Me again!

Just a few queries about the behaviour and appearance of my two babies......
Firstly, they are both white with red-ish gills. Sometimes their gills look really red, sometimes they look almost white (very pale pink) is this normal? Does it mean they are deficient in anything?
Also one in particular spends a lot of the time swimming back and forth at the front of the tank, stopping at each corner and wriggling as though trying to escape, is this normal? The place where he usually stops is right underneath the out-flow of my filter, which also aerates the water, do you think he's lacking in oxygen? I was under the impression that Axies don't like moving water, yet he/she (don't know which yet) spends the majority of his waking time in precisely the fastest moving part of the tank! I just don't want my Axies to be stressed, sorry to keep bombarding this forum with loads of questions, :blush: I just want to have happy, long-living Axies! Thank you, Kerry

Hello Kerry1968,

Kerry1968 said:

Firstly, they are both white with red-ish gills. Sometimes their gills look really red, sometimes they look almost white (very pale pink) is this normal? Does it mean they are deficient in anything?

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This is perfectly normal. An axolotl's gills will appear to be more red if they are active (especially during feeding). The opposite is true when an axolotl is inactive.

Kerry1968 said:

Also one in particular spends a lot of the time swimming back and forth at the front of the tank, stopping at each corner and wriggling as though trying to escape, is this normal?

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This is also normal for axolotls of this age. As an axolotl matures, it tends to become less active...similar to us humans except that we get lazy for other reasons as well

Kerry1968 said:

The place where he usually stops is right underneath the out-flow of my filter, which also aerates the water, do you think he's lacking in oxygen? I was under the impression that Axies don't like moving water...

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It is true that a strong current can be stressful for an axolotl. The best indicator for a strong current is the curving of the gills. I strongly doubt that your axolotl is lacking oxygen. However, if your axolotl is making frequent trips to the surface of the water, it will most likely mean that there is nitrite within your tank- and not because of a deficiency in oxygen.

Kerry1968 said:

I just want to have happy, long-living Axies!

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It's great to see that you are researching to no end. It's the only way to learn.

Jay.