Axie Can't Stay On Bottom??

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AdamR

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Hey all, I have an adult male axie (~8inches) that for some reason cannot seem to sink to the bottom. He tries repeatedly but once he gets to the bottom he just floats right back up. He seems healthy as can be, regular water changes, water is always right around 69F, eats regularly on earthworms. He has been doing this for a couple of weeks and doesn't seem to be getting any better. Any thoughts on this problem?

I keep him and two other adults in a 20gal tank with fake aquarium plants, large river rocks, and two hides. The other two are perfectly healthy and they all get along very well.

Any advise would be greatly appreciated!!
 
I'm no expert But i'm sure one thing people will want to know, Is he Floating Bum-first? If that's the case he might have just swallowed some air.

If he seems to be stressed out by the floating I would suggest moving him into a container with just enough water to cover him, so he can touch the bottom.

And Yeah. More experienced people should be coming soon to save the day. Haha.

~Best of luck.
 
haha I'm not experienced but I thought i'd chime in anyways :D


20 gallons for 3 adults sounds a tad small...

he could also be constipated. What size are your river rocks?
How long have you had him? If he was a recent acquirement than he could be impacted with gravel.
 
HI Im a newbie as well, I currently have two juvies that are doing the same thing.. I was told to put him in the freezer.. it slows he metabolism and he will in turn poop and burp all the air up.. Im giving mine a few more days and if it persists Im going to put him in the fridgerator.. Im sure with yours its just air as same thing with mine. Mine is eating and everything too.. Id try the fridge.. I dont think it was gravel for mine since mine is in a container all by himself.. Try the fridge for a day or two ;)
 
axolotl lvr said:
HI Im a newbie as well, I currently have two juvies that are doing the same thing.. I was told to put him in the freezer.. it slows he metabolism and he will in turn poop and burp all the air up.. Im giving mine a few more days and if it persists Im going to put him in the fridgerator.. Im sure with yours its just air as same thing with mine. Mine is eating and everything too.. Id try the fridge.. I dont think it was gravel for mine since mine is in a container all by himself.. Try the fridge for a day or two ;)
Click to expand...

I don't think you should put them in the freezer!!
 
I agree with HappyCamper. Freezer is a bad idea! lol.

Uhm, One more thing more experienced people May want to know. Do you know your water perimeters? Nitrite + Nitrate + PH? Is there anything small enough that he coulda swallowed? Or Like SapphireTigress said, Maybe hes constipated?
 
Thanks for the comments everyone! I've placed him in a really small container so that I can use a flashlight to "candle" his belly and I dont see anything out of the ordinary in there. He just looks full of worms, so possibly just constipated? The rocks are all 2-4 inches in length with varying widths. I have not seen any of them attempting to eat the rocks, although I really think it would be super difficult for them (the male in question is the only one semi-big enough to eat them). I do not know the water parameters at the moment but I do use Chlorine/Chloramine drops every time is change the water (about once a week). I will get some more test strips this week!

I bought him from a breeder over a year ago when he was just a little baby, so I have watched him grow into a beautiful creature!
 
hahaha I just realized i said freezer earlier yes i meant fridge sorry.. lol OK so my one lil juvie has stopped floating whohoo. but the other one is totally still floating and hes been in the fridge for almost 5 days now... I took him out earlier today and he was ok.. Then after i fed him he starting floating pretty bad.. totally sideways and part of his side was exposed to air.. I might add also one side of his gills are way shorter than the other side.. but he looks so depressed.. I really need a good way to get him back to normal. I feel super bad for him.. I just got him a few days ago and I do not put my juvies together they are in seperate containers... Any advice will be awesome.. Should he be all alone in my fridge till his gills grow back? I am sick about this and feel so bad!!
 
My Axies are healthy. The thing I don't get is How can you put your Axolotl in the fridge?!!?
Won't the temperature kill him?
And also the stress, from 21C to 5C???
 
The only thing ive been told about the fridge is it has to be greater than 40 degrees Farenheight (sp) and it lowers their metabolism so they usually are not hungry.. also that degree makes them poop and burp alot.. they are cold water amphibians so from 40 degrees to 72 max is ok for them to live in.. ;)
 
michel3171 said:
And also the stress, from 21C to 5C???
Click to expand...

Rapid fluctuations in temperature can cause a great deal of stress (temperature shock) to an axolotl, yes, but the temperature drop experienced during fridging is a very gradual process. This slow change allows the axolotl plenty of time to adjust to the new temperature.
 
Last edited:
Jacquie said:
Rapid fluctuations in temperature can cause a great deal of stress (temperature shock) to an axolotl, yes, but the temperature drop experienced during fridging is a very gradual process. This slow change allows the axolotl plenty of time to adjust to the new temperature.
Click to expand...

Ok thanks for the info! ;)
 
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