Choking! help!!

[amy]

my baby axie looks like hes choking. he keeps opening his mouth looking like hes trying to dislodge something and then trying to swallow whatever it is back down again. i cant see anything in his mouth at all when he opens it. hes about 5 months old now and around 3.5". hes the first baby axie ive raised by hand and i really wouldnt want to lose him now

any ideas?

 

[amy]

ok guys. i really need your help. in the past couple of hours his gills have gone bolt upright like the pic on the info pages of when there is a storng current in the tank but i know thats not the problems. hes also started trashing around in an uncoordinated way, unlike normal (if you could call that coordinated). anyway, hes really not looking happy. ive recently put in some new plants in the tank with him but washed them all off before they went in. ive put him in some fresh water for now to see if that cheers him up but i dont know what else to do. i dont wanna lose my baby!

 

[andrew]

Have you tested your water?

The regurgitating thing you are talking about is quite common. Mine do that with earthworms that are still wiggling in their belly.

Is it possible that he's swallowed something nasty like a rock/pebble?

 

[amy]

maybe a bit of a plant? hes only got sand in there with him although he did seem to be chuffing on that earlier on. are there any plants you shouldnt put with axies? i havent tested the water but i did a 50% change yesterday and he seemed deliriously happy until almost the second i put the plants in. he really is the happiest little axie i have ever known until this little blip. such a shame to see him in that state. i suppose the gills have gone up because of general stress from gagging and thrashing about. ive tried offering him some food but it just made him jump around again, hes not so spastic as he was before since being in the new water but hes still not right.
thanks for the help

 

[isobel]

hi i resently put new plants in my tank and within a few days i lost my baby boy, the plants went and i got silk ones they also made the water bad i think you have to be so careful when adding new things to tank. i hope he gets better.
my other older one yawns its quite strange to watch but he seems fine.

 

[amy]

well, he seems much better today. hes only in a little tub so theres not much room for him to throw a fit but hes definately improved and i didnt see him jumping about at all. his gils also look like theyve gone back down to how they were which is a good sign. ill change all the water, give the plants another clean and keep a close eye. if he starts going funny again ill move the plants out for good. ill keep you updated how it goes!
thanks again

(Message edited by blinky000 on January 06, 2006)

 

[stipe]

Dont add plants until youve had them in a isolation tank before adding them, they will msotly always contain some parasite or bacteria on them you dont want to have in your fish tank.

Your axie has the same problem as mine, he chuck random fits too, i think its a parasite like an anchor worm etc.

 

[joan]

Take the plants out. If you can get ahold of a potassium permanganate solution, this is great for getting rid of snails and other creepy crawlies. If not, rinse them under running water for 10 minutes or so. Do a big water change in the tank, and change the carbon if you've got a carbon filter. Keep us updated.

(Message edited by joan on January 06, 2006)