Gill Issue?! possibly because of recent oxygen increase???

[kaliko22]

I have a 7in golden albino axie, and I have recently put him into a new tank. When I got him (at 4inches) I asked the breeder what I have to do to get him ready. He said just put him into water with conditioner and he will be fine... and he was. I knew nothing of the cycling process (was not told anything) and a few times taken him out and completely cleaned his tank and everything in it, no aeration, no filter, just cleaned up after him every other day when he pooped . He never acted out of norm, ate like a pig and grew an inch a month. Plus HUGE feathery gills lol now I have him in a 20gallon tank (did the change a week ago), live plants, and I got him a canister filter with a spray bar that is pointed towards the glass so that he is not disturbed. Put the filter in last night, and today I noticed that his gills are lighter (not white, just more pale pink than red), and they are getting shorter and not as lush. Since I did not know anything of the cycling process... he was just put in the new tank. I did use about half of his old water, his pvc hide, and a few fake plants (none rinsed off). the parameters are slightly off. Ph at 7.6, nitrite 0, nitrate 0, but the ammonia is at .5. never gets higher, I do about 20-25% water change everyday, but its not budging. did have a slight spike in nitrite (.25) and then nitrate (.5) but now they are back to 0, but ammonia just wont go down. wonder if me putting in the canister filter restarted the process? And the gills due to an obvious increase in oxygen? last night he was pretty active... today not as much and didnt eat much, but went potty. wish I would have been told to cycle, but he went through a few of them when I got him and would clean everything out and start fresh (like 4 times). and now that I am taking water readings and doing everything by the book (except not doing a full cycle, just some transfers), he looks different... again... not sure whats going on. He even had a fresh wound when I got him, missing arm and you could see that it was fresh. It grew back perfect and no infection or anything. So I really hope that it is just because of the oxygen increase with having the spray bar and plants. I don't know if it would be because of the ammonia since he has had a few fresh starts and never had an issue. Just weird that I did all this good stuff, and now he seems sick... I would really appreciate some help or insight! I will attach a pic taken a few days ago, and one that I just took to compare and a pic of the tank set up. (in the first pic his tail looks flushed, but it looks brighter in the pic than what it is really)

Thanks for reading all this! lol

[kaliko22]

another pic a few days ago

[Kaysie]

With plants and a spray bar in the tank, your oxygen saturation is much higher, and your axolotl has no need for big, lush gills.

Have you tested your new tank parameters?

[kaliko22]

yes, they were posted above, all at 0 except ammonia stays at .5. i do daily 25% water changes, just stays at .5. I contacted the breeder and he said that you do not have to cycle the tank unless you are using a filter. maybe I should put him back into his old tank w/o filter until this process is done, i have feeder gold fish in my turtle tank, they all seem happy and healthy, been in there for a couple months, so i can put one in his tank while he is back in his old one? I did not know that filters made a difference, thought they always cycled, or at least the parameters still fluctuated. So maybe me getting the filter in there is hurting him? want my little guy happy and active again

[kaliko22]

just checked the water again and it is at .25 ammonia, everything else at 0 so going down. he did just throw up the only piece of worm he would eat last night

[jane1187]

At the moment I would not worry about the gills. High oxygen levels are beneficial and you ammonia, even at 5 is not dangerously high (though it is good that it has dropped as that indicates that your bacterial colonies are doing their jobs and the nitrogen cycling is happening). As it has already been said, if you have a higher oxygen saturation in the water then the gills do not need to have a large surface area as your axolotl will need to put less effort into absorbing oxygen as it is more freely available in the water.

Unless there are any other symptoms that would indicate ill health (e.g. excess slime on the body, sores, redness elsewhere, lethargy) I would not worry at all. It looks like you have a healthy axolotl there and it sounds like your tank is doing fine.

[kaliko22]

that is awesome to hear! Like I said he only ate one small piece of worm, and then threw it up today, so I hope that it is because he is still in a readjustment period He used to move more in the tank, but now very slow. not his usual self, but i assume all I can do is wait it out. i do need to get a new thermometer, but i leave my a/c on all day and his water feels really cold, but I will get another. usually he greets at the glass or at the surface, and he is no longer doing that either. but his body looks fine, tail still looks flush, but maybe that's just him... idk guess its just the waiting game and see if he gets back to normal

[kaliko22]

just an update, especially for future readers that have the same problem. I know that I have looked at few threads and there was never an update or conclusion to know what to expect. I moved him back to his old tank a couple days ago and did pretty big water changes every day, kept my living room air on to make sure the water stayed cool. Today I came home and there was no signs that he threw up what little he ate yesterday, and when he saw me he perked up! He ate about half a worm! he seems better! I'm so relieved! he is not 100%, but using his gills more and ate more. almost looks like the filaments are starting to grow, but very hard to tell. now I know better and it was a learning experience for me and hope others. when he is 100% good, I will get him back to his new tank. still paranoid about keeping the filter, so have not made my mind up yet, just glad he seems better :))))

[Dom]

Okay, I have also had an axolotl and not been informed of the cycle process. I feel like a bad owner! I've had him for a year now, and up until now, he has been fine. Can someone please define the cycle process for me?

[TheAxolotlWhisperer]

If you're tank is cycling and you do big water changes it can slow the cycling process or even stop if from cycling period. That's one reason having a cycled tank before is recommended. You said you moved him back into his old tank, does that mean your cycling the other one now? You can actually get a product called "Dr. Tim's One and Only Nitrifying Bacteria" it can literally cycle your tank immediately, although it's more likely it will cycle in about 3 days.

[TheAxolotlWhisperer]

Originally Posted by DoMforce182

Okay, I have also had an axolotl and not been informed of the cycle process. I feel like a bad owner! I've had him for a year now, and up until now, he has been fine. Can someone please define the cycle process for me?

Does your tank have a filter? If it does it's more than likely cycled. Cycling is a way of cultivating necessary bacteria in a new aquarium. The bacteria are necessary to decompose the waste products produced by your axolotl or other inhabitants in your tank. Basically cycling is getting bacteria that will eat your ammonia and turn it into nitrite (which is still toxic) and then when your tank is fully cycled it will also have bacteria that will eat the nitrite and turn it into nitrate (which is much much less toxic). It may be the other way around with the nitrite and nitrates I can't quite remember off the top of my head which one is the more toxic one, but I think you get the point.

[kaliko22]

By moving him back into the old tank I mean that I went back to my old method. No filter. Had always kept him that way and he was fine. Everyday he got a little better. Went potty huge in less than 24 hours and ate a little more. First day 2 pieces of worm (cut pretty small) the next day 2 pieces but twice, and now since going back to no filter, his gills are growing back, he is his normal little self, and eating almost 2 worms every other day. :))) so I will be moving him back to his bigger tank soon, he's just getting too big for his current one, but I am no longer going to use a filter. Old method all the way. 20% water changes everyday and vacuum out his poo. This is also how the breeder keeps his and his are gorgeous and healthy! I know that I can use a filter and wait for the cycle, but then I have heard of cycles crashing. Way to paranoid now lol. Some people complain about tank cleanings and daily water changes without a filter, but this only takes 10-15 (unless I'm doing a full tank cleaning) minutes out of my day and he is healthy. So I say screw the simplicity lol. I choose peace of mind. :) he is happy, healthy, and his water is clear. couldn't be happier!

[TheAxolotlWhisperer]

Alright yep you don't need a filter it's just less maintenance with one. If no filter works for you stick to it.