size is your tank? What kind of filter are you using? What is the substrate? What are your tank parameters and what is the temp? Are you using a light and does he have some hides?
 
  • Tank details: 70x30cm, 30cm high. Holding 45L at the moment. Not currently using a light.
  • Filter: 500L/hr internal power filter, not aerating.
  • Substrate: Layer of ≈ 3-4cm long river stones.
  • Temperature: 20°C
  • Hides: Two (real) plants and 20cm long aquarium log.

Sorry, I only know metric system measurements :eek: .
 
Your temperature sounds a bit high. Is your tank infront of a window?

Use frozen water in bottles and float them in your tank to lower your temperature a bit. That should help.
 
Hm.. no not near a window... it's evening now and still hovering on 20°C. That's about as low as it gets around here in October. I didn't know it needed to be that cold..
Isn't it 24° maximum?
I shall get out the ice bottles.
Although I think I have discovered the problem. He coughed up some small gravel that came with the plant :eek: Since then I have removed the remaining gravel in the roots, and he's eaten with the lights down. Looks much happier now.
 
Hope he gets on well in his new home! Welcome to the forum by the way, I've had my two for over a year now and I still keep learning new things about 'lotl husbandry from this site so do keep coming back.

Any chance of a photo or two of your new guy and his setup?
 
I maintain my tank at 20 C with no problem.
 
20 degrees C is considered a maximum for axies, 24 is far too high and could cause a lot of problems. I manage to keep my tank at 15 easily.

I'm glad to hear he seems a little better, all the best.
 
We were going to order in a gold one, but the pet shop I go to is very unreliable, so we settled with black. Right now I can only take photos with webcam which is really poor quality.

20 degrees C is considered a maximum for axies, 24 is far too high and could cause a lot of problems. I manage to keep my tank at 15 easily.
Click to expand...

Uhm... 20°C is the best I can do.
I tried floating a large (1.5L), fully-frozen coke bottle in the tank and the temperature only went down by 1 degree. It melted in about 45 mins...

Suggestions?
 
Okay, doubt I'm getting any replies for that one. Just curious: the little fellow has been attacking the glass? I think he sees a reflection, but surely he would learn? He has been doing this wildly and frequently and this tends to stress him out. I don't know what to do. He just starts moving his legs around wildly and swimming at the tank wall: sometimes for hours. :confused:

Also, any ways to get him to eat food other than ox heart? He refuses to eat the pellets, blood worms or earth worms.

Update: The tank is clean. I removed the high maintenance substrate and have been using a newly purchased siphon to remove waste. Temperature has been cooler recently, and now have a larger stock of ice bottles. Been busy with the soda.
 
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The glass thing is totally normal pal, you'll realise soon there are many of these strange behaviour things which is just what makes Axies so mad.

They seem to become obsessed with the smallest seemingly normal things, swimming at glass and bumping there noses are the most common.

I think a lot of it has to do with them trying to swim past the glass, into the room outside.

Good work for asking though, you never know with these things what's normal and what's an indication of stress, I'd say the more active, even if it is swimming around glass, the better.
 
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