Re: axolotls behaving strangely, are they sick?

[CaluKanKen]

Hello, I have two young axolotl in a 20 gallon tank, the water is kept in the low 60s F range of temperature I have a hang on back filter, and I do regular water changes of 25% after feedings and then like a 2 liter pitcher full of water the next day or day after when they use the restroom to clean the poop out when I see it. I feed them some axolotl pellets I bought off of eBay and every Monday I give them some frozen blood worms along with their food as a bit of a treat. Lately I’ve been noticing one of the lotls floating nose down, both the lotls have a little bit of noticeable tearing that is seems to have gotten noticeably better on one lotl, but much worse on the one that floats. I’ve also noticed that lately both of them have been having really orange colored runny stool, much different from what it used be initially I figured I must have not noticed the poop for too long but it’s happened consistently after feeding so I figure something Is wrong. I have also noticed that thier little gill ear things have seems to have changed to a much darker color. I don’t know what I should do? Should I fridge them? I’m assuming they have some kind of bacterial infection. Should I fridge them and then empty the tank, clean everything, and let it cycle for two week before introducing them? Is two weeks too long to fridge a lotl for? Do you feed them while they are being fridged? I hope that someone can help me figure out what to do with them. I want to know what I ddI wrong that caused this to happen to them, as well? I figured I was keeping the tank pretty clean and the water tests I do come out normal for every category.
Edit: I posted this is the wrong section earlier oopsie.

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Was the tank fully cycled before introducing them?
Are you testing the water for.... pH, high range pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate?
What type of test kit?

Floaty bums can be a sign of needing to poop or constipation

 

[CaluKanKen]

Was the tank fully cycled before introducing them?
Are you testing the water for.... pH, high range pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate?
What type of test kit?

Floaty bums can be a sign of needing to poopn

 

[CaluKanKen]

Well I recently moved them from what I thought was a 10 gallon (turned out it was a 5 gallon but that’s fine since they were really small and only in that tank for like 2 weeks) to a 20 gallon, I simply moved their old filter to their new tank and transferred the water in the old tank into the new tank and filled it up the rest of the way. The previous filter had been running for about 2 months on the old tank Before I introduced the lotls, and the new water I added in to the new tank I treated with quick start and had it run for a night before introducing the lotls. I use test strips that test for nitrate, nitrate, hardness, ph, and carbonate. Inside my tank I hang an ammonia alert strip that lets me know when the ammonia is too high in my tank by biochem and it hasn’t indicated high ammonia, though I know it can since when I first put it in the new tank and added water it said the ammonia was too high so I waited to introduce the lotls to the tank until it was no longer alerting me. All of the levels were normal, the water was a little hard but I read online that lotls like hard water so I haven’t bought anything to soften it. If he’s just constipated how can I help him? Whenever I noticed him floating I usually put him in Tupperware until he uses the restroom, then the floating goes away. But I want to know what I should do about his tail? It looks wrinkled on the top now.

 

[Calgarycoppers]

ok so the strips are inaccurate and so are the ammonia alerts.

I highly recommend getting the API freshwater master test kit.