Hiya,
I have a pet Axolotl named Dio. He's a real beauty. He's an albino around 9" long. Was a pest to get him to start feeding, but now he can't get enough food! I feed him around every other day, rotating small earth worms (Dendrobeana, or at least I hope it's spelt that way! lol) He normally has 4, averaging in size of 50mm - 70mm, with frozen cubes of blood worm. With the bloodworm, I mix a little Daphina and brine shrimp into them and offer it all in little clumps with twissors. I would love to feed him more of a variation, but he just won't eat anything else (I've tried LOTS of different things),
So, my questions are: When I bought him, he looked quite pale, but very healthy and a healthy colouring in his gills (also a little on the slim side). Lately his tail has gone BRIGHT PINK and his gills look brighter and a little longer (the length of his gills might be down to our British summer, but the temp is never allowed to exceed 23C). The temperature of his tank is generally between 20-22C, which isn't ideal, but I don't have a chiller (nor can I afford one). I use cooler bottles, but I have to be very careful with these so they don't keep fluctuating the temperature too much. If the temp hits 23C, I take in down to 21C in the space of an hour or so.
My water readings are: Ammonia 0mg/L, Nitrite 0.1mg/L and Nitrate 5mg/L. The tank was fully cycled before I made a home for him and I do 25% water changes twice weekly. The KH in my normal tap water is 0mg/L, so I use aqualibrium salts to raise it to 100mg/L. The packet instructs that I use one teaspoon per gallon, but as it's not designed specifically for Axolotls, I use one level teaspoon per three gallons.
I also use a PH product. My tap water PH is 6.5, so I use 'proper PH 7.0. I would like to stop adding this to water as the more I've read about it, the less I trust these products. I'm just not sure how to do it safely or if he can adjust to a lower PH. I really don't like all the chemical additions (for his health, not my pocket).
He has a tetratec External 700 filter which is set on low flow and I use a long spray bar and point it at the glass. He has an airstone on 'trickle' a couple of hours here and there throughout the day, as I used to have it on trickle all the time, but it seemed like he didn't really want it there at all. He'd swim frantically through it, stick his face in it, or just sit n the airstone. (which looks like a good thing, but I've heard it's not) ????
Oh yeah, he's in a three foot 30 gallon tank, bare bottom as I can't find a substrate that I trust either. I've put tank backing on the bottom of the tank (it looks like brickwork, really nice). The back and sides also have the same backing to shade him from too much dayling. The tank is side on to the window and only the front of the tank is 'open'. He also has a box lid, so nothing ever startles him or scares him.
He sits in his cave and on his plants for about half the day and then he's just really active, swimming all around the tank and making me worry about his bright pink tail and the look of 'stress' in his eyes (well, that's how I perceive the 'look'. He has lots of things to do in his tank and has lots of swimming space too. So, I don't know why his tail is this colour. I've read it can be a sign of stress, but I'd really appreciate any responses that can help bring clarity to this matter! - Please
All I really need is some advice (if you think I could be doing things differently), and mainly, the scary pink tail!
Sorry for the lenghy description, but I though, you know.... more detail is best
Thanks a bunch!
I have a pet Axolotl named Dio. He's a real beauty. He's an albino around 9" long. Was a pest to get him to start feeding, but now he can't get enough food! I feed him around every other day, rotating small earth worms (Dendrobeana, or at least I hope it's spelt that way! lol) He normally has 4, averaging in size of 50mm - 70mm, with frozen cubes of blood worm. With the bloodworm, I mix a little Daphina and brine shrimp into them and offer it all in little clumps with twissors. I would love to feed him more of a variation, but he just won't eat anything else (I've tried LOTS of different things),
So, my questions are: