My Axolotl is going crazy (sometimes)

[ParanoidLondon]

Hola! This is my first post (and undoubtedly my last) with regards to my sweet little Axolotl Lawrence.

I've had him just over two weeks now, and when he first came home he was swimming like mad around the tank during the evening and refused to eat. I assumed he'd already been fed so didn't worry too much. He has been eating okay ever since and his erratic swimming had calmed. However, the past two or three days he has moments of swimming right to the top of the water and bombing back down, going left and right picking up too much speed and slamming into the sides of the tank. This isn't consistent and he stills after a bit. He isn't doing it right now, he's actually statue still, chilling behind his hide but he might start doing it again later.

In his tank, he has two big plastic plants, no substrate on the bottom, two little statues and a massive detailed hide that looks like a rock covered in seaweed and coral. He likes that a lot and is always in/behind there- unless he's going nuts like he has been.

I don't understand why he's suddenly doing this. He's eating fine and seems happy a lot of the time, but those moments where I catch him flitting about worry me. Is this normal?

 

[OliviaGrace99]

Your Axolotl is obviously healthy ..
Maybe he is just a really energetic Axolotl !
My Axolotls did the same when they first came home .. They did it for a couple of weeks and then just stopped after a while .
I guess little Axolotls are full of energy just like we are as kids !
I suggest that you monitor Lawrence and see if this behaviour continues over the next month or so .. Maybe being hyper is a part of his personality

 

[Skudo09]

Is your tank cycled? What are the water parameters - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and temperature? What age is the axolotl?

It does take time for axolotls to settle in their new home and it is not unusual for them not to eat on the first day or even week. Is the swimming around frantic? Sorry for all the questions. It could be normal behaviour and he is just settling in and will calm down but it would be good to rule out other possibilities.

 

[ParanoidLondon]

Is your tank cycled? What are the water parameters - ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and temperature? What age is the axolotl?

It does take time for axolotls to settle in their new home and it is not unusual for them not to eat on the first day or even week. Is the swimming around frantic? Sorry for all the questions. It could be normal behaviour and he is just settling in and will calm down but it would be good to rule out other possibilities.

Tank is fine, had it going for a week until he moved in. I've also cleaned it since he's gotten home by changing 20% of the water. I'm not sure about the ammonia or Nitrate levels, but I know the temp is just over 20 degrees. He is just over a year old. And yeah, it's frantic, he is swimming really fast, wiggling and smacking into the sides of the tank, swimming up and shooting back to the floor. Dunno if they all swim like this? Do you reckon he's lonely?

 

[Skudo09]

To know if your tank is fine you need to be testing your water regularly for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate at least. I would use a liquid test kit such as API brand as test strips can be inaccurate. I am concerned that your tank may not be cycled given that it was only running for a week before the axolotl was added. You may be getting spikes of ammonia and nitrite which could be causing stress to the axolotl. The temperature is a little high. It is best to keep it below 20C. Read up on aquarium cycling. It is important to understand the nitrogen cycle and how it affects the aquarium.

For now, the first thing I would do is test your water and post the results here. This will at least give more of an idea of what is happening. You may need to do daily water changes if your tank is not cycled.

 

[Ariel]

A week is not long enough to cycle a tank, and changing 20% of the water in two weeks is not going to be enough in an uncycled tank. You say you "had it going" but if you aren't adding ammonia into the water or have an animal releasing ammonia the cycle won't start magically, even then it can take a month. That behavior sounds like there are some undesirable chemicals building up in the water. If your axolotl is the first animal in that tank most likely there is a spike in ammonia which is toxic.

My suggestion is to immediately do a 75% water change and use declorinated water. Water from the tap has chlorine in it so you need to boil it and chill it in your fridge or use declorinator drops. Those are relatively cheap and available at any pet store. While you are there, bring some water from your tank and they can test it for you, or buy a water testing kit.

He should stop swimming around like that when the water is safe; I am positive that behavior is not caused by loneliness.

Here is a simple explanation of what "cycling a tank" means.
First you add ammonia into the water. Ammonia comes from animal waste or you can add pure ammonia yourself. Bacteria develops that turns ammonia into nitrite. Unfortunately nitrite is also toxic. Another type of bacteria will grow that will turn into nitrite into nitrate.

Until the water is cycled you will need to do a 25%-50% water change every other day. (Depending on how much waste there is and how big the tank is, a bigger change for a smaller tank) After it is cycled you can do a 25% water change every other week. If you do not get a water testing kit (which you should) assume that you will be changing 25%-50% of the water every other day for one month. After a month, get the water tested (if you do not buy a kit, which you should, the pet store can test for you) and it should have 0ammonia 0nitrite and some nitrate. That means it is cycled and it is safe to just change the water every other week.

 

[Skudo09]

I agree with Ariel but will add to make sure if you get your tank water tested at the store, make sure they tell you exactly what the results are. Ultimately it is best to own your own testing kit as maintaining water quality is very important in keeping aquatic life and it is far easier and more practical to be testing the water yourself than going to the store every time.

Whilst cycling, I would be testing the water daily and conducting water changes when ammonia or nitrite rise above 0.5ppm and then once cycled test the water at least once a week. Once cycled I would do weekly water changes of at least 25%, more if needed to bring the nitrate down to a safe level.