New axi owner questions

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Jf1r3

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Hey I'm wondering what you guys think about my axi. His gills seem tilted forward.. Here's my set up any suggestions? Water temp is 64 - 68 I'm concerned about the water conditioner. Does it always make the water seem carbonated? Aqueon water conditioner brand. Btw his name is Jim Tom.
 

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Another pic
 

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Last pic. Won't let me post more than 1... Also 20g long tank do I need to upgrade when he's full grown? How long til he is full grown? Does he look ok? He eats often doesn't eat any kind of worm which sucks. He will only eat fish and those little clear shrimp but I gotta kill the shrimp first or he won't eat.
 

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From what I've read, it could be the water flow. If the water is moving fast enough to say any of your decorations then it is bad for the axolotl. They suggest making a buffer to fix that problem. I'm not entirely sure that is what's wrong, it's just a possibility.
 
What is the water quality? Ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and ph? It doesnt look like foreword gills due to the current though its possible, but i would rather eliminate water quality first
 
Water quality is good 7.2 ph and everything else is at 0 he is pretty young I'm not exactly sure how young but you can tell by his size.
 
I can't see much wrong with your axolotl other than some possible sand consumption, it looks a little full in the belly.
 
My female axolotl sometimes has her gills forward like this when she is sitting in the filter current, and she is the picture of health in every other way. If that's the only thing wrong, I wouldn't worry too much, and just keep an eye on her.
You might try turning down the power on the filter.

Also, regarding eating worms, I will pass along the advice someone gave me when my male was being a picky eater: of course he won't eat worms if you are feeding him something he likes better.

Try skipping a couple days of feeding (axolotls can go for a relatively long time without eating, so this is not dangerous), and then try offering an earthworm, perhaps blanched for a second in boiling water to kill it so it doesn't wiggle or secrete slime, maybe chopped up if your axie is on the small side.

Did the trick for my boy, and earthworms are probably the best staple diet.
 
Ok Ty for the worm tip I will try it.. Sand consumption I hope not. Can this kill him? Is he even a male? How can I tell. Poor Jim tom I hope he's not eating sand... Ugh should I just go with no sand? I can't turn down the filter I have but I did block the flow with a tile. The plants don't move with the current so I don't think it's too roudy in there. I'd like to feed hi bloodworms but they're so messy. Any tips on those? Thanks guys.
 
Jf1r3 said:
Ok Ty for the worm tip I will try it.. Sand consumption I hope not. Can this kill him? Is he even a male? How can I tell. Poor Jim tom I hope he's not eating sand... Ugh should I just go with no sand? I can't turn down the filter I have but I did block the flow with a tile. The plants don't move with the current so I don't think it's too roudy in there. I'd like to feed hi bloodworms but they're so messy. Any tips on those? Thanks guys.
Click to expand...

Sand compaction is more of an issue if the axolotl is unde 5". If you use a feeding dish it helps prevent sand eating. To tell the sex, you need to take a look at the cloaca behind the back legs. Males have large cloacas, but also a slimmer physique than females. You really wont know the sex unless your axolotl is an adult. That filter looks like the waterfall might cause a lot of down current, If you can find something else to block it that might help.
Bloodworms are not nutritious enough to be the staple diet of axolotls. Earthworms are your best bet. Also bloodworms will eventually cost more (in my area at least) than just buying a bunch of earthworms as your axolotl eats more and more.
 
Ty.. This is what I did to help prevent that flow. Also what about waxworms? Are they any good? He seems happy so I hope he's ok. I'm a bit of a hypochondriac when it comes to my pets... I'll post another pic
Of him from above. And how many hides should he have and is this one fine or should I cap it with another tile?
 

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Fro above
 

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Hide and he hides behind the plants as well.
 

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I've started feeding wax worms as a treat today. My little one Sage ate them like potato chips and my other axie Saskia didn't want to eat more than two pieces today.

On a note about the forward gills, I noticed Saskia sticks her gills forward when she's eating a new food. She did that when I tried offering crickets and the wax worms for the first time (two different feeding days). Then tossed then back into normal position when she was done eating. Anyone else have axies who do that?
 
I think your axolotl will be just fine. Some axies do have gills that curve slightly forward. If they were straight before then all of a sudden stated curving, then that may be a sign of something you would need to worry about. If not, relax and observe for any further changes. The way you have you filter blocked off may be a good idea if you are worried about flow problems though.

As for the eating of sand, definitely check out feeding jars if you are to continue feeding small worms like bloodworms or blackworms. I use two long rectangular shaped ones in my tank. It saves them ingestion problems and you extra clean up time since the uneaten bits will remain mostly contained. But weaning them off to bigger worms like earthworms to hand feed as he/she grows older will probably be best. I would stay away from waxworms except for an occasional treat, as they are very fattening.
 
If sand scares you even with a feeding jar, you could always just spread a tin layer of aquarium safe silicone on tiles and stick sand to it, then silicone the tiles in place. It'll look like sand and have the gripping benefits for the axies, but they won't be able to eat it!

The only real issues with it is that you have to wait for the silicone to cure for quite a while before adding it to the tank and would have to remove the axies and water for a bit if you siliconed the tiles to the bottom. Plus it wouldn't work that great for plants that root in substrate...anyhow it's just a suggestion :3 I think the tank looks pretty good!
 
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