isomudkip
New member
I have a 20 gallon long, bare-bottom tank filled about 70% with water. I have an aquarium fan that keeps the water between 64 and 66 degrees. I regularly add water due to evaporation. I have a Fluval 30 Filter with a sponge pre-filter on the intake tube that regularly gets rinsed/replaced depending on its condition. I do about a 30% water change every week. I use an API Testing Kit every day to verify that the water parameters are good. It is typically 7.8-8.0 pH, 0.0 to 0.25 ammonia, 0.0 nitrite, and 5.0 to 20.0 nitrate. I rinse the filter in tank water every few weeks to dislodge any sludge. I use a net and a turkey baster to remove waste from the tank when I see it.
Within the tank, I have 1 6-inch diameter terracotta pot that I cut in half, sanded, and soaked before introducing it to the tank, one java fern attached to a nicely sized piece of driftwood that was boiled before introduction, and one moss ball that floats around freely. I did have an anubias plant tied to a river rock, but it kept getting detached and I worried that my Axolotl would eat the fishing line that I used to attach it. I have pulled that out, but still have it in water near the tank in case I come up with another strategy. The final things within my tank are a thermometer and a very small air stone connected to a 20 gallon pump. It makes very nice bubbles towards the back of the tank and the Axolotl seems to really enjoy playing with them and the java fern.
I adopted my Axolotl, Mudkip, the week of July 4th. We are going on two months together. They were about 4 inches long when adopted. They have grown significantly and typically have a tummy around the same thickness as their head. They were raised on salmon pellets and were regulary eating at least 6-8 every day.
Over the past 7-10 days, we have been seeing less poop and much less eating. There were a couple of small, stringy poops, but nothing major in over a week. Most days he will eat 2 pellets. There were one or two days over the past week where they ate 4 or 5. There were also some days where they didn't eat any pellets at all. I am beginning to worry that maybe they are no longer interested in the pellets or that they are getting sick. Their skin color and gills look very good. Gills are much, much fuller since adoption. They easily can swim around the tank with no floating. There was one day were I saw a bit of a curled tail, but I have not noticed stress in any other way.
I was reading some forums on Reddit where folks said that their Axolotls went through a sort of adolescent stage, and that they eventually regained their appetite. Others have tried to change to feeding worms from another food source. I just want to be sure that I am doing everything right and that their aren't any major concerns at this point. Any advice is welcome and appreciated!
Within the tank, I have 1 6-inch diameter terracotta pot that I cut in half, sanded, and soaked before introducing it to the tank, one java fern attached to a nicely sized piece of driftwood that was boiled before introduction, and one moss ball that floats around freely. I did have an anubias plant tied to a river rock, but it kept getting detached and I worried that my Axolotl would eat the fishing line that I used to attach it. I have pulled that out, but still have it in water near the tank in case I come up with another strategy. The final things within my tank are a thermometer and a very small air stone connected to a 20 gallon pump. It makes very nice bubbles towards the back of the tank and the Axolotl seems to really enjoy playing with them and the java fern.
I adopted my Axolotl, Mudkip, the week of July 4th. We are going on two months together. They were about 4 inches long when adopted. They have grown significantly and typically have a tummy around the same thickness as their head. They were raised on salmon pellets and were regulary eating at least 6-8 every day.
Over the past 7-10 days, we have been seeing less poop and much less eating. There were a couple of small, stringy poops, but nothing major in over a week. Most days he will eat 2 pellets. There were one or two days over the past week where they ate 4 or 5. There were also some days where they didn't eat any pellets at all. I am beginning to worry that maybe they are no longer interested in the pellets or that they are getting sick. Their skin color and gills look very good. Gills are much, much fuller since adoption. They easily can swim around the tank with no floating. There was one day were I saw a bit of a curled tail, but I have not noticed stress in any other way.
I was reading some forums on Reddit where folks said that their Axolotls went through a sort of adolescent stage, and that they eventually regained their appetite. Others have tried to change to feeding worms from another food source. I just want to be sure that I am doing everything right and that their aren't any major concerns at this point. Any advice is welcome and appreciated!
