Floating

J

jay

Guest
I know floating is caused by stress, but what kind of stress causes floating?

My axie Madison was always floating before he died and i think Cookie might have caught what madison had which i think was either Red Leg or Hemorhagic Septicimia.

Please help i don't want cookie dieing aswell. Also cookie isn't eating

(Message edited by jay_coward on April 14, 2007)
 
I asked in your other thread if Cookie has the tailfin disppearing!

Some axies do float, mine occasionally float within/under the plastic plants. I don't take it for granted that they always have done! I am always testing our tanks on a regular weekly basis to ensure nothing is wrong with water parameters.

If your water is warmer (ie 22C+) that can stress your axie, there is also less oxygen in warmer water which is why Cookie could be at the top trying to get oxygen = it is more ideal to try and keep/maintain it below 20C.

If there are two axies with problems, tailfin and floating, I suggest moving them to a container of dechlorinated water - lower the water for the one that's floating - and change daily. If unable to keep their temperatures below 20C then place them in the fridge. This will alleviate any stress.
 
That's what i done with Madison but he died cause he never ate. Only cookie has the problem
 
There may have been other issues with Madison.

If you keep your axies in warmer water all the time chances are their immune systems will lower which means they can get stressed, sick and/or fungus.

Fridging your axies doesn't mean they will all die. I still worry when any of ours go in the fridge, but know its the best place if they're stressed/sick.

Is your weather cooling down at all? If it is then just putting her in another container of dechlorinated water, lower it so she doesn't float, and change majority of it daily may help.
 
Its cool now. My temp has gone from 26-30 to 23-24. I was just thinking though is Cookie isn't eating now that if i put her in cold water that her metabolism will slow down and she won't eat at all. Madison did have a disease and i'm not sure if its contageous.

I can put Cookie in the fridge but she's pretty thin and i want Cookie to start eating again. Any ideas to make her start eating?
 
Did you test your water parameters?

How old is Cookie and do you know how cold your fridge is as while she has a floating issue and tailfin receding the fridge might be good for a few days just to calm her down. As your temperatures have been hot last few months, it can all be related, some axies don't show it for a while, others get stressed/show it immediately. Cookie may just have taken longer before its shown. May not necessarily be what Madison had, so don't go all out and put medicine in your tank. Isolating her so she's in cool dechlorinated water changed daily will help, as 23C-24C is still high for an axie.

One step at a time, so to speak :D She may very well start eating once her floating problem is sorted.
 
I didn't have time for the parametres today but i will do if first thing tomorrow.

My fridge goes down to 10C. I have had Cookie for about 3.5-4 months but i don't know how old she was when i got her. She has just started to get white toes though so i'd say she was 3 months or so when i got her. I'll get her in the fridge.

It's funny that Shifter who's older doesn't seem to be affected at all. Is it true that the older the axie the stronger they are?
 
If your fridge is round 10C then she should if she calms down still be able to eat. Mine is at 5C and don't eat; but had one of my sister's babies in (1.5inch at the time) our fridge and it devoured the mozzy larvae I;d also left in the tub with him/her; so just our older axies that don't eat at 5C.

Shifter may be stronger, it depends on axie, may take longer to effect one axie compared to another.

Just see how she goes in the fridge and try offering a bit of food/leave it in the container about an hour before the waterchange - see if she'll eat it. If she doesn't persist daily round same time. Once her body has had time to calm/destress from not floating she may be more inclined to eat.
 
Great Thanks Kapo.

The parametres are:

P.H 7.6

Ammonia 0

Nitrite 0

Nitrate 10
 
When i was changing Cookies water he slipped out of my hands on to the table then walked off on to the floor. She seems to be ok but do you think she will have internal bleeding or something. I can't use the net cause it won't fit in the container.
 
The best way to change the water in small containers is to just put your hand over the edge and pour the water out, while keeping the axolotl in the tub. She'll be out of the water momentarily, but as long as you quickly pour the fresh water back in, it shouldn't be too much of a stress.

Axolotls will stop eating when it gets too warm as well. If they're stressed for any reason, they may go off food.

(Message edited by Joan on April 17, 2007)
 
She still hasn't eaten and looks like a pencil. Also her left sided gills are smaller then her right side ones?????
 
When was the last time she ate? Also, yesterdays fall may have been a bit of a shock to her system. I did something similar when we first got ours. What sort of foods have you tried to entice her with?
 
I can't remember the last time she ate actually. It would have been over a week now. I feed them frozen blood worms and axolotl pellets. I tried earthworms a while ago but they didn't really go for them. All the worms died before they got into the tank and the were only a bit bigger then a thin piece of rope.

Also since Cookie was put in the fridge Shifter started floating. This is really annoying now. Soon Shifter won't eat then they will all die. I am really angry. Shifter is my first and Favourite. I really don't want these two to die. If they do i won't have any axies left
sad.gif
 
If he is floating, do the same take him out and fridge him.

Might pay to try other things to encourage eating. If you have any earthworms, rather than waste a whole one, cut the tail end off (about a cm) and see if they'll eat; try little slivers of red meat ; or live blackworm or live bloodworms, if your petstore gets them). Persevere, it may take a while, and just rotate/try the different foods as well as what she usually ate. If you're squeamish about any cutting/handling of worms just think of Cookies and Shifters welfare, if it will help.

A week to two weeks isn't long (ours when sick took 7 weeks before starting again (also looked pencil thin) but very anaemic looking, like little grey ghosts!

Remember she did have a shock the other day. The small gills not sure, I would have said water quality but your parameters appear ok. Maybe get your tankwater tested at the LFS/petshop to see if they differ or are same.

(Message edited by kapo on April 18, 2007)
 
I don't have enough containers to put Shifter in. He isn't floating anymore and he eats. I have 4 adult Mystery Snails. Do you think those guys could be part of the stress? I tried to feed Cookie again and she won't eat. How long did it take for Your guys to eat. Also if they get hungry enough will they just eat to stay alive? I have got gravel in my tank, but i've been waiting to get some sand. Also cleaning the sand will be hard due to water restrictions, but don't worry i'm still getting sand. I need a way to swap the gravel with sand without having to cycle the tank again. Anyway do you think the gravel would play a part. I think it my have started the not eating?
 
If your axolotl is 'the size of a pencil' then it's not eaten in a LOT longer than a week.

Mine have gone up to a month without eating while in their tank, and shown no ill signs. My guess is there's something underlying. If you failed to quarantine a new axolotl and introduced it to the tank, it very well may have had a contagious disease which has spread to the others.

And I'm not sure how you mean all the earthworms died before getting to the tank. My earthworms live for months in my fridge, and can live for hours (sometimes days, to my surprise) underwater. Even outside of the fridge, they should survive a few days.
 
I mean they were dead in the container.

I did put Madison in the tank after a week cause its temperary tank gets hot all the time. Madison had a disease. It was either Red Leg or Hemorhagic Septicemia
 
Jay, did you have a necropsy done on the axolotl? If not, you cannot accurately diagnose the disease.

If you put a diseased animal in a tank with healthy animals, chances are it will have transferred the disease on to the healthy animals.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Back
    Top