Scratching while swimming along?

[Zandy94]

Hi

So when my axi swims along he tends to flick is back leg and tilts his head franticly as if he's got an itch. Sometimes he seems aggravated and does it quite often and pretty abruptivley. He did suffer from some slime coat shedding this week after a tea bath but it stopped, however some parts are still falling off as they've taken a while to 'peel' off, so maybe this is why? He hasn't shown any signs of stress.

I tested the water encase anyone is interested:

PH- 7.2
KH - 100
GH- 500
NITRATE - 10
NITRITE - 0
AMMONIA - 0
Temp: 17 C

 

[Bette]

It's probably just remaining irritation from the skin peeling. Keep the tank as cool as possible. He should be fine in time.
In the summer when I am dealing with keeping the temps low, and warding off fungus, I will add plain sea salt to the water... anywhere from 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water. (The start of gill fungus can cause them to itch sometimes)
Now with your axie, I think you should just leave him be and not add anything to the water(like salt for example) for at least a few weeks. Just closely monitor the water quality and observe. Good luck!

 

[Zandy94]

It's probably just remaining irritation from the skin peeling. Keep the tank as cool as possible. He should be fine in time.
In the summer when I am dealing with keeping the temps low, and warding off fungus, I will add plain sea salt to the water... anywhere from 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water. (The start of gill fungus can cause them to itch sometimes)
Now with your axie, I think you should just leave him be and not add anything to the water(like salt for example) for at least a few weeks. Just closely monitor the water quality and observe. Good luck!

Thank you for your help, he's floating quite a bit too so should I be concerned? His scratching isn't happening as much now.

 

[Bette]

When floating, is he able to submerge and get to the bottom of the tank without trouble? And is he still eating normally? Are there plants that reach the surface or floating plants that he can rest on? Is he bloated?

 

[Zandy94]

When floating, is he able to submerge and get to the bottom of the tank without trouble? And is he still eating normally? Are there plants that reach the surface or floating plants that he can rest on? Is he bloated?

He's doing this excessively and it's getting me concerned now.

I haven't fed him today as it's not his feeding day, I will update you tomorrow on that. And when I lightly nudge him he does swim to the bottom or sometimes around the tank a lot then goes down to the bottom. He's not bloated and no there's nothing on the surface.