Floating exo

C

christina

Guest
Hi everyone, my pink axo is not well. She shares a very large tank with a male black axo, who is totally fine. For the last 8 days she hasn't eaten and has been floating on the surface. We changed the water yesterday, but that hasn't helped. She keeps swimming to the surface and gulping air and swims - frantically - around and around the surface of the tank. We've taken her out and put her in a bucket and she's even floating in that. Her gills look awful and obviously she's very thin. We think she may have a small cut underneath her, probably from swimmming into her cave hard and hurting her underside.

We've lowered the temperature in the tank and since we've done that the other axo has eaten (he hadn't eaten much either, but wasn't floating), but it doesn't seem to have helped her.

Any ideas? It's awful seeing her being so stressed.
 
How long have you had them? Is this there first time in your tank? I assume that she _was_ eating fine before this happened?

You said you lowered the temperature--what temperature is the tank? By "her gills look awful"--what exactly do you mean?
 
If her gills are really short, it might cause her to gulp air more often.
 
We've had Dune (the pink one) for a few years. Giddy the black one, is newer, probably only 8 months or so. Dune's been in that tank for ages and we haven't had a problem with the tank before, it's very, very large and they have heaps of room. We normally change the water every 4 weeks and my partner tests it. This time, we changed the water after only 2 weeks, but it hasn't helped.

The water temperature was at 24 C but we've lowered it to 21 C using picnic ice blocks. Since the temp lowered the other axo started eating again (he hadn't eaten for a few days either, but the weather has been really hot in Melbourne, otherwise, he's fine), but Dune still won't eat and continues to float. I've removed her and got her in a bucket now, in case something in the tank is stressing her, but she's still floating.

Her gills used be full and healthy looking and now they are all sort of thin and tatty - nothing like they were before.

A friend who has had plenty of axos thought it could be gas in the stomach, so I have wrapped her in a tea towel and squeezed her tummy gently, but that doesn't seem to have helped either.

I'm at a loss to know what to do...she is so skinny and frail :-(

Christina
 
I have put her in the fridge, as many on here suggest. I've covered the top of the container, should I punch holes in it, or is there enough oxygen in there?

Christina
 
You should, just a few anyway. This isn't really necessary, but helps with circulation of air. After a few days in the fridge, she should stop floating. She probably won't eat while in the fridge, but it's a good thing to offer food anyway.
 
Thanks for that Joan. I was relieved to find her still alive this morning - I know lots of people say the fridge is fine, but it just seemed a bit barbaric and I was worried it would kill her....fingers crossed......
 
is she still in the fridge? Its good that she's still alive.
 
Christina, I was worried about putting Stella in the fridge but apparently axolotls used to live in mountain lakes in the wild (they are now endangered in the wild) which sometimes froze over. Pet-shop workers used to tell me "Axolotls come from Mexico, it's hot over there, you don't need a chiller!", but now I have a come-back, by telling them that they lived in lakes that never really had water temp above 20c.

Just make sure the fridge isn't really really cold. I had mine set at about 10c.

Hey, just noticed you're from Melbourne! Where did you get your axies from?
 
Yes, 10c is a good temperature to have them at in yor fridge.
 
Hi Jordan - yes, she's still in the fridge. Temp is about 6 degrees, so I could turn it up? I kept it cool as an animal scientist friend of mine, who used to have axolotls, told me she kept hers outside and in winter used to crack the ice on the surface of their pond - and when she measured it, the temp was 1 degree C!!!

Hi Casey - Both axies came from Pet Wonderland on the corner of Chapel Street and High Street in Prahran.

I have organised to have a phone consultation with a vet who apparently specialises in axies...hopefully later today. She hasn't eaten still, I was hoping the decrease in temp would help her appetite....fingers crossed.

Thanks for your input everyone, much appreciated.

Christina
 
Update - Monday 14th

Dune has been in the esky for the last few days - we felt the fridge was a bit cold for her, it was between 3.5 and 5 degrees.

Since her stay in the esky, her gills have grown back and she's looking much better....but she passed something a bit odd looking earlier today (mind you, I've never seen an axie's waste product before) and she still hasn't eaten
sick.gif
It's two weeks to the day since she last consumed any food.

We found out what was wrong. I ignored my partner's pleas that the water was "fine" and took it in to be tested....it was 6.1 and the shop said that she'd been burnt and that's why she was trying to escape from the water the whole time. She was gulping air from the surface because she couldn't breathe through her gills as they'd been burnt too. Poor little thing. I hope she comes good.

Christina
 
pH, Jordan.

Try adding some limestone to your tank, Christina. This will help bring the pH back up, and will also buffer it. Well-established, older tanks have a tendancy to get more acidic as time goes on, so you may want to take out your substrate, or most of your decorations, and clean them all off, and reestablish your bacterial colony.

Down to 4C is okay temperature for axolotls. Any lower and I would worry a bit, but down to that low is just fine.

While she's in the fridge, she probably won't eat. Every couple of days, take her out and sit her on the counter, letting her warm up to room temperature, and then offer food. I've had axolotls go 2 weeks or more without eating, and usually they pull through fine. Just keep offering food.
 
How do yuo know that it is pH? She never said it was. I was asking Christina. Sure you might be right, but she never specified what it was that was 6.1
 
Jordan, considering Christina was talking about the water it's obvious she means ph. Learn to listen to the experience of others
 
Excellent question Jordan, the answer would be because experience points to 6.1 being pH. As it is unlikely you would measure anything else in an aquarium on a numeric scale. Other than occupants of course.

If you do not mind a personal question. Why do you have such a problem with people with more experience giving you advice? You seem to immediately go off on a rant and take it as a personal attack upon yourself, when it is merely people relaying the answer to your question.

And before you rant once more this is not attack Jordan time. No one attacks Jordan. I will point out though that you are not winning any points on the popularity scale. We are all here to learn. Learning begins with listening and taking in advice, not taking umbrage and attacking the person who posts advice.

Soon people will begin to stop responding to you at this rate. We only wish you and everyone else to have the best possible advice available for yourself and your charges.
 
I have no problem with anyone Jeff, i was just asking a simple question and how she knew that. I never saw in her post "pH". I enjoyed your post though still. I know im not one to talk but stick to the subject please. Thank you
 
<font color="ff0000">Jordan, if I see or hear any more trouble from you, I will site-ban you. I've had enough of hearing complaints and reading your bad manners and bad advice. This isn't negotiable, and the decision is mine to make freely. This is your final warning and it's from the top. If you think this is unfair, tough luck. Change your ways and manners right now, or you'll be banned.</font>
 
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