Axolotl swimming upside-down

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Jamesthenewt

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Hi all,
James here, I have a lovely Axololt who is loving her new home.The tank is 80cm long and the water is cycling.I Have had her for about 4 months now.Recently she has been rising up to the surface and turning upside down.I thought she might be sleeping but I wasn't sure.

Is this a problem?
If so, what can I do to help her.

Thanks :D
James
 
Hello James.

Is she able to correct herself straight away or does she swim upside down for a while.
How old is she.
How long has your new tank been cycling?
Have you noticed her darting around the tank very fast at all?
The only thing I can think right now is that she may have knocked her head and perhaps has some sort of concussion.
Possible other cause could be water quality. Have you tested your water James?
 
hi
she is quite young
the water has been cycling for a long while now
she does swim into the glass but not too fast
I will test the water
Thanks
 
Axolotl floating and can't swim down

Hi all,
James here, I have a axie (Doritoes) who has been recently floating to the top of the water and sometimes turning upside down.I try to push her down but she floats back up again.

I this a problem?
If so, how can I help her?:confused:

Please HELP!

Thanks
James:D
 
Hi James,

Did you test the water? It may be to do with your tank still cycling, and if so, this may be making your axie very ill... Please post your water readings. And good luck
 
Hi sherri
Thank you for replying.My axie's tank water is fine and cycling.I tested it today the results are fine and the water is crystal-clear;)

Any other suggestions?
Thanks
James:D
 
Re: Axolotl floating and can't swim down

It's generally not a good idea to 'gently push' your axie down again. They can bruise easily.

Pop your little one into a container of fresh dechlorinated water, making sure that the water just covers head. This will give you a chance to figure out what's wrong, while hopefully not cause anymore stress to your axie.

Check you water parameters, what are they?
What sort of substrate do you have?
Is there anything in the tank which your axie could have swallowed? (Remember, they can swallow things that are the same size as there head!!)
Is he still eating, or is anything else wrong?
What is the temperature of your water?
 
Jamesthenewt said:
Hi sherri
Thank you for replying.My axie's tank water is fine and cycling.I tested it today the results are fine and the water is crystal-clear;)

Any other suggestions?
Thanks
James:D
Click to expand...

Hi James,

How long has the tank been cycling? You mentioned you've moved the axolotl to a new home. Did you transfer everything from the old tank to the new tank or did you start the new tank from scratch?

While the tank is cycling the Ammonia and Nitrite will spike, these toxins are very dangerous to the axolotls if they test over '0'. The Ammonia and Nitrite need to spike for the cycling to happen, but while these toxins are present they need to be dilluted by partial DAILY water changes to keep them to acceptable levels for the axolotls living in this water.

The water being 'crystal clear' does not mean there is no problem with the water as Ammonia and Nitrite are also 'crystal clear' and you will not see them if they are present.

Could you please post the readings?
 
hi Jack
I started my tank off from scratch and did not move tanks.I have put my axie in the fridge for 3 days and i have bought bigger pebbles aswell.There are no amonia and nitrites in the water.I think she may need to burp or has a swimming problem.

Thanks
James:smile:
 
Re: Axolotl floating and can't swim down

Hi Kira
Thanks for your reply.My water tempeparature is 17-18c.The water has been cycling for a long time and there are no nitrites or amonia.She is still eating and is still brainy.I have put her in the fridge for 3 days to see if that helps.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks
James:D
 
Re: Axolotl floating and can't swim down

If there are no nitrites or ammonia your tank shouldn't be cycling. What's your nitrate level? Anything above 60 can cause problems.

Like I said before, is there anything in your tank which could have been swallowed? Anything the size of their head or smaller CAN be swallowed and should be removed. What is you substrate?

When you say she is turning upside down, do you mean onto her back or with her nose pointing down like she was 'diving'?

Floating can also be caused by the need to burp or poo. If this was the case then you don't need to worry. Also, axies seem to just want to float sometimes for no reason at all. If she is still eating and looking good (other then the floating) then things are probably ok.
 
Re: Axolotl floating and can't swim down

Jamesthenewt said:
The water has been cycling for a long time and there are no nitrites or amonia.
Click to expand...

Hi James,

1. How long is 'for a long time'? Cycling can take one to three months to complete.

2. What type of test kits are you using? Test tube kits or Test Strips? Test strips are notorious for giving the wrong readings.

3. How frequently are you doing water changes and how much water are you replacing each time?

Axolotls release a lot of wastes and if you have large stones as substrate a lot of grot will accumulate underneath which can cause water quality problems.

4. Are you moving the stones to clean under them? I would recommend you change the substrate to sand or have a bare bottom tank.

The main causes for floating are water quality issues and impaction. Impaction occurs when an axolotl swallows a rock.

5. Has there ever been any small rocks in the tank with the axolotl?

6. Is there any water movement going on in the tank? Axolotls prefer still water - if there is a current this may be stressing the axolotl and making him float.

The axolotl will also float 'on occasion' due to gas, constipation, water movement stress, stress and just for the hell of it. If the axolotl is 'constantly' floating and can't touch the ground then there is a problem that needs to be fixed.

7. Is the axolotl constantly floating or occasionally floating?

8. Is the axolotl eating?

If you could answer each of the above numbered questions, it will help us to help you. :happy:

Cheers Jacq.
 
hi jacq
Thanks for the reply.

My axie is still eating
I use EASY TEST AQUARIUM LIQUID TEST KIT - NITRITE
The water has been cycling for about 3 months and my axie loves the home
I changed the gravel to bigger pebbles
The water is still but my filter makes a flow which my axie is sometimes blown away with the current
My axie is still moving
I have put her in the fridge and will be taking her out tomorrow or in 2 days
I suck all the waste under the gravel when cleaning the tank
When my axie was in the tank she would float but tried to swim down and then she would float again
I suck a quarter of the water level then fill it back up with safe , healthy water
My temparature is 17-18c
If you reccomend to get some sand would it be possible if you could tell me a website where I could buy some sand for the tank

Thanks
James:D
 
James the type of sand they use in childrens sand pits is fine. Just rinse it through to get rid of the very very fine particles. Around 1-2 inches deep is fine.

You have me wondering about your filter now. What type of filter is it?
You say she gets blown away by the current which makes me wonder if she isn't just getting knocked off balance whilst swimming hence the upside down swimming.
 
Jamesthenewt said:
The water is still but my filter makes a flow which my axie is sometimes blown away with the current
Click to expand...

Hi James,

Some filters have an adjustable outtake pipe (this pipe is where the water comes out of the filter). Are you able to turn the filter outtake pipe so the flow is shooting at a tank wall rather than through the water? If it is not adjustable, can you put a plant or other object in front of the flow to break the current so the axolotl is not disturbed by the flow?

Axolotls find moving water to be very stressful and this may be why your axie is floating.
 
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