Swimming up for air constantly?

[ThisFish]

My new axolotl Herb is constantly swimming to the top of the tank for air. I mean like every 10 - 15 minutes. I put him in the tank a half hour ago but before that he was doing the same thing in a different tank. He is also eating the sand in this new tank. Im worried about him, any advice?


Also both Herb and his sibling Jupiter's gills are turned forward, I just put them in a new tank like I said and this is a new thing. I have a sponge filter.

 

[Skudo09]

From reading your other threads your axolotls are too small to be on sand at four inches. They need to be at least five to six inches. It is probably best to remove the sand if they are consuming it.

It is not yet confirmed that your tank is cycled as you have not advised what the reading for nitrite is. Also if you haven't been dechlorinating water before adding the water to the tank, this will be possibly slowing the process down and stalling it. I suggest purchasing your own liquid test kit for ammonia nitrite, nitrate and PH and read up on the cycling process.

Water quality may be affecting their behaviour as well as stress from being introduced to a new environment.

 

[AndyTheAxolotl]

From personal experience younger axolotls tend to just swim up and take gulps of air, since you said new axolotl im presuming its a juvenile? When i first got my axolotls they'd also swim up and take gulps of air.

 

[ThisFish]

From reading your other threads your axolotls are too small to be on sand at four inches. They need to be at least five to six inches. It is probably best to remove the sand if they are consuming it.

It is not yet confirmed that your tank is cycled as you have not advised what the reading for nitrite is. Also if you haven't been dechlorinating water before adding the water to the tank, this will be possibly slowing the process down and stalling it. I suggest purchasing your own liquid test kit for ammonia nitrite, nitrate and PH and read up on the cycling process.

Water quality may be affecting their behaviour as well as stress from being introduced to a new environment.

I have a test kit and Nitrate was zero when I tested for it. I think they may just have been eating the sand because it was new to them, they have stopped now and only do it if there is food on it. Im going out to buy a food bowl today along with a turkey baster.

 

[Skudo09]

You need to also test for nitrite as well as nitrate. It is not advised to keep axolotls that size on sand but yes if you choose not to remove it get a feeding plate or feed by hand above the sand. At four inches you could transition them onto earthworms which are clean, easy to feed and very nutritious.