Hixl
New member
My axolotl arrived in the mail a few days ago. I had set up the tank a few days beforehand and the water levels tested ok. He seemed to make the transition nicely, however I noticed yesterday night that he was taking the occasional trip to the surface (once every minute or so). I've read that it could be either lack of oxygen or high amounts of ammonia/nitrite. There has also been a heat wave recently (should end in a couple of days) so his tank has been staying near the 75 degree mark.
Today I added a small oxygen pump to help and I began testing the water levels again. Nitrite tested at 0ppm, though ammonia tested at around 1.5. I currently have some water sitting overnight to let the chlorine evaporate so I can do a water change tomorrow morning.
The problem is that, when I checked in on him about 20 minutes ago, he'd float to the top and just stay there, barely moving. I watched him swim for a bit too, but he just kept going back up and staying there (not exactly taking a breath, just floating on the surface). What could be wrong? Is it just the high ammonia levels (which will hopefully be solved with a water change)? Temperature? I'm really worried about him and any reassurance would be appreciated.
Today I added a small oxygen pump to help and I began testing the water levels again. Nitrite tested at 0ppm, though ammonia tested at around 1.5. I currently have some water sitting overnight to let the chlorine evaporate so I can do a water change tomorrow morning.
The problem is that, when I checked in on him about 20 minutes ago, he'd float to the top and just stay there, barely moving. I watched him swim for a bit too, but he just kept going back up and staying there (not exactly taking a breath, just floating on the surface). What could be wrong? Is it just the high ammonia levels (which will hopefully be solved with a water change)? Temperature? I'm really worried about him and any reassurance would be appreciated.