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Floating and gills diminished!! HELP!!

Justtiffy

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I’m worried sick about my boy!! I noticed yesterday that in the past week his gill feathers were almost gone!! Then this morning he’s floating. It didn’t seem like he was struggling to stay down or like he was stressed but I’m so worried!! What could be going on?!?!
 
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Could you post some pictures? It would help a lot. What are your water parameters and temperatures? Was he able to swim back down to the bottom of the tank without floating back up? The gill shrinking could just be from bad water quality. The floating could either be from constipation/impaction or it could be that your axie has no problems and just decided to float for a while. Mine will do that every now and then. Is he scratching at his gills at all or swimming faster then normal?
 

Justtiffy

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His water temps have been good I’m going to test the water today. I just noticed the floating and he didn’t really seem to be struggling. He’s not swimming fast or anything... I just worried after noticing his gills and then the floating. I attached pics of his gills 10 days ago and today and his floating
 

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He actually appears pretty heathy to me! His gills short, but once you fix the problem there's a good chance they will grow back. :)
 

Justtiffy

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Update—- somehow my water spiked!!!! He stopped floating and seems happier but I’m still battling nitrates levels after a 50% water change and introduction of beneficial bacteria .... any ideas??
 
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That explains the gills! I would say continue to do a 25-50% water change every 4 - 6 days until you can get the levels all the way down. That is what I have done a couple times, and it seems to work pretty well. Just be careful not to change to much of the water or do it to quickly as to not kill any beneficial bacteria. What are your nitrate levels at right now?
 

Justtiffy

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So the nitrate levels are pretty good now but thefloating has gotten worse and today he was turning super pink in the tail from swimming around and was trying to wedge himself in some strange places. I took thebubbler out cause I thought maybe that was effecting his fimbrea but now I’m wondering if he got some air or is constipated... should I fridge him for the floating??
 
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What I usually do to check and make sure my axies are not constipated, have air bubbles, etc. is while the axis is floating, I gently slide my hand underneath it and lift it a bit out of the water. Usually he/she will swim back to the bottom of the tank, and if the axolotl floats back up or struggles to stay down, it means it is constipated/impacted. The swimming and pinkness in the tail is most likely from your nitrate spike, but now that you've fixed your water it should go away. If the pinkness gets any worse or looked raw/irritated you could try giving your axolotl a tea bath or put almond leaves in his water. The air bubbler shouldn't be causing any problems, so I think it would be fine if you put it back into your tank. Anyway, do the constipation/impaction test and let me know how it goes. Although If your axolotl has been floating for more than 24 hours I would definitely fridge him.
 

Justtiffy

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He is having problems getting down and I’m trying to get my fridge to a acceptable temperature for him so I can put him in .... it was registering at 36 degrees yesterday so I thought I turned it warmer... but then everything this am was frozen.... I’m a bit concerned about how I’ll do 100% changes daily without handling him and creating more stress for him.
 

Hayleyy

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Justtiffy in case you see this first I have replied to your other post regarding fridging :) I don't think I can combine the posts but hope that helps you.
Dolphinlover55 great tip for testing the floating!
 

Justtiffy

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Thanks for all the tips guys!!! I got him the fridge with no issues and he’s already passed some stuff. We did a complete water change on his tank and took out the sand substrate. I’m switching to slate and large stones cause I think it will be easier to clean ... x your fingers I can get the perimeters in Check and get him happy again
 
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