Caudata.org: Newts and Salamanders Portal

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Did you know that registered users see fewer ads? Register today!

Why did they start eating gravel and why wont they stop??

grets66

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
0
Location
Tallinn
We have 2 axies and they are about half a year old and since in the shops they did not sell really big gravel we bought the biggest there was but now for some reason they have started to eat it and Xena keeps eating it a lot and one day I saw her vomiting at least trying to and floating on the surface and then standing upside-down in the middle of the tank....Please help!
We dont knoe what to do and we dont really have anywhere to separate them either, I mean I cant just put them in a bucket or something? We feed them by hand and they both still have a good appetite and I am thinking maybe they want more food if they have started sniffing around on the bottom?Atm we are feeding them every oder day and they both get a small box of these frozen mosquito larvae , sometimes alive ones...Is this enough or shoud they get more food....Herakles could eat as much as you give him , we think :D
I have been thinking about changing the gravel and putting really big stones in and maybe some seashelves that I collected when I was in Spain but ( since we are new with this aquarium thing) then I dont know how will I do this. I mean I have to empty the whole tank then and then were will I keep my axies...and then I dont have enough buckets to keep the water for them...I mean I cant get the gravel out when theres water in it, right?
 

Boo Penguin

New member
Joined
Feb 27, 2011
Messages
507
Reaction score
5
Take the gravel out and replace it with a small layer of sand. I did this for my guy today. Gravel can really clog them up and cause big problems so get it out of there as soon as you can. While your doing that let your axi's chill in the fridge.
 

grets66

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
0
Location
Tallinn
Okei, well I think I dont need to put them in the fridge or why would I even need to do something like this? I am from Estonia and atm the temperature outside at some points is -20 so I had problems keeping the temperature up in their tank:happy:
But dont I need to empty the tank from all the water when I do this or do I just take out some of the gravel and then cover the rest with the sand`?
 

siona

Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2010
Messages
322
Reaction score
5
Location
Kent
I would take out ALL gravel (no sense in risking them hurting themselves by eating more). You can remove the gravel while there's water in it but be prepared for the mess hidden underneath! You might want to put the axies in a bucket or something while you make the switch. If you go with sand, get enough to cover the bottom of the tank (maybe 2-3cm) and rinse it THOROUGHLY before putting it in (this may take a while).

Putting them in the fridge lowers their motabolism, chills them out (literally!) and helps them to pass anything in their digetsive system (like stones) otherwise it can be fatal. So if your guys start getting bloated or sick or stop eating, it may be useful.

hope they feel better!
 

Raziela

New member
Joined
Nov 25, 2010
Messages
59
Reaction score
1
Location
Stoke on Trent
Remove all the gravel and replace with sand. I made the same mistake with Axie and unfortunately lost him almost 2 weeks ago due to him eating gravel and being unable to pass it, don't want the same to happen to your guys :(
 

grets66

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
0
Location
Tallinn
I have replaced the gravel with sand now but the sand doesnt seem to want to settle on the bottom, has anybody any idea how long this can take? I just feel sorry for the guys who are stuck together in a small bowle
 

Erzs

New member
Joined
Jul 12, 2010
Messages
367
Reaction score
14
Location
West Mids
Did you rinse the sand out for so long your arm almost dropped off? It might just be that the sand wasn't rinsed for long enough. How long have you been waiting for it to settle and the water appear clear?
 

grets66

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
0
Location
Tallinn
Ammm...I did not rinse the sand at all because its this very thin and already cleaned sand for reptiles so they told me it would be okei...OMG have I done it wrong again? Ou nooooo....
Well I think it has been like this for 30min already or maybe more and I mean I can see through but its just in general very foggy....Is it okei to but them in it when its like this or not? Or will it stay like this now because of this rinsing...well lack of it???
 

grets66

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
0
Location
Tallinn
The name of the sand is Vitapol , I dont know if this says anything to you?
 
Joined
Aug 14, 2010
Messages
230
Reaction score
7
Location
VA
Reptile sand is generally NOT suitable for aquariums. I'd remove it at this point and look for play sand or true aquarium sand(not marine or cichlid sand). The reptile sand often has additives that will changes your pH, alkalinity, etc. and bother your axie. And chances are won't settle very well. Any sand, regardless of what the pet store tells you, should be well rinsed or expect hours to days of foggyness and will likely clog and break your filter.
 

