Why is he floating and swimming around crazy ?

[rexx]

Hi,

I know my water isnt the best at the moment:

PH: 6.6
Ammonia: 1.5
Nitrite: .5
Nitrate: 0 (but it starting to rise).

But why is my axolotl being very restless? is it because he is after air ? he is swimming around crazy, and then he will float at the top of the tank or get lazy and just let himself go and little the little current of the tank move him around.

He is happily eating so i know that is a good sign!

 

[Boo Penguin]

Ammonia is a little high and pH is a little low. How is the temp.. they are mor active at high temps!

A video of his behavior would be helpful

 

[rexx]

Ammonia is a little high and pH is a little low. How is the temp.. they are mor active at high temps!

A video of his behavior would be helpful

The temp is ..... roughly 24c . i know that is a little high , but when i compare it to what the tanks are in the shops i consider that good! theyre axolotls are at 27ish and they are happy !

ive attached a vid best of what i could get ... towards the end you see him just float a bit

Should i put some PH up into the tank to get it to about 7?? or just leave it. I was told to leave the tank a little dirty to get rid of the ammonia , is this true ?


YouTube - Axolotl swim

 

[Cas]

On the really hot days before buying a chiller my axie would act like this also the water was 23/24 degrees.

I assume you mean by leaving the tank dirty you mean don't clean wastes? Thats actually only going to increase your ammonia problems. To immediately lower ammonia perform a 15-20% water change, if your tank is still cycling (you say nitrates are rising) then you will need to continue small water changes each day to keep ammonia low (and always remove wastes/left over food).

 

[rexx]

On the really hot days before buying a chiller my axie would act like this also the water was 23/24 degrees.

I assume you mean by leaving the tank dirty you mean don't clean wastes? Thats actually only going to increase your ammonia problems. To immediately lower ammonia perform a 15-20% water change, if your tank is still cycling (you say nitrates are rising) then you will need to continue small water changes each day to keep ammonia low (and always remove wastes/left over food).

Thats the thing, i was constantly cleaning up after my axie had eaten and left little bits of beef heart etc. (i try and feed him worms because it is more clean and he likes them better)
But for the lady to tell me to let my tank get a little dirty to drop the ammonia! And i was doing water changes daily up until probably tuesday.

 

[Colinna]

Some shop people don't really know what they are talking about unfortunately.

Food and other bits of waste (poop etc) will increase ammonia. So I would personally clean up all the waste and do a 20% water change.

Good luck!

 

[Boo Penguin]

Higher temps make axi's more active. I always try to keep my tank cool, I'm even ordering a chiller for next summer.

I wouldn't put too much pH up in it if you decide to, swift pH changes aren't good for our little friends.

If its a new tank then its probably cycling which would explain the ammonia. Keep doing partial water changes every day and if you have another tank thats been running a while put some of the filter media from that into your new tanks filter... thats if you have one. Your tank will cycle without it but it will take longer. If nitrate is present though cycling is nearly done.

As for the floating and erratic swimming it didn't look too bad on the video. My guy does that sometimes; then settles. The floating could be constipation... if it continues you can try putting him in the fridge for a day or so to see if he poops.

As a question how long have you had him? How were the conditions he was kept in previous to you getting him?

 

[Boo Penguin]

Oh as an extra note... he's a very pretty color!!!

 

[iChris]

@rex

what aquarist told you to do this? and what shop? I'm also in perth.

leaving a little waste in the tank will stimulate the biological filter bed to grow and better process ammonia into less harmful substances, but can be bad for your axie's health so don't try it.

something in the water is annoying him that's for sure.

 

[rexx]

As a question how long have you had him? How were the conditions he was kept in previous to you getting him?

I've had him for about 3 weeks now or so ... and i can say the shop i got him from, well their temps are up about 27ish! and all their axies live happily. I buy my axies and their food from better pets and gardens chris . but always come here for info as you guys all know what you are talking about un like them!

Im currently looking for a 2ft - 3ft tank and going to set up a new tank for my little guy so i can also get a white and black axie. Is it true that the black ones are more agressive ... and when it comes to food more agressive? or was i being fooled? if anything my gold one looked like the agressive one in the tank from the shop i got him from!

 

[Colinna]

I'm not sure about black ones being more aggressive. Although just going by my experience with mine...my albino is more aggressive than my black. I watched today as my albino had a go at my black, first time I've seen it.

