Sand from shop looks like beach sand

[sharn]

i bought some sand yesterday for my axos tank.i cleaned it well first of course. but when i put the hose into it the water went a really gross browny colour.... and it looks just like normal beach sand...once it was as clean as i could get it (which was still brownish but heaps better) i put it into his tank (with my axo in his temp bowl) and put the filter on high till the water cleared up a bit... its still a wee bit murkey though. should i get some different sand? it looks quite corse... and my axo hasnt moved much since i put him in apart from a burst of energy when he went back into it plus his tails doing its curl at the tip thing and his gills lean foward from half way up his stalk... is this sand poisoning him or something!?bloody pet shops!!!they said it was aquarium sand...

 

[eric]

From http://www.axolotl.org/health.htm
"A curled tail end is a sure sign of a stressed axolotl."
It may just be stressed by the move. Has the sand had any affect on the pH? a fast change in water parameters could probably be quite stressful.

 

[mik]

I tried sand once, some time ago, and found it took a few days before the water finally cleared. In the meantime my axies were in tubs whilst the tank settled down and cycled.

i agree with Eric about the curled tail-tip but you may want to check the current in the tank. It maybe a little high. Are his gills moved constantly by the current?

 

[carl]

i have some sand and it just looks like beech sand i bought it because i have a 2 foot tank and it was pretty cheap my water went cloudy but wait a couple days tops and it should go clear and about the curled tail that is stress it might just be because its not used to the new habbitat or maybe your filter is on to powerfull thats what it sounds like with the gills being like that they might blow around i find that a fast water flow stresses my axie alot

(Message edited by carl_the_dude on January 28, 2005)

 

[sharn]

thanks guys, the water movement is fine... his gills dont even move when hes right beside it.hes not as stressed anymore but is still pretty inactive. he used to crawl around lots all day so im missing him a bit haha. mum thinks 'maybe he doesnt like the feel of the sand on his tootsies' could this be it?hes used to scramblin over river stones. and thanks again guys

 

[carl]

give him a while and he will be right mine took about a week to settle in to his new home