Question: Normal behavior? Please Help!

[Shycloudgirl]

Hi, I've had my axie, Mellie, for about a week now and has just recently taken to swimming around the front of her tank. I wasn't sure if this was just an odd quirk she has or if something is wrong. She has been eating earthworms hungrily and seems otherwise healthy. Her gills are fluffy and in their usual spot and her tail seems normal so she isn't showing any of the signs of stress I've been looking for. She is in a 10 gallon tank and seems to be pacing the glass. I just added 7 ghost shrimp to the tank to add an extra option for enrichment and as a dietary supplement. I'm worried about her, so is there anything I can do, or should do? Is this normal? Sometimes she bumps into the glass. Thanks!

 

[keiko]

Especially younger axies can be very active and swim around the tank a lot. As they get older they usually get lazy. But it's still good to test the water for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate because thrashing around the tank can be a sign of bad water quality.

 

[Shycloudgirl]

Thank you! She is about 7 inches long and I just did a 40% water change. I'm changing out my filter media today too. I guess she might also just not like the way her tank is set up now so I'll change that up.

 

[keiko]

Don't change all of your filter media at once or your cycle will crash. You really don't need to change it until it starts falling apart.

 

[Shycloudgirl]

Okay, I was just going to change the carbon out because I haven't changed it in a while. I also haven't seen a lot of poop since I've had her but she eats hungrily whatever I offer her and doesn't seem bloated.