Axie acting weird

[Shawn91]

My Axie's been acting quite weird lately. He seems more passive than usual, somewhat lazier. It eats, but I think it has problem breathing. It contracts its gills from time to time, like 5 second intervals. I suppose it may be the filter pumping too hard, but when i pull out the plug and the filter stops, my axie swims to the surface to get some air. What's wrong with him? Are there toxins in the water? I have toxivec so I could just remove it at any time....but I'll rather wait for your response/advice.-

 

[Kaysie]

By pumping the gills, they're able to move fresh, oxygenated water past the gills without getting up and moving. This is completely normal.

However, you should not be using chemicals in your tank in order to remove 'toxins'. This will only be a temporary solution, and will cause long-term issues.