Demordokos
New member
Hi guys. I have a 55 gal planted tank with 4 juvenile axolotls all around 7 months old. They all seemed happy and healthy and I've regularly fed them frozen bloodworms and live guppies until giving them their first live black worms a few weeks back. They gobbled them up, but the next day one of them appeared bloated and was floating upside down. I read up on here and decided to fridge her and have done daily water changes. A few days in, she did expel a small snail, apparently, as I noticed it during a water change, and since then her swelling has gone away, although she had some nasty bruising on her belly, which is luckily also vanishing now after 10 days fridging. I think it was an impaction, however she still floats upside down, and I imagine this could be due to not having eaten in so many days. I'm returning her to the main tank tonight to see if I can coax her into eating, but so far no luck. The other axolotls all seem to be happy and healthy, so I do not believe it's a water/tank issue. My substrate is 2-3 inches of sand on top of eco-complete soil, meaning she can't get to pebbles or choking hazards other than the small snails I've battled getting rid of. I'll attach pictures in hopes someone might know why she's floating upside down. And any tips on whether or not to force feed or how are greatly appreciated.