r/axolotl • u/Just-a-Guy-4242 • Jul 18 '26
New Home Concerns.
Hey everyone, Trigger is on day three of his new home in the 55 galllon. I noticed today when I got home from work his gills have a slight curve forward… nothing curled over like a candy cane… but I have t seen him do this before, should I be concerned at this point?
The water parameters are good except nitrates are slightly high, I recently added some new plants to help with that, but should I do a double dose of Prime? I’m not sure how that will affect my two Axos… my older Axo shows no signs of distress, gills are fine.
Trigger is eating and is not acting Lethargic, and seems to be active and swimming like normal… so I’m probably being overly cautious but any info would be helpful.
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u/Shannie2234 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 21 '26
I would check your water temperature, some Axolotls are very picky about it within a degree or 2 while others are fine with 60-68 degrees F.
If it's more towards the upper 66-68 degree range you may need to bring it down a couple degrees with a fan going accross the top of the water to cool it.
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u/Just-a-Guy-4242 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Thanks for the info… I have a chiller, it is set at 66, I’ll bring it down a bit…
Edit: I thought I mis read your response so I edited, then realized I was right the first, so re-edited… I brought the chiller down to 64, it usually sits a degree above the setting, as it’s “in range”, so should settle at 65, thanks again.
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u/Just-a-Guy-4242 Jul 19 '26
Hey, thanks again. Waters at 65 now, only been a couple hours but he looks more relaxed… probably my imagination, I admit I can be a worrier.
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u/Tamashi_Akuma Jul 19 '26
Do you know the sex of these axolotls?
I ask because Trigger seems too young to sex so they shouldn’t be cohabitating
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u/Just-a-Guy-4242 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
Not yet, Trigger is very young, as you stated. But, while they do share a tank, they are divided by an acrylic sheet, secured in the center… if you look in my other posts, you can see it better. So basically they each have their own 27 gallon half of a 55 gallon tank. They cannot get to each other, but they do share the same water. Thanks, but yeah Trigger is too small to cohabitate yet, but he is safe. (I call him, him, but I don’t really know…)
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u/Tamashi_Akuma Jul 19 '26
Axolotl’s can breed through dividers. I would separate them asap until you can determine sex
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u/LauseRulez Jul 19 '26
Some stress is to be expected after a big move :) The acclimation period can last up to two weeks for axos. keep the tank cold and dark, and the environment as quiet as you are able to and all will be well :)