Floating Axolotl & Gills Changing Colors

[MichaelTrujillo]

I know Axolotl's grab a gulf of air now and then helping them with buoyancy or something right? Well mine has been fine so far, however today he was floating on the roof of his/her (It's still a juvenile) tunnel. At the moment it's clinged onto the rocks in the tank and the area from the hind legs to the tail is just floating! It seems to make him struggle when he tries to swim. Is this normal, and should I be concerned?

Also, my Axolotl's gills have changed colors. When I first got him/her (last weekend) the gills were a light pinkish. Earlier this week they turned a dark maroon. Now they are lighter again. Does anyone know why this is?

 

[jeangenie149]

Hi When the axies float is is generally that they are a little constipated. However if you have small stones in the tank he could have sucked these up when eating. Hopefully these will eventually pass through. Sand or bare bottom tank is a must with axolotls.. There are quite a few links to this problem if you use the 'search' at the top of this page.
The change in the colour of his gills is quite normal. When the axie is inactive they tend to go a lighter colour. I have found with my male Leucistic his gills are mainly pink, but when he is ready the lay his spermicide his gills go bright red as he becomes more active.. I hope this helps..

 

[Shepard]

Very usefull info Jean.

Thanks!

 

[Velaria]

Stick him in the fridge right away. It won't hurt, and it could help. Put him in a container that has a low enough water level for him to comfortably put his feet on the bottom of it. Therefore, the water level should be no higher than the top of his back.

The simple fact that your axolotl is not able to put his feet on the floor is stressing him out, which can contribute to a decline in health. Therefore, you must make him as calm, comfortable, and happy as possible, and you need to make sure that he can put his feet on the floor.

Constipation could be the cause for his floating, but it may not be. I recently lost a beautiful blue melanoid. She had absolutely nothing inside her tank that she could have swallowed, yet she was still floating at the surface of the tank. I fridged her for a few days, put her back in the tank, and she still floated. Back in the fridge for a week, tried the tank again, she floated. Back in the fridge for a week, and then she died very unexpectedly in the fridge, and for no apparent reason.

Remeber that when you take your axolotl out of the fridge in preparation for re-introduction into the tank, it's very important for the axolotl to readjust to room-temperature water very gradually. This means that once youtake the axolotl out of the fridge, you should just let him sit in the container for 5-6 hours before putting him in the tank. That way, the change in water temperature will not be a shock to his system.

 

[dragonlady]

Juveniles do some strange things and can look quite ridiculous doing them! It's not unusual for them to float, even for long periods of time. They can hover around like little helicopters then suddenly, they do a nose dive...face plant into the bottom of the tank!...repeatedly...seems they have very poor depth perception! They do have pretty lousy eyesight.

Michael, is yours struggling to remain on the bottom or floats and then is unable to return to the bottom? Does he have problems remaining upright when he floats? These could be indicators of a problem and yes, fridging could help as Velaria suggests.

However, I remember you having a concern about waterflow from one of your other posts - does your filter have a strong outflow? If so, this could be affecting him as well. Sorry, I don't recall if you mentioned the type in that post.

Also, Jean brings up a good point about stones. Are all the stones in your tank larger than your axie's head? If not, they should be removed - they can be a hazard if swallowed. If you think he could have possibly swallowed one, look him over and see if you see any deformities - as small as he is, a stone should be pretty obvious. You can also put him in a small clear container and shine a flashlight through him.

Also, keep in mind that your axolotl is still growing so if you choose to keep the stones, you will have to keep monitoring this unless they are truly huge like pond stones. Personally, I'd recommend sand because rocks are just too big a pain in the behind to try to keep clean.

 

[MichaelTrujillo]

I have a nice tank set up, nothing he could have possibly swallowed and I have large river rocks that would be impossible to swallow. I put a floating turtle dock under the little waterfall from the filter so it hits that instead of the surface of the water - leave no current at all!

My Axie did get better this morning and has been fine all day, but i'm going to keep an eye on him. He was able to touch the ground, just his hind legs were floating. It's funny how you say Shannon, about how they do the repeated nose dives. It happens all the time and is hilarious! He does this with simply swimming as well, failing to make the turn he goes straigth into the tank wall.

Thanks for all your guys help!