2 month old (~1in) Axie floating on its side

[Bookaholix]

I am extremely new to axolotl care and I'm a little concerned about my 2 month old axie. My axolotl (Lieutenant Dan) is about an inch long, has grown his front legs, and mostly eats fresh hatched brine shrimp. (I occasionally offer him bits of frozen brine shrimp, particularly when I am waiting for an annoyingly slow batch to hatch out!)

A few days ago I noticed that he wasn't swimming well, he has been floating on his side and/or upsidedown pretty consistently over the weekend. At first Lieutenant Dan floated upsidedown more, but he improved once I changed his water and fed him a good meal. (Now he mostly floats on his side.) A large air bubble is visible and he cannot stay at the bottom of the tank, although he has NEVER wanted to be at the bottom of the tank unless spooked. (A different problem I intend to address asap.)

Beyond the floating he seems fine, lots of energy and appetite, spunky personality, no signs of distress like flared gills or a curled tail. I allowed him to go hungry for a day or two to test for impaction, and can confidently say he is NOT constipated. Is this a common issue? Need I take immediate action, or is this something that is likely going to go away on its own? There is no exotic vet near me, at what point should I seek one out?

Thanks,

A concerned newbie

 

[wolfen]

was your tank cycled before use, because you said that he improved after water change it is worth while keeping an eye on parameters.
is there an air stone in the tank?
what is the temperature?
it is quite common for very young axolotls to float and in most cases harmless, if it is a major issue then tubbing him/her with daily fresh water until he/she can retain a better balance may be called for.

 

[Bookaholix]

was your tank cycled before use, because you said that he improved after water change it is worth while keeping an eye on parameters.
is there an air stone in the tank?
what is the temperature?
it is quite common for very young axolotls to float and in most cases harmless, if it is a major issue then tubbing him/her with daily fresh water until he/she can retain a better balance may be called for.

I am currently working on getting a better setup, but my current tub (about half a gallon of water with live plants) isn't big enough for cycling. I admittedly haven't been sure when to upgrade it to a larger tub, since he/she is so small I fear they would have a tough time finding food in a 20 Gallon setup or anything particularly deep. I have been looking for info online about tank requirements for extremely young axies, but there's not much info beyond "20-40 gallons for an adult." Know any resources?

There is no air stone or filter as of yet, though I do complete a 30% water change with fresh, treated water each day. I also clean up the excess food as I see it. Water sits at 62-68° depending on how much my AC is struggling, and I currently do not have any parameters test kit other than ammonia and PH, of which I still know very little. I am very willing to learn, just over my head!

 

[Bookaholix]

Pictures of the problematic behavior. The black dots are brine shrimp eggs, I JUST fed the Axolotl and will be cleaning the water shortly!

 

[Autistic Catholic]

If it can't be cycled, you may need to do daily, 100%, water changes instead.