Bad Reaction to New Tank?

[mjoyal4]

I brought my axolotl to my college dorm yesterday.
Transporting was not the problem. When I got there, he was responsive and like his usual self.

I put the whole Tupperware container in the tank to let the temperatures equalize before I set him in. The tank was a decent 68degrees F ( 20 degrees C) and the Tupperware container was not much warmer.

EDIT: Also, regarding the tank. I let the water sit for 3 days beforehand so there was no chlorine. But the water is from a different city.

When I emptied the Tupperware container, he began to swim what seemed fine then erratically. It looked as though he was trying to bite his tail. Also, he would try to bite at the water. After a bit he settled down on the bottom. I put a little more food in to see if he would eat. He took a few small meek bites and didn't eat any more. This was the first time he did not finish his food.


As of now, he sits at the bottom almost motionless. I have tried to move him gently with my hand. He reacts, but very slowly and unwillingly.
Also, his gills do not look feathery/fuzzy. His, what I guess you may call ribs, can be seen on his body and he seems a bit more veiny than usual. Also, he is approx 4 in (10.16 cm) long.



I hope all this information helps.. I'm really nervous about him/her..


Any help is much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Aaran]

Make sure he has hides, throw a towel over his tank and keep it nice and cool, try to not be too noisey in his room and give it some time to settle

Goodluck, give us a pic of his setup, also give him some time and keep us updated!

 

[mjoyal4]

Here's the tank. The enclosure for him broke on the trip so I placed some blue cardboard in the back and covered that corner with towels. It's bright now but its very dark with the towel.

If you see in the left corner, he is laying there. He stays crooked like that. Doesn't that mean stress?


Also, what should I do if he doesn't eat? How long until I should worry?

 

[Aaran]

Curled asin really curled is a issue, but this doesnt seem bad as yet, if you could put a pot or something in for this guy facing into a corner, as mine love really dark cave like pots, with the food sometimes they can go for weeks without eating, but if he doesnt eat for a few days stick him in the fridge as it prolongs the time it can go without eating

 

[mjoyal4]

I put a cup in there that will do for now until I get something more permanent.

Alright, well I hope he starts eating soon then...

 

[browen33w]

Could this be a ph issue? Is the ph lower here where you are now?

 

[Aaran]

It could depend axolotl's can stand quite the range of ph, obviously not too much but if the waters fit for human consumption i would also presume it be safe for axies xD without the chlorine ofc.

 

[mjoyal4]

it actually is lower, but not by much. It still should be safe for them.

 

[HappySkittles]

Did you just acclimate him to the temperature and not to the water in general? If the PH is much different, the sudden change of dropping him in might shock him.

 

[mjoyal4]

i let the water mix for a little but not as much as I probably should have. I should have for longer. He probably was shocked from it..

 

[danchristopher]

It's possible your new water source may have chloramines in it, letting water sit for a few days will dissipate the chlorine but chloramines need water conditioner.
Have you tested your tank for ammonia? If he's been in there a few days and the tank is cycling there will probably be a presence of ammonia so test your tap water as well - chloramines will often show a false positive for ammonia.
If there are chloramines you'll have to condition the water, I believe most recommend Seachem Prime for axies (the conditioners with aloe vera are designed for fish not axies) but any water conditioner should do.

As suggested, a dark pot hide or something would also be good but the cup should work for the time being
I had a pH issue when I introduced a large piece of wood to my aquarium and my pH dropped fast but my axies didn't seem to be that worried about it, though I definitely wouldn't rule it out. A word of warning though - don't use more chemicals like pH up/down to adjust the pH cause that is a temporary fix and will make matters worse.

Axies signs of stress are normally curled forward gills and curled tip of the tail, like shown here:
Axolotls - Requirements & Water Conditions in Captivity

Hope any of this helps and soon your axie will be on the road to recovery

 

[mjoyal4]

I'll look into a water conditioner then if he doesnt improve soon.
Ammonia levels seemed fine. I can check again to make sure.

His gills aren't curled forward but pushed back right to his body. They also seem smaller if that makes sense. There's also not as much coloration in them.

Thank you and thanks to everyone that's helped me. Any more advice is welcome

Also, when I check on him every now and then, the only way I know he is still alive is his mouth closes and his gills fan up a bit every now and then.

 

[lea]

I always treat my water with prime. If his gill feathers are pale he is most likely a sleep. It can a few days for them to get use to their new tanks. Dont stress too much. Just watch.

 

[mjoyal4]

Okay, well I'll wait a few days then. He crawled into the cup so I'm guessing he will be hiding for some time now.

 

[Icarez]

Hi Matt,

I can rest your mind I think.
I bought my axies when they were about 8cm, and they are almost 15cm now.
I assume when you say veiny you mean blood vessels and you axie is probably white?

They had thesame problems you face, they didn't eat much so I fed them small things like mosquito larves, and they would slowly eat them and that gave them time to settle.

Just make sure it doesn't get to thin, but an axie is a hard guy to get down, I think he will be perfectly fine.

If it's anything like mine, it should be settled / aclimated within a month, and grown to.

Cheers

oh and ps. (this is not about your question) I really believe the flat stones on the bottom of your tank are a no good idea, they look kinda sharp and 1 little burst of panic from your axie can really harm him... They swim really fast and when that happens they are like unguided missiles.

 

[mjoyal4]

Yeah, he is leuristic. Okay, thanks.
Alright, I'll look into replacing them with something safer.

So to update this little fella, today he has ventured out of hiding and is roaming the bottom of the tank. He's not strong enough to swim but this is big progress. He's back to eating blood worms and as I'm writing this, he swam to the top to get a gulp of air.
Things are looking good for him Thanks everyone.