Gill color change...

A

ashlee

Guest
I have two golden albino axies (Annabell and Amadeus) they are, of course, white, with golden/red gills. Yesterday I noticed that their gills were completely white. I had heard that this occurs due to lack of sufficent oxygen, thus I rushed to the store to get a small bubbler.

I now have the bubbler in the tank with the filter. They are about 5 months old and both in a 5.5gal tank (although they are growing fast!!)

Their gills pinked up a bit when I put the bubbler in, but they are still quite pale. Any suggestions?

ps. They still eat well
 
i wouldnt worry, theres anothe post in sick axie about gills changing colour, this is also a golden albino, go have a read there it should be some help
 
Ashlee - I read this on gills in an axolotl news letter:

Poor gill condition is an early sign of poor water quality, but it can also be an early sign of stress on the inside. Continuously pale gills (more obvious on white and albino axolotls), overgrown gills, and limp gill posture can all be signs of infection. There may be times when your animal’s gills are pale, but a few hours later you note that they are nice and pink or red again. This is normal. Concerning “overgrown gills”: please don’t think that your animal’s beautiful healthy gills are a sign of illness! Gills that are overgrown (and therefore a sign of possible trouble) look sort of
silly they are so large, like a caricature that over-emphasizes key features. We think animals with overgrown gills are compensating for other internal problems. Overgrown gills don’t happen overnight, but if you don’t look at your animal very often it may seem that way!

I have noticed my axolotls gills fade when they appear to be sleeping. They color right back up as soon as they start to move around.

Keep an eye on yours and let us know if they stay pale all the time.
 
They are still pale, but I have noticed that at times they pink up, then they are pale again. They are still very active and play, and they certainly haven't lost their appetites. I just hope that they are ok!

Thanks for the replies!
 
hi ashlee, i have a book on axolotls that says the colour of the gills depend on how active your axolotls are. if they are active there gills will turn red because of high blood flow and circulation, but when there resting/sleeping there gills will have less colouration because of less blood flow and circulation.
 
seems logical enough, my axies gills change colour when its cold/hot/their being fed/swimming lots/not moving etc. check all your water paramters to see if it could be something there upsetting your dude
 
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