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Question: Unusual floating behavior

RabbitOfAurora

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Hey there, I really need some help again. My Axolotl is still floating a lot (has been for a few weeks now), and I need to know if something's actually wrong or if he's just playing silly buggars.

He's still eating normally, plenty active moving and swimming and no sign of slime coat damage or fungus from what I can see.

He has been pooping once a week, but it will be two full turds, I'm assuming relatively close to each other, at least in the span of 12 hours. He's being fed European night crawlers right now, one- sometimes two a day.

Parameters are on fleek too. Temp, KH, GH, and the usual suspects are where they should be. His substrate is sand.

He seems to be able to get and stay on the ground just fine when he wants to. He was happy down there for a few hours after a water change yesterday and always sits happily after eating as well, just going to down to chill for a minute or so at a time between floating and swimming. Which is what's throwing me so much; is he sick? Is this just a phase? Is he rebelling against something?

I honestly think it may be some amount of constipation even though he has been pooping, because his first poops once it started, (and the start of his double poops) one was SOLID. I had to stab it with the turkey baster and it broke into two pieces. The other was softer and all poops after that have been normal.

I have also some new plants to his tank this week, some moss balls and frogbit, but his floating predates that by quite a bit.
 

Hayleyy

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Could be a bit of constipation or gas. One of mine did it for a few weeks but is back to normal now. If you have a chiller you could drop the temp a little bit to help pass anything along. If they're able to get down to the bottom it isn't too much of a concern right now just monitor it :)
 
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