Help! Possibly sick axolotl

[pulcino2]

Help, please! I have done the most stupid thing I can think of, I cleaned my sponge filter with tap water. And put it right back into the tank. Now after I did this, my axolotl started swimming up to the water surface more and more often, so I did the only thing I could think of and I poured 4,5 ml of water conditioner into the tank (45 litres). I am literally in tears cause I don't know what else to do, please, help me, everytime he swims up for air I feel like he's gonna die. The pet store workers told me to cycle the water for a week, and so I did. When I put him in the tank everything was just fine, but a couple days ago he started swimming to the top for air more and more often and chilling under the filter, he also flaps his gills quite often (an average of every 6 seconds).

 

[ellarose]

Flicking gills is completely normal. They are moving the water to get fresh oxygen. Cycling a tank takes much longer than a week. Do you know your water parameters? The best course of action is to do a 50% water change with dechlorinated water.

 

[DragoTheAxie]

You should tub your axolotl with 100% water changes daily. Also, measure your water parameters. Your tank is most likely uncycled.

 

[Calgarycoppers]

What water conditioner are you using?

1 week is never going to cycle a tank - this is a 4-8 week or more process.

I would tub your axolotl and do 100% water changes daily.
Buy an API freshwater master test kit and test all 5 parameters.

Your tank is likely uncycled and you will have ammonia showing likely nitrite and likely no nitrates.

Here is my handout on cycling