Lethargic and not eating. Help!

[darkmessiah]

Hi there,

I've currently got 2 axolotls housed in my 2ft x 1ft x 1ft tank. The male is fine; however, the female is not acting normal as of late.

Last week, I noticed my female was doing a little bit of floating. I thought this was related to constipation again but she started to get back to the gravel again.
My tank also started to foul up a little. This was due to my lack of time available I had to care for my axos during last week. My usual water change was pushed back slightly. I also didn't feed the axos for a couple days extra.

As a result, I ran a water change and things seem fine there. The male is fine and eats well. He goes up for air and all. Yet my female seems lethargic, with her head touching the bottom. She doesn't seem to move around much, and I haven't seen her move up for air lately. And she refuses to eat. I tried frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp and also a piece of prawn. She did attempt to eat last night, but spat out the block of bloodworms and refused afterwards. She doesn't usually refuse a feed and I'm concerned because it's been about a week since she last ate.

Also, after doing the water change, I fixed up the waterflow on my filter and switched it back on. The waterflow is not fitted with tubing to reduce the current. It is very minimal, yet it seems to still cause a little distress to the axos - their gills are slightly forward. Should I switch it off?

What is wrong with my axo? What can I do about it?

 

[digger]

Have you checked all your water parameters including temperature?
You say you have gravel, if this is so she could have swallowed some which is why most people use sand or bare bottom.
You need to keep your filter running at all times to ensure good quality water.
Try deflecting the flow against the side of the tank, placing plants infront also help to reduce the flow.
How old are your axolotls? they become less interested in food the older they become and feeding a couple of times a week is ample for an adult.
You could try her with live food as this is more stimulating, earth worms being one of the best and a favorite of axies.

 

[ianclick]

I agree with Frances,

Can you post water water parameters and temperature. It will help to narrow the field.

 

[darkmessiah]

Alrighty,

I just got my water tested. I tested for the usual ammonia, nitrate and nitrite as well as pH this time.
The lady said that nitrate and nitrite were a-ok. Ammonia levels were slightly high, but I'm dealing with that via small daily water changes. She also said my pH was slightly acidic but close to neutral otherwise.
Temperature is kept at around 17 to 18 degrees Celsius.

The female axolotl is about 25 cms in length. I don't know how old that is really in terms of time.
I somehow doubt this is due to age. She is usually quite interested in whatever is being fed.

Does anybody have any ideas as towards why she is acting this way?

Thanks.

 

[digger]

At that size i would say she is now an adult, but if as you say the ammonia is high this could be the reason. I dont know how much water you are removing but ideally it should be 10-20%.
I f she continues to float i would pop her in the fridge in a container of shallow dechlorinated water. Pop a spare bottle in there with her for water changes and cover the pot in something dark to stop light and temp fluctuations. Some axolotls react quicker to bad situations because they have lower immune systems so i would keep a close on your mail whilst trying to regulate your water.
You did not say wether you had them on gravel or not, as i said if this is the case she could well have swallowed some, fridging her would also help her pass it if she has.

 

[darkmessiah]

Water changes are done at 20% each change.
I'm doubtful that the ammonia is affecting her. The male is more than happy to eat, and they're in the same tank. Logically, if ammonia was affecting their appetite then, wouldn't both be reluctant to eat?
She seems to have stopped floating. I think she was just doing it as a one off.
I've got very fine gravel. The shop didn't have any sand in stock so I opted for the finest gravel they had.

So would the conclusion be reached that she is getting old and therefore not eating? It has been more than a week since she last ate. I'm starting to get really concerned.

Thanks for all the help and info.

 

[digger]

Ok, firstly how fine is fine gravel? Bare bottom is better then gravel that could possibly cause a blockage. Axies suck in their food and nose around the substrate to find it, could she possibly have ingested some?
Secondly not all axies become sick at the same time, if you are in a house with someone who has the flu do you immediately get it, the reason we dont all immediately become ill is because are immune systems have different tollerances, all living creatures are the same, just because your male is ok now doesnt mean he would remain so if you didnt attend to the water, eventually the ammonia would affect him to.
Sorry if i sound condescending i am just trying to explain why some fall ill quicker than others.

 

[darkmessiah]

The gravel is quite fine. Not as fine as it could be, but fine. They are roughly the size of 2mm diameter granules, give or take. I quite doubt the ingestion of it. I used to have very large pebbles which I removed due to concerns of this. They got constipated before, which I fridged them to deal with it. After fridging, neither pooped out any pebbles - just a lot of **** (lots). Despite the lack of pebbles being passed, I still changed to the fine gravel I have now.
I see what you mean about them becoming sick at different times. It makes sense. And no, you don't sound patronizing.
I'm pretty sure my ammonia issue will soon be back to stable. It's not really that high, according to the shop.
So...anymore ideas as towards the lack of interest in her food?

Thanks for the help so far.

 

[digger]

All i can suggest is just try to tempt her with different things, a bit of beefheart, bloodworm, earth worms a thin sliver of liver even.
There seems to be a spate of axies not eating at the moment though.
I wonder if they have seen to many pictures of size zero Posh lol.
But seriously, as long as she doesnt start to waste away and is no longer floating i would just try to tempt her with bits and peices.

 

[darkmessiah]

It's been about a week or so now and all she really seems interested in eating is bloodworms (frozen).
Each night, I've tried feeding her something different. From frozen brineshrimp, prawns, beef, etc.
She's only eaten 1 small block of bloodworms since the end of last week. I tried feeding her more today, but she just sorta moves her head as though she's interested but doesn't snap at it.

Anyone got any ideas about why she's only interested in bloodworms?

Thanks for all the help guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[digger]

Some just seem to have preferances, same as us i suppose, as long as she is eating something i would not be too concerned.Dont feed her for a couple of days and the try leaving a bit of live blood worm in with her, or a nice worm, just make sure the worm is small enough to be eaten without any trouble.