In saying that, they both happily climb all over each other all the time and they are both snoozing under a log together at the moment.

My fish shop keeps their Axi's at 25 deg C as well. They told me that the breeder keeps them at this as well. Not sure how true that is since they are cold water species.

 

[Bellabelloo]

24 degrees is too high, especially when the water conditions are poor. 27 degrees is certainly too high, the pet shop is being very irresponsible.
The best thing really is to remove your little axolotl from the tank and place him somewhere cooler, in a container where you can do daily water changes with fresh dechlorinated water. In the mean time get your tank cycled .
This link will help :-
Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling

 

[mewsie]

What a pretty colour!

I think that all these 'it's not ideal-s' are adding up and you could end up with a serious problem if you don't address things now.

All 3 of mine have moments where they feel a bit frisky and swim about like mad, but thats normal for them, and I know the tank parameters are ideal, because I'm obsessive about it.
I would follow Julias advice about taking him out for a while and getting the tank perfect before introducing him back into it.

Looking at the vid - I can't tell how much of that current is caused by axie swimming about - could you post a vid when he's still, too? That might not be helping.

Re: Temp - Just because a pet shop does something wrong, doesn't mean if we do it slightly less wrong it'll be ok!

As a sort of side note, his tank looks a little bit, well, boring! He could even be trying to find somewhere to hide. I know you have the pipe, but it's white, and therefore a good shelter, but he might not feel very hidden!
I know mine absolutely LOVE small, dark spaces. I don't think claustrophobia is something axies have to worry about, haha!

Have a look around on the forum at other peoples tanks, and see if theres anything you fancy trying for his tank. Dark spaces, hides, plants etc - I also think you'd find your axie a thousand times more entertaining than he already is, they don't half do some funny things (dangling from plants by a toe etc). So think 'lake bottom' and I reckon he'll thank you for it.

Make sure it's easy to clean though, I think we've said before, tons of pebbles is a nightmare. At the bottom of a lake there'd be other critters to clean this stuff up!

So, as I was saying, anything that isn't ideal, should be addressed, and get him out of that unhealthy water until it's under control. Having a cycled tank is good piece of mind. Plus, I'd stop listening to ANY advice that pet shop gives you, unless it's repeated on here!

Hope that helps, you've got a gorgeous axie there, makes me want to traipse across Scotland to find a golden, so keep him happy and healthy (and me jealous) for a very long time!

 

[rexx]

As a sort of side note, his tank looks a little bit, well, boring! He could even be trying to find somewhere to hide. I know you have the pipe, but it's white, and therefore a good shelter, but he might not feel very hidden!
I know mine absolutely LOVE small, dark spaces. I don't think claustrophobia is something axies have to worry about, haha!

his tank use to be full of pebbles and plants but due to him getting a little sick i removed everything. I have a new tank now which i am about to do up , and put him into once the tank has cycled :happy:

 

[animalloversfb]

Hi,

I know my water isnt the best at the moment:

PH: 6.6
Ammonia: 1.5
Nitrite: .5
Nitrate: 0 (but it starting to rise).

But why is my axolotl being very restless? is it because he is after air ? he is swimming around crazy, and then he will float at the top of the tank or get lazy and just let himself go and little the little current of the tank move him around.

He is happily eating so i know that is a good sign!

The temp is ..... roughly 24c . i know that is a little high , but when i compare it to what the tanks are in the shops i consider that good! theyre axolotls are at 27ish and they are happy !

I agree with everyone else, but that high of ammonia is VERY dangerous to your axolotl and the higher the temperature, the worse the effects. You mention he's been ill, so keeping his water quality up is very important to keep him healthy. The shop who told you to let the water get dirty is wrong when you are cycling a tank WITH an animal in it. I'd do a very large water change asap and get the ammonia down to a more tolerable leve(under .25).

 

[Kaysie]

I have to put in my $0.02. There's no way to guage the 'happiness' of an axolotl.

Anthropomorphosizing animals is at least ineffective, and at most downright dangerous. You have no idea if those animals are fulfilling all of their life needs by just glancing at them in a tank. To really know if an animal is healthy (the closest equivalent to being 'happy'), you have to know how well it's eating, whether or not it's going through all its biological functions, whether or not it's willing to breed, etc.

24C is far too warm for an axolotl. If you keep it at sustained temperatures of that height, it will likely get stressed and die. You've already lost one axolotl, so why risk losing another?