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A little worried?

Mitzee

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Hi guys,
I wonder if anyone could lend any ideas or help?

I've had Penny for a while now, a couple of months?
Anyway, I acquired her through a friend who rescued her from another owner, now I don't know the details of how she was kept, only she was attacked by her tank mate and the other owner didn't have the facilities to keep her on. So she came to me, my tank was well cycled etc etc.

I clean her weekly, give or take, and check the parameters, also weekly.

I feed her mostly and Bloodworms and Daphnia.

Just lately she seems to be thrashing around, very restless, it's quite worrying to watch her to be honest.

And today she started floating, for most of the day, I've moved her to the fridge so she doesn't get stressed or anything. She seemed to be coming up for air quite a bit, however I have a lot of plants in the tank, surely these give enough oxygen? :confused:

But even with the thrashing around she doesn't really show any other signs of stress?
There's no marks or anything different about the way she looks either.


The temp of the tank is around 19-20 C
And I've just checked the parameters;;
PH - 7.5
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0.1
Nitrate - 5

Am I just over reacting or is there something serious going on?

Thanks in advance
Mitz xx
 

ferret_corner

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All the parameters seem fine.

Is it possible there were parasites in the plants? Is there anything else in the tank with her?
 

Mitzee

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I've seen snails, though not recently.

And also those tiny worm things, planaria?
 

Jacquie

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Hi Mitzee,

Floating and thrashing around are signs of stress. Moving Penny to the fridge was a good move, this will help relax and destress her. I would leave her in there for a few days. You probably already know this, but fridged dechlorinated water must be used when doing water changes so Penny is not subjected to temperature shocks, and while in the fridge she will need her water changed 100% every day.

While Penny is in the fridge, this will buy you time to ascertain if there are any issues in the tank environment...

Is there any water currents in the tank? Axolotls prefer still water and any water current will stress them.

The biggest contributor to water flow is usually the filter. The water current just needs to be diffused as to not disturb the axolotls, this can be done by using a spray bar (may take a little ingenuity), or placing an obstruction in front of the flow to break the current (large rock, ornament, plants, etc), or directing the filter's outtake to the tank wall (some filters are adjustable).

Planaria usually occurs if there is an excess of leftover food and wastes accumulating in the tank.

What sort of substrate are you using?

If you are using large rocks or gravel, then left over food and wastes will sift between the cracks and get trapped underneath, which provides a feeding ground for planaria and other tank invaders. Using sand and bare bottom tank helps with tank cleaning maintenance as the grot sits on the surface making for easy spot and removal.

For messy little slobs like axolotls (as much as I love them, they are grots :rolleyes:), it is recommended to give the tank a thorough check and spot clean every day, once a week is not sufficient particuarly if you are feeding messy foods like bloodworm. Rotting food tends to find its way into nooks and crannys in the tank, wreaking havoc with water quality if not found and removed promptly.

For tactics on dealing with planaria and other tank invaders, please read this article.

I think Daphnia is too small a food source to be of much benefit to Penny as daphnia is a microfood used to rear larvae. I would switch her diet to earthworms which is a nutritionally complete food for axolotls, or salmon pellets (also nutritionally complete) if you are reluctant to feed live food.

When Penny is ready to 'move back home' after her vacation in the fridge, ensure that the water temperatures of both tank and container are the same (this can take a few hours) before popping Penny back into the tank.
 

Mitzee

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I've placed an object in front of my filter so there is little current, so I don't think this is a problem.

Also I'm using fine sand.

Ok, I'll go in with the fish net, and get right behind everything.

Thank you so much for all the ideas!

Btw, when do you know when it's right to return them to the tank?
Is it a bit of guessing work?
 

Mitzee

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I've been picking pretty much everything out, that isn't decoration, with the fishing net. However I came to have a close look today and the front of my tank seems to be inundated with these little flatworm things.

Tank1.jpg



I've never seen so many of them, do you think it's because I've probably been stirring the food up?

And do you think these are what're upsetting Penny?
It says they're nothing to worry about, but it's the only thing that seems to be going on.

Penny hasn't been in the tank since the weekend, and I fed her when she was in the lunchbox, so there hasn't been much food going straight into the tank.

Also, I brought some worms today and Penny loves them!
She's still in the fridge, and doesn't seem to be floating anymore, but I don't want to dump her into the tank if these little things are a problem?
 

Darkmaverick

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Hi Mitzee,

It does look like your tank has an infestation. Have you looked at the link Jacq provided on tank critters? It gives you some idea on management.

There are many species of planaria and although most are harmless, some species, especially in large numbers can cause parasitism in axies. Some planaria species can damage the slime coat layer of the skin and irritate the gills. The signs are frantic swimming, unusual scratching, writhing, thrasing about etc. Have you seen anything hanging off your axie's skin or gills?

If the planaria isn't causing any problems, i would leave them be. However, if they are physically seen attached to and causing discomfort to your axie. You would have to eradicate them.

It is best to continually monitor your axie. I actually suggest you fridge your axie during this period to help boost its immunity. Fridging your axie will destress it, boost its immune system and render harmful pathogens (both bacterial and fungal) less viable.

- Set your fridge to about 5 degree celsius.
- Put your axie in a container large enough to allow it to stretch its limbs and tail comfortably.
- Fill with fresh dechlorinated water enough to submerge it but not allowing it to float.
- Cover with a lid. You can use a perforated lid or netting to prevent it jumping out.
- Use a tea towel to cover it to keep the environment dark.
- Perform 100% water changes daily with clean dechlorinated water.
- You can pre prepare bottles of water in the fridge.
- Continue to offer a variety of nutritious food daily. Try live wriggly food like blackworms, bloodworms, earthworms. You can also try the usual pellet, offer treats of shrimp and fish etc. Otherwise you can also blend everything in a food processor and then roll the resultant mash into a pea sized ball to try offer your axie. Remove uneaten food within 20 min.

I would try fridging your axolotl for 2 weeks and continually monitor for improvement. Please update on the progress every couple of days.

http://www.caudata.org/axolotl-sanctuary/Fridging.shtml

Meanwhile you can remove the planaria manually if they are bothering you. There is no chemical required so its still a safe conservative procedure albeit time consuming. Also just ensure that there are no excess uneaten food or detritus lying about that could feed the planaria. Over time, the population should decrease substantially.

Cheers.
 

Mitzee

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Hi guys,

Just a quick update, Penny is doing fine, she seems to be enjoying holidaying in the fridge. She's still eating, and I change her water everyday.

I've been wiping and collecting as many of the planaria as I can, when I see them. But every evening there seems to be just as many. Is there a more full on plan of action or should I just be persistant.

Also I have shifted everything round, kept the filter on full but alas no change.

Thanks in advance

Mitz
 
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