Fussy axie

[Kal El]

About a week into getting my axie, I started feeding her earthworms and she was taking them fine- enjoying them actually. Until last week when I thought I would give her a treat so I gave her beef heart (she took that with great enthusiasm) but now I'm having the hardest time getting her back onto the staple food (bloodworms and earthworms). Everytime I wiggle the earthworm in front of her face, she'll snap at it and once when she realises what it is, she spits it back out. However, when I feed her junk food such as beef heart and mealworms, she has no problem taking those. Can axie's be fussy this way? If so, how do I get her back onto a healthy diet?

On a separate note, I noticed yesterday that the tip end of my axie's tail was curled. I assumed that it was because of the drastic temperature change. Could this be it? Because I checked all other parameters and everything was 0 ppm (yes, my nitrate/nitrite are still 0 ). I didn't however check the KH/GH because I don't know what the ideal condition is. Would somebody please be able to shed some light on that?

Jay.

 

[Saspotato]

Yea I have heard it is hard to swap axolotls from food once they are on it. For example, the guy at the store I bought my axolotl from told me not to start him on live food as he will probably not take pellets or frozen food again... but I have been lucky and not had that problem.

I think maybe keep trying with the earthworms and not feed beef heart, etc anymore - when your axolotl gets hungry I am sure she will start taking them again.

A curled tail is a sign of stress, what was the temperature change? If it isn't the temperature and your parameters are normal (what was your PH?), was it noisy around the tank? My axolotl gets a curly tail when things get noisy... It's probably more likely to be a big temperature change tho!

Axolotls prefer hard water. Here is some more detail about their preferences http://www.axolotl.org/requirements.htm#hardness. Where abouts are you in Australia? If you are in Melbourne, for example, the water here is soft so you have to watch the PH does not drop too much. You can get it tested in an aquarium. I don't think the hardness or softness of water is too big a deal. I think the main effect is on your PH. Hard water = alkaline PH, soft water = more acidic PH. So if your PH is ok, I think the KH/GH is ok...

 

[Kal El]

Thanks for the quick reply. I live in Melbourne as well and the pH of the tank water has been ranging between 6.6-7.0 but it will never go above 7.0 despite a number of changes so I figured I would just leave it instead of stressing her out. Regarding the temperature, I think it was 4 degree change in less than 24 hours...noise? Well, it is a pretty high traffic zone but her tail only started to curl in the last couple of days (I moved her tank out there because my room would heat up into the 30's during hot summer days). My olds are going away for about a month this Thursday, so with them gone there should be less noise. I will keep an eye on her tail and see if I can nail the blame on noise. If not, then it definitely must've been the drastic temperature change.

By the way, does anybody know what other healthy alternatives there are aside from bloodworms and earthworms? Today she only ate one mealworm...should I be worried?

Jay.

 

[digger]

depending on her age/size, depends on how much and how often you should feed her.
juvenilles and adults dont need feeding loads.
juvies will make do with a worm a day, adults a worm or two a couple of times a week.
just a thought, are you remembering to crush the heads or decapitating the meal worms, the reason being is their jaws are viscious and they can bite the inside of your axie.
just thought i would mention this in case you werent aware.

 

[Saspotato]

4C is not a big change in temperature in 24 hours... so I don't think it is that. My tank often decreases by about that each night and then creeps back up through the day - much like how temps go up and down in the wild. Not had any issues with mine because of it. I think as long as it is fairly constant it should be ok.

Ph is fine at 6.7, you are right, stable PH is better than trying to get it to go above 7 and it being inconsistent in the process. But yea, I have a bunch of friends who keep aquariums as well and it seems like Melbourne water is consistently soft!

So yea, not sure what is stressing your axolotl if all your parameters are fine. If she is eating, I probably wouldn't be too worried as not eating is usually one of the first signs something has gone bad...

I feed my axolotl frozen brine shrimp and salmon pellets (and feeder guppies but that is more complicated!) as well as frozen blood worms. You can even breed your own brine shrimp (they are also called 'sea monkeys') but they don't last long once you put them in your axolotl tank due to the fact they are salt water... so I find frozen better (about $4-6 for a pellet of them). You can pick them up at aquariums easily, same with the salmon pellets. I use a generic brand of soft sinking pellets.

 

[Kal El]

I have been crushing the heads of the mealworms prior to feeding them to my axie (a very nasty job but all for the love of an axie!).

Sarah, if you're saying that it can't be my temperature then I can only blame noise/vibrations...her tail is even more curled now . I'm going to go purchase a black background today because I have feeling the white colour of the polysterene sheets are very effective at reflecting light onto my axie...another possible cause of stress?

As for my pH, I wouldn't mind raising it a little because I'm sure when exposed to an acidic environment for a prolonged period could cause some serious damage. I read in one of Kapo's posts that adding shell grit (in a stocking) should increase the pH and maintain it at a desriable level. Does anybody know where I can purchase this shell grit and how much I should be using for a 75L tank?

By the way, I'm going to try and find the salmon pellets and brine shrimp today...thank you!

Jay.

 

[Saspotato]

Ok well I am not sure it is noise, that was just a suggestion from my own experiences. Could be light too as axies are nocturnal.. But yea, best keep an eye on her for a bit as well as your parameters (which are good at the moment ) ... eating is a good sign! So yea, not sure what it is... but you sound like you are doing the right things.

Hmm your PH is fine if it is between 6.5-8, I don't think it will do any long term damage if it is slightly acidic. The only thing to watch for is if it decreases over time which is common for PH. However, if you want to raise it a bit, you can get the shell grit from a pet store. It is the stuff birds eat to sharpen their beaks (or something like that). Not sure how much you will need. I have a cup for a 60L tank but yea just keep adding to the stocking if it is not raising it much. Overtime you will need to do top ups as well.

 

[Kal El]

Ok, so I went to the pet store and they didn't have shell grit but the lady gave me an alternative- marble quatz. Is this stuff safe in aquarium water and how much of it should be used?

Regarding my axie's curled tail, I can't figure out what is stressing her out. She seems to be eating fine (had a couple of mealworms today). Should I pop her into the fridge for a couple of days and see if her tail uncurls? She has been shedding skin lately, and I read that this can happen due high temperature but this cannot be the case because my water has always been under 20 degrees and I haven't had any problems in maintaining it at that level. Problem is, I can't tell the difference between shedding skin and a fungal infection...the flakey bits that are coming off her don't look cotton-like...to me anyway. Does the fridge idea seem ideal now?

Jay.

 

[dancas]

I find shell grit messy and looks yuk, so my husband suggested a nice piece of limestone and that works a treat, plus just looks like a feature in the tank...my ph hasnt moved in the week i have had it in there.