Floaty alpine shrimp

[deedee71]

Hi

My alpine newt just floats about. Occasionally I see her struggle to the bottom of the tank, but not often. She is usually climbing the glass or just floating.

I thought it was bloat at first but she doesn't seem puffed up.

Could it be poor water quality? I have neocardinia shrimp and they are fine...

What things do I need to look at in order to improve her condition please?

Thanks in advance

Dee

Ps ten gallon tank with bog wood, plenty of Java fern and elodea and tonnes of pesky duckweed. Corner filter operated by air pump to give a steady stream of bubbles, not too noisy. Sand substrate.

 

[Chinadog]

If she's otherwise healthy, floating like that is sometimes caused by constipation, what is she eating?
I doubt it's a chemistry problem, but if it's a mature system and the shrimp are fine, water quality should be reasonable, but you should be at least testing it for nitrate from time to time.

 

[deedee71]

Hi china dog. I have been feeding bloodworm, frozen. I tried her with a worm and was unsuccessful.

 

[Chinadog]

Constipation is most common with animals that are fed dry food, how long has she been this way? Maybe a trip to a vet with experience with amphibians to check for parasites would be a good idea.
The bloodworms are very lacking in minerals like calcium and can cause problems if fed often for extended periods. I find the best way of weaning stubborn newts onto earthworms is to just offer the tail ends to begin with. If you make sure she's pretty hungry when trying, she might be in more of a mood to try something new.