New tank set up BLUE LEDS and air stone. hides and wont eat

[Axoogje]

Ok, so i basically fridged my axi for a day while cleaning and upgrading his tank decor, i added new sand and did a 100% water change, but this time i also added an air stone with blue LED lights and and a blue LED spot light on one side of the tank. i let the water filter and sit for a bout 28hours to get rid of the "badstuff" in tap water and cleaned all the decor like i normally do..

I put Soul (my axi) into the tank and it kinda freaked out and swam directly into the LED air stone then she (i think its a she) hid. Finally she came out and walked around but then this morning she is now hiding in her tube (which she does alot) but not moving at all and i havent been able to get her to eat for a few days.

i am not uninformed on axolotls, too much current is bad, too much light is bad. them not eating like its the lastime they will ever eat again is also bad.

I'm not gonna lie I'm worried, i am upset.
is the light to bright? is the current too hard? did i borrow money from soul and forgot to pay her back?

I'm wondering if its just a shock and she needs a day or 2 to get use to it, i went out and got ghost shrimp so she can eat when she wants now.

just need advice, i just added her in the tank lastnight

heres the airstone, i have it hooked to a 5gallon pump (did have it hooked to a 20gallon but switched to decrease current, in my 29 gallon tank):
GloFish® Blue LED Bubbler | Tetra Aquarium

heres the clip on light which i now have turned off but the light from this desperces quite nice not to bright:

GloFish® Blue LED Light - 8" | Tetra Aquarium

thanks for reading my ramblings

heres a picture of the tank

 

[sphynx]

I think your axie is just getting used to the tank, although.. the light MIGHT be a little bright. i am no expert but that's just my opinion. I wouldn't think the airstone will do too much in terms of current. Currently i have a canister filter and I think that would produce more current.... Also I have a large sponge filter that i'm trying to grow some bacteria on in the same tank, so current shouldn't be the issue.

Whenever I have my light on (for my plants), my axies rarely eat. It's only at night when I turn off the light, that they'll come out of their cave to eat/play/hunt..

I turn my light in the morning and turn it off at night to mimic day time and night time, and whenever I wake up in the morning they're always out and about, food is always finished, . Although whenever i come home they're always hiding, food never eaten (if i feed them in the morning), etc.

Do you hand-feed your axie? you could try hand feeding. Whenever I hand feed my axies they always snatch things out of my hand if their accuracy is right on. That can provide a quick band-aid for now, until you see if the problem is really her getting used to the tank or some other problem

 

[Kaini]

If you added new sand and did a 100% change, you probably crashed your nitrogen cycle.

Also, why would you clean the filter like that? Did you leave it sit in chlorinated water (regular tap water?) That will 100% kill the beneficial bacteria that keep your tank cycled, never 'clean' your filter that way.
The only way you should be cleaning your filter is to maybe shake it out in used tank water (in a separate container) gently, but never with tap water.

do you test your water parameters? Knowing the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate in the tank and having it cycled are very important, Axolotls are sensitive to water quality.


I would also ditch the light, that may be stressing out your Axi. There's no reason to have it there.

One more thing, I would NOT fridge your axi for just a day. That can be more stressful than anything and really you shouldn't be fringing it unless there is something wrong with it that requires you to slow its metabolism.

 

[Axoogje]

i almost always hand feed her earthworms

and i have never tested the quality, ive had her a year maybe more and its always been and i bought new filters all together,

so having a hang on side filter with a plant connected to disperse the water and a airstone isnt to much current?

if i leave her in their for a day or 2 too see what happens will she die?

and i didnt really fridge her i put her in the coldest room in my house in a bucket cos she looked plump and i thought she was constipated, she pooped like crazy

 

[HayleyK]

I would be buying liquid water testers ASAP then. A new filter and new sand definitely means the cycle has crashed and will start over. I just saw your post on Instagram (I tend to look up #axolotl and remembered his name) and that light is way to bright for me let alone him. Perhaps taking it out or switching the light off.


I doubt it's the current. It would most likely be the water quality and the light teamed with the already stressful event of tank swapping. What's the temperature like too? Did you float him or add him straight from the "cooler" room - if you did the second one that can produce thermal shock.

 

[Axoogje]

i took him from the cooler room then opened the door so the heat would go in while i was at work maybe 6 hours and then put him in the tank which is between 64 and 70 degrees F

its around 68 id say.

did i kill my axolotl?
if i turn the light off can i save him?

