Floating Axies 2?

This is similar to the last thread to pop up, but my predicament is a little different so I thought I'd slap up a different thread.

This morning I came out to check on my axolotls, and they can't seem to touch the ground. They're fluttering everywhere around their cage, and while they do occasionally touch the ground, they don't stay there very long. They've taken to resting on plants in the enclosure when they're tired of fluttering around.

At first I just thought they were having fun, but as it's now past noon I'm worried. They aren't gulping air at all, I've been watching them and neither has taken a gulp of air, so it isn't recreational floating I don't think.

I believe it to be gas, but as I'm giving them two foods, I'm not sure which one to stop. I give them frozen bloodworms and frozen brine shrimp, alternating days so that they never have the same thing twice in a row. I feed them once a day same time every day. They're very young, only a few weeks old, but have been greedily gobbling up everything I give them, which isn't too much from what I've researched on the site.

Today is the first day they've gotten 'floaty' like this, with no changes in their diet.

Sorry for the long post, I just wanted as much information as I could squeeze in here.

Thank you for the help!

Hi kvetch,

If the larvae are only a couple of weeks old, they need to be fed several times a day. Normally, until the front legs are well developed, one would feed live foods and let the larvae basically swim in a cloud of food.

If a larva does not eat often enough, it develops an air bubble in its stomach. The air bubble goes away once the larva eats again. Could this be the problem you are having? If so, try feeding smaller amounts more frequently, or try some live foods (like Daphnia, mosquito larvae) to see if that helps.

Good luck,

-Eva

Hi,

I agree with Eva, but I have few questions.
How big are your axies, what is the water-temperature and how often do you change the water?

Frozen bloodworms will go bad after short times, so you have to remove it after an hour. Live food is much better.

-Tina-

Hullo! Turns out it was a problem with feeding, I increased the feeding and the floating stopped. They are about three inches long, kept at 68-70 degrees, and 15 percent of the water is changed every three days.

Thanks to you both, I'm going to work on getting live bloodworms delivered. The little guys will like the struggle they give, I'm sure.

Hi kvetch,

Excellent news, thanks for the update. Now I think it's getting to be about time for some photos.

-Eva