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Obsessed with the filter?!

Emma and Floyd

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Meet Smith and Siouxsie!!
They're a mating pair and I could only afford one anyway so the lady gave me the other one for free so they wouldnt have to be apart and my heart melted...
32050_438658922463_554767463_6189856_5138278_n.jpg


ANYWAY!!!! The new male, an albino named Smith, is sort of obsessed with the filter in the tank. It was switched off for a while, and when I turned it on, he actually got up from his hiding place and went over to be near it. And earlier today I caught him lying on it, I thought he was stuck so I popped my hand in and moved him gently and he just went immediately back onto the filter... I'm so confused! And the female, Siouxsie, keeps going over to it too but I'm 99% sure that's just because she's been following Smith around since I got them, they're always together, it's weird.
I'll get a picture of this ridiculous behavior if I can.
 

Emma and Floyd

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This is the best shot I could get of them at the filter, though Smith (the albino) usually actually touches it... I just found the whole situation SO bizarre...
Click for Picture!
 

Shizeric

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Ummm...why are there nuts in your tank? That's a pretty bad idea...I'm pretty sure they are going to leak toxins into your water.
 

Emma and Floyd

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You'd be amazed how often people say that! Actually, they're rust proof (duh!) and heated and coated and loads of stupid stuff, not to emit any minerals or toxins in water, my father went through days of treating them in his workshop, cos I thought it'd be cool to give the tank an "industrial" look back when I was keeping fish in it. I can assure you, I've been through this.
 

blueberlin

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Hi Emma and Floyd,

What are your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, temp)? Could it be that the tank is cycling and the axolotl is trying to get ínto the fresher water from the filter?

If all things are fine, he may just be enjoying his new environment.

What are the nuts coated with to make them water safe? It does look pretty nifty but I would worry, too, about metal leaching into the water. As amphibians, which breathe through their skin, axolotls are much more sensitive to chemicals in the water than fish. Fish-safe products like fertilizers, water treatments, etc., can be harmful or even deadly to axolotls. Don't mean to sound preachy, I am just really curious about a method of making anything, particularly metal, watersafe.

-Eva
 

Emma and Floyd

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Thanks Eva, I hadn't thought about this. Since it was my father who coated the nuts, and who has since passed, I have no way of knowing how he done it. Even if they were safe for fish, I've taken them out now just to be sure. Thanks for the warning, and don't worry, it wasn't preachy haha :)

The owner of my local aquarium store (she's awesome, been raising and breeding her own axies for 7 years) checked a sample for me before I took home the pair you see in the picture, because my little one, Floyd, had had ammonia poisoning (not my fault, she was tossed in with a lot of Koi at the horrible pet store she came from) and said that everything is fine.

I told her about the filter fascination, and we're both pretty stumped. I guess they're just curious or bored or something, or, like you said, enjoying the new environment... Or maybe they're starting a little cult lol :p
 

shoegal

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Wow, that is the strangest behavior! I would be curious to see what your water parameters are....
 

blueberlin

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Hi Emma and Floyd,

First, I am so sorry to read about your father. Both of my parents are still alive, and I dread the day that changes.

So, back to the business at hand. :happy:

Testing the water before the axolotls go into it does not help. Axolotls produce a LOT of waste (ammonia) - mainly by exuding it through their skin (so siphoning out poop is not enough to keep the tank clean). I would be willing to wager that your tank is cycling. You can take a sample of your water back to the pet shop and see what's going on now. While you are there, check out the test lab kits - the dropper type, NOT the dip strips, which are dangerously inaccurate. You can also order these kits online relatively inexpensively - the initial investment will seem high compared to the dip strips, but the dip strips are (did I mention inaccurate?) throw-away and as such very quickly more expensive than the dropper tests. You will find the water test kits invaluable in the first half-year of keeping axolotls.

Right now I woud be doing daily water changes of at least 20% until you can find out exactly what the water quality is.

Again, if all things are fine, your axolotl may just be checking out his new home. Maybe he has a better view from the filter. ;)

-Eva
 

tomkeogh

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Hey, I agree with Eva, My two were doing exactly the same during my cycle, %20 daily change sounds good
 
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