 

[HayleyK]

There should be no guess work with temperatures. 64 Fahrenheit is 17 celcius, 70 Fahrenheit is about 21 celcius that's a big difference to guestimate and at 21c you'll need to lower it slowly.

You should always float an axolotl if he's going into a new tank. I suggest you buy liquid testers for ammonia, nitrITE, nitrATE and ph as well as a thermometer ASAP. Since I'm pretty sure your tank isn't cycled I would do a 20% water change right now to lower any ammonia you have in your tank and switch the lights off.

You should read up in cycling threads on the site to help you better understand the nitrogen cycle.


Are you positive he is dead? Or sulking?

 

[Axoogje]

i worked at a pond store for 2 years, i cant believe I didnt even think about how changing the sand and filter and how it could kill the entire ecosystem.

Ive thought of a few ideas after calling an old coworker, what if i went and bought a bunch of
anacharis and plant media to "jump start" the ecosystem

or purchased naurtal chemicals like an eco-fix (we use to sell it)

also shes not dead i know that but she just seems pissed off and wont do anything.

i have a thermometer but its one of those stick on tank ones and it says 68

 

[HayleyK]

Majority of the beneficial bacteria lives in the filter, the sand and ornaments. These should be washed in old tank water in the future.

You can cycle the tank with him in their but you must be diligent in water changes and testing the water. Or you can put him in a separate tub with 100% daily water changes whilst you add an ammonia source into the tank. If you didn't know about the nitrogen cycle in the first tank, I think you were very lucky in no injuries to him and it would've cycled over time.

Goodluck!

 

[Axoogje]

thank you

before you go, what time of water should i do the 20 percent water change with?

 

[HayleyK]

What time of water? Sorry can you rephrase that question?

 

[Kaini]

I believe you mean type of water?

You should ALWAYS use de-chlorinated tap water in your tank. Never straight tap or distilled water.

 

[Axoogje]

thats what i figured ok thanks and i was wondering if it would be a good idea to get some water or a filter pad from a different healthy fresh water tank

you both have been a major help
Soul and I thanks you

 

[HayleyK]

I sent you a message because the chat on my phone stuffed but you can squeeze some of the gunk into the new filter pad to kick start it.

We just want Soul to be a healthy, happy little lotl

 

[Kaini]

thats what i figured ok thanks and i was wondering if it would be a good idea to get some water or a filter pad from a different healthy fresh water tank

you both have been a major help
Soul and I thanks you

Yep, you can definitely borrow media from an established tank and it will kick start your cycle! Media though, not water - the bacteria don't live in the water so that wouldn't be too helpful.

You're welcome and good luck!

 

[Axoogje]

okay so i figured id give her a day to chill before i changed anything and this morning she ate a worm and a little later she ate another and im pretty sure shes been eating ghost shrimp

so i figured shes fine besides she wont come out of her hide

i put the light on for about 6 hours to simulate day then turned it off with her still in her hide,
just got home about 5 hours later and shes out of her hide but she looks extremely plump

as i was writing this i realized she went back in her hide

is the plumpness a bad thing or since her toes just turned black and shes a little over a year next week is it something to do with eggs?

 

[HayleyK]

6 hours a day with that light is excessive. Why do you need to stimulate day?

Her plumpness should be as wide as her head. If she's a girl she could be reabsorbing eggs which would turn her off eating. By your photos she doesn't look overly plump, anyway.

 

[layna]

Hello
Okay just because she is acting okay now doesnt mean you dont need to cycle your tank again.
If your going to cycle it with her in there, you MUST buy a liquid testing kit, most people use the API master test kit - for freshwater. Off ebay or amazon its around £20 but will last you months.
You will need to be changing 20-30% of the tank water EVERY day until your tank is cycled.

There is also the fishless method The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community
If you dont want to do it with her in the tank.

When your changing any water in the tank, you need to be using tap water with a dechlorinator in it every time.
I personally use api stress coat, it dechlorinates and contains aloe to keep your axies slime coat in good condition.

Female axies will tend to be quite plump. A good guide is to have their tummy as wide as their head, but females will mostly always look quite plump.
If her tummy is huge (like twice the size of her head) then just cut back on the feeding, maybe every two to three days instead of every day.

Good luck with your cycling!