NachoMom

New member
Joined
Feb 8, 2011
Messages
38
Reaction score
2
Location
Ottawa, Ontario
Yes to restate reptile sand is NOT appropriate for axies (and frequently is misused in reptile tanks as well, but that's another issue) since it typically has calcium and other additives. Vitapol is vitamin enriched and will therefore mess with your water readings, do NOT put your axies in or you risk making the problems worse. Take it out immediately, and if need be you can leave your tank bare until you can get some play sand. Lots of people also choose to leave them bare bottom for ease of cleaning, and this is fine as long as thrr are lots of hides for cover. You should also completely drain your tank since the sand will have leached into it at this point and affected the quality; the damage is already done.
You can get play sand from any hardware store (5 pound bags in Canada run around $1.50-2.00), and is much cheaper than gravel or reptile sand anyway. When you get that, rinse it longer than you think is neccesarry - it's usually good when your arm feels like it's going to fall off haha. Otherwise the sand may settle but whenever your axie moves it will stir it up again and you'll have a permanently cloudy tank. I made the mistake of not running my the first time I used but luckily I was setting up the tank to cycle before purchasing any critters, so It was easy to remove and assured a healthy water reading before introducing the animals.
Hopefully you can get things figured out for your axies, good luck!
 

grets66

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
0
Location
Tallinn
The package says that it is coarse sand without additives. The water has settled now and is quite clear. The axies were a bit stressed right after putting them in, but they have settled down and don't show any sign of stress and they act like they normally do (not trying to eat their surroundings). We just finished feeding them and both of them had an excellent appetite.

Well keep an eye on them for a couple of days and see what happens because we dont want to cause them more stress by changing everything again after just some hours...
 

Kaysie

Site Contributor
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Messages
14,465
Reaction score
110
Location
North Dakota
Reptile sand isn't appropriate because of it's composition. It will dissolve in your water and create a hostile environment for your axolotls. Just because it doesn't LOOK bad doesn't mean it's safe.
 

grets66

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
0
Location
Tallinn
Okei, but isnt it dangerous to change everything already now again and also I dont have 50L of water to put into the tank...I mean it has to stay still for a little while, doesnt it? Wouldnt this upset them even mmore or give them a shock? I mean this would be changing the whole enviroment.....Because there istn a way to get the sand out otherwise , is there?:confused:
 

Kaysie

Site Contributor
Joined
Mar 10, 2003
Messages
14,465
Reaction score
110
Location
North Dakota
It's much less dangerous to change everything than it is to possibly poison their environment.

Really, you need to take the axolotls out, put them in a sterile environment (I use buckets), and get their tank situated first. Then reintroduce them.
 

grets66

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
0
Location
Tallinn
Yes they both live ina 50L tank atm because they are still quite small but we are planning to get them into a bigger one. And I dont know but I went to another animal shop and from there I heard again that these terrarium sands that they sell here can be also used in the aquarium so I havent changed anything yet. Firstly I cant find the proper sand you are talking about and secondly I just dont know who to listen and thirgly my animals seem fine and act as normal....I will keep on investigating and see what I will find and maybe I will find this new sand
 

reneab

New member
Joined
Dec 26, 2010
Messages
21
Reaction score
3
Hi, I understand your confusion when it seems like you are getting mixed messages from people. From my experience, pet shop staff certainly sound like they know what they are talking about but if you read other threads, and from my very own personal experience their knowledge - particularly when it comes to axolotl's- is very limited. My axolotl died a week ago and I have since found out that just about everything the pet shop staff told me was wrong!
There are people on this forum that live and breath axolotl's!! Listen to them - you'll be glad you did.
Try looking online for a supplier of aquarium sand that delivers - or ask the pet shop to order some in.

It's hard when you find out your setup isn't right; there is a lot of mucking around but once you get it sorted then things will be much easier and you will feel good that you have it set up right.

I feel so bad that my axie died because I didnt do the right things (even though I thought I was!)

Good luck :)
 

grets66

New member
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
0
Location
Tallinn
I feel very sorry for you but thank you so much. I will try to find some proper sand as soon as possible and then make the change. Its just so hard to believe that there could be something wrong with this sand when my axies are acting as always and their appetite is really good. I mean you would expect some signs wouldnt you, if something is wrong. But I definetly dont want anything to happen to them.
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Top