Help Please!!

[HalfDrunkToast]

hello! I am having trouble with my axolotl she's a 15' female melanistic roughly a year and a few months old her diet is shrimp and a few earthworms (when I can find them) . and I just upgraded her tank to a 50 gal terrarium and I fed her some tilapia pieces about 4 days ago, and I just saw yesterday that she was swimming ALOT almost all the time with a few brakes here and there, she almost never swims constantly. so fast-forward to today I first fed her a piece of shrimp around 10:35-10:40 and I look away for a few mins 10:47 PM then I look back to see if she had swallowed the shrimp pieces. she still has the shrimp in her mouth and tried to swallow but can't so I thought it was stuck so I watched my hands and tried to pick her up ( she always freaks out when I even try). now I'm really worried that she might have had a reaction to the tilapia I fed her a few days ago. if not I need help to figure out why she is acting this strange.

< new tank

<---- her swimming a ton

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Have you tested the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

Frantic swimming frequently is water quality

 

[HalfDrunkToast]

Have you tested the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

Frantic swimming frequently is water quality

i have not... what is the safe ammonia, nitrite and nitrate for the axis and what is to high? and if it is to high how do you fix it?

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Ammonia and Nitrite are only safe at zero Nitrate safe up to 40ppm

If Ammonia and nitrite are anything but zero get your lotl tubbed as your tank is not fully cycled.
If nitrate is over 40ppm you need to do a minimum 50% water change and then retest after 24 hours to see if and how much your next water change needs to be - you may have to do 50-75% daily for a few days.

 

[HalfDrunkToast]

Thank you! i did a 50% water change and that seemed to calm her down i was just worried because i never har her do that before! but she sh looks back to normal just hiding in her log

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Definitely a water issue

You need to get a freshwater master test kit

Ammonia and nitrite are toxic at any level

I am betting when you upgraded your cycle crashed or switched filters so starting over.

This could seriously harm or kill an axolotl - like swimming in acid for us.

Thank you! i did a 50% water change and that seemed to calm her down i was just worried because i never har her do that before! but she sh looks back to normal just hiding in her log

 

[HalfDrunkToast]

Definitely a water issue

You need to get a freshwater master test kit

Ammonia and nitrite are toxic at any level

I am betting when you upgraded your cycle crashed or switched filters so starting over.

This could seriously harm or kill an axolotl - like swimming in acid for us.

i only use a sponge filter for my tank and i transfered half of my water from the old tank into the new and she has only been in that tank for less then a week

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Water does not carry the cycle its the filters. The filters may not be keeping up.

Testing is vital for your axolotls health.

I have 12 axolotl tanks and about 140 tubbed babies of varying ages - testing lets me know how my tanks are doing.
Water changes are weekly on tanks and 66-75% changes.

i only use a sponge filter for my tank and i transfered half of my water from the old tank into the new and she has only been in that tank for less then a week

 

[losfrijoles]

Our axolotl only swims like that for a long time when we've let the water quality slip. We had this happen when ours clogged and broke her filter (she had a very ...regular... couple days right in a row) and we had to replace it. She swam frantically for hours and also grew fungus on her gills. A few water changes later and she was back to normal, just chillin on the bottom of the tank. The fungus disappeared after a few salt baths. We also change our tank water every week.

Also, picking up an axolotl is an art. My wife can do it pretty reliably, I really struggle. They are just so slimy and hard to get a gentle grip on.

 

[HalfDrunkToast]

Our axolotl only swims like that for a long time when we've let the water quality slip. We had this happen when ours clogged and broke her filter (she had a very ...regular... couple days right in a row) and we had to replace it. She swam frantically for hours and also grew fungus on her gills. A few water changes later and she was back to normal, just chillin on the bottom of the tank. The fungus disappeared after a few salt baths. We also change our tank water every week.

Also, picking up an axolotl is an art. My wife can do it pretty reliably, I really struggle. They are just so slimy and hard to get a gentle grip on.

haha picking up an axolotl is an art!! my axolotl has gotten pretty docile and lets me move her around the thank willingly as i clean her poop packets up, but the 5-month-old axolotl I got when she was barely 7 weeks hates to be moved.

I but i do have a question? not regarding my water but plants? who plants do you recommend? for an axolotl tank?
the only thing i can get going to sword plants

 

[Linkisnotzelda]

I’ve had luck with all the plants I’ve tried, but the best and strongest plants are my marimo balls and java fern. People like java and Anubis plants a lot with axolotl tanks

 

[HalfDrunkToast]

I’ve had luck with all the plants I’ve tried, but the best and strongest plants are my marimo balls and java fern. People like java and Anubis plants a lot with axolotl tanks

do you use a plant light? if so what would you recommend?

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Java Ferns, Anubias, Java Moss, Frog bit, Water Lettuce, Salvinia, Swords, Echinodorus, Aponogeton etc.

keep in mind rhizome versus roots. Roots plant in a terracotta pot to keep contained.

Variety depends on your lighting.

haha picking up an axolotl is an art!! my axolotl has gotten pretty docile and lets me move her around the thank willingly as i clean her poop packets up, but the 5-month-old axolotl I got when she was barely 7 weeks hates to be moved.

I but i do have a question? not regarding my water but plants? who plants do you recommend? for an axolotl tank?
the only thing i can get going to sword plants

 

[EasternRomioi3]

How is your axolotl? Did you manage to get that fresh water master test kit?

 

[HalfDrunkToast]

How is your axolotl? Did you manage to get that fresh water master test kit?

shes doing amazing rn but im treating her fill fungal infection I just saw 2 days ago so she's doing better! she has not even been lethargic wough is good! as for the master test kit i just payed all my bills so im kinda broke rn T-T. thank you for checking!!!!!!

 

[EasternRomioi3]

I FEEL you so hard on that kit. I bought it, bought all the stuff I needed, paid all my bills, then my computer chair, which is at least 6 years old, decided to snap, and I use it as my art chair too, so it had to be replaced. My 120 dollars into my savings account turned into like 4 dollars.

Glad your axolotl is doing well though.

 

[HalfDrunkToast]

dam! i feel your pain! that kit is like $40 here and I'm like i KNOW I NEED IT but.... my money........... is like down the drain, i to have a art chair but it sucks .

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Maybe online is the way to go once you can afford it all 4 links are about $23 and change Chewy - Amazon - Petco - Petsmart

If you are seeing recurring fungus I highly recommend adding either aquarium salt or johns solutions to your tank

 

[HalfDrunkToast]

Maybe online is the way to go once you can afford it all 4 links are about $23 and change Chewy - Amazon - Petco - Petsmart

If you are seeing recurring fungus I highly recommend adding either aquarium salt or johns solutions to your tank

thank you for the links!! and ya that was my play! i have a 50 gal terrarium for her and its a pain in the ass to do a water change 1 a day for 2 weeks xD. but she seems better

 

[Linkisnotzelda]

do you use a plant light? if so what would you recommend?

Yes, I use a plant light. My axie also doesn’t mind light at all, so I have it on all the time. It’s an LED full spectrum light that has blue, red and white lights. During the day, I have the white light on the second or third lowest brightness (brightness is adjustable), and during the night I have the blue and red lights on the lowest brightness.