Axolotls rear floating

[TallTree01]

Hi everyone, so recently I have noticed my leucistic axolotl has been struggling to stay on the ground. Normally I wouldn't be too worried but it's a recurrent problem. A few days ago he was floating then he sunk, now he's floating again. Are leucistics prone to floating? What can I do to Help him sink again?

 

[HitmanSougo13]

Conspitation likely. Depends on how old the axie is, if it is really young than they may not have the ability to overcome the buoyancy of the water volume in a large tank.

 

[auntiejude]

Is he just floating level, or is he lopsided?

Floating level laterally but with his bum in the air is just a need to poop.
Floating on one side usually indicates air/gas in his digestive system - again it should pass when he poops.

Isolate him from siblings (if he has any) to prevent nipping and add some floating weed - elodea works well - for him to wedge under. Feed him as normal, it should pass.

 

[TallTree01]

I'm not sure how old he is but he's about 6-7 inches long
His tank mates are really sedate, he's the most flamboyant of the three.
There are lots of tall plants which he likes to sit in.
He floats with his tail in the air and his arms pedaling downwards trying to get to the bottom.
Is there a reason that this axolotl is the only one with gas problems? I treat him the same as everyone else.
when he eats he is the most aggressive towards his worms, could he be eating them too fast?

 

[Bette]

Does he snap them up (the worms) from the surface of the water? Could he be gulping air?

 

[TallTree01]

He eats them from the tweezers, he goes up occasionally for air at the surface, is that an issue?

 

[keiko]

Going up for air is normal. Some axies just have more sensitive tummy than others. As long as it's not like that all the time it's fine and will pass on its own.

 

[TallTree01]

He is still floating and looks really stressed. I'm worried that this may need some intervention.

 

[Bette]

Can you post a few good pictures? is he still eating? Is he bloated?

 

[keiko]

He is still floating and looks really stressed. I'm worried that this may need some intervention.

You can put him in a separate container with just enough water to cover him. It usually helps with the stress when they can keep their feet on the bottom. But make sure the water quality and temperature stay good.

 

[TallTree01]

Im not sure if he's blaoted, he looks perfectly healthy to me.
He ate fine this morning.
IMG_1543_zpsq07ev52i.mp4 Video by TallTree01 | Photobucket
There is a video I took this morning of him struggling.
I don't know if i want to put him in a seperate container. He has enough places to sit in his tank I think. He is sitting in the plants at the top of the tank.

 

[keiko]

Looks healthy to me. Probably just some air/gas in the belly. Do you have floating plants? He would probably feel safer if there was at least some cover for him.

 

[TallTree01]

No I don't currently have any floating plants. Which ones do you reccomend keiko?

 

[keiko]

No I don't currently have any floating plants. Which ones do you reccomend keiko?

I currently have water hyacint, water lettuce and Limnobium laevigatum (what ever that's usually called in english). All those seem to work pretty nicely in my tanks. One thing you need to make sure though is that the surface of the water doesn't move too much, most floating plants don't like that and will die. When the environment is good for the plants they grow strong and long roots where the axie can grab a hold of and hang out under the plant for some cover. My wild type loves that even though she has never had any problems with floating. She even laid eggs in the roots and under the plants, which were a pain to try to remove with out damaging the plants...

 

[TallTree01]

Thanks, I'll keep a look out when I go down to the LFS tomorrow for floating plants.
How long does it usually take for an axolotl to pass through a bubble?

 

[iSuzie]

They take a few days to digest food and another day or so to pass it, if he is eating like normal if say a week, but if his food is giving him more has then it could very well be longer. It depends on the cause. Is he only eating earthworms?

 

[TallTree01]

Yeah that's the only thing I feed them. There's a few fish in there that they catch sometimes. The fish don't bother the axolotls.

 

[TallTree01]

I've read that you can stop the Floating by putting the axolotl in a box in the fridge for 8-12 hours. Is this true? How cold should the fridge be?

 

[keiko]

The temperature should stay above 5 C. But you really don't want to put the axie in a fridge just for a few hours. The temperature changes would be very stressful. If you decide to fridge the axie, it should be at least for a few days.

 

[Sweetie]

If the floating is causing the axolotl significant stress - and in the video, yours does seem to be working pretty hard trying to reach the bottom - you could try lowering the water level in the tank to a couple of inches deeper than the lotl is long. Alternatively, move the lotl to a covered container of cool, fresh water (100% changed daily) in a quiet, dark place. The water should be deep enough to keep the axie covered but shallow enough so that it is easy for them to stay on their feet. Feed normally, removing any uneaten food after half an hour. Make sure the temperature stays stable - with a small water volume, rapid fluctuations in temperature are possible. Either of these should be considered before anything as stressful as fridging. All the best.