Are they dying??

[kkatxo]

I just got two 3 inch axolotls on Tuesday... a leucistic & a black melanoid. They seemed to be doing great until today. I cleaned their tank & put in a new filter (the original one had too heavy of a flow). After putting them back into their tank they seem... not good. It's about 1:42 PM now & I'm normally not home during this time of the day so I'm not sure if this is like their "down time" but they are not moving at all. They are completely still except when they come up for air. The leucistic is also looking very white... when she is normally pretty pink.

ADVISE PLEASE. I'M FREAKING OUT.

 

[kkatxo]

The tank temp. is at 64 F & all of the ammonia, nitrite, nitrate & PH levels are good.

 

[Kirzzin]

Axolotls don't generally move a lot unless they're spooked, as they get older, they become a lot lazier looking. I've noticed when my juveniles are sleeping or in lazy mode, they look a lot less colorful than when they are awake and eating. My leucistic's gills definitely look more pale
But, I don't think your axies should be "coming up for air."

 

[LoriML]

It's normal for them to relax at the bottom or hide. That's why it's important to provide hides for them. They aren't fish, which swim constantly. As long as you're not seeing signs of stress such as very curled tip of the tail and super curled forward gills, they're most likely ok. You may find one is more active than the other, or that they are more active in the evening. Keep an eye on the water conditions. It's also normal for them to come to the top for a gulp of air occasionally. Or flick their gills. It's when they do it every few seconds for an extended amount of time that you may be concerned.

 

[Skudo09]

Axolotls tend to be quite lazy and will often sit in one place and not move much. Juveniles tend to be more active than adults but the behaviour is not something I would worry too much about. When they are more active, they have increased blood flow which gives them more colour. When they have been inactive they have decreased blood flow so will often appear more pale in colour.

Was your tank cycled before you changed the filter and did you keep the filter media from the old filter? By replacing the filter and its media you will have taken a large portion of the beneficial bacteria colonies that maintain the cycle and very likely caused the cycle to crash (if one was established). Keep a very sharp eye on the parameters.

 

[LoriML]

Are they doing ok still? Just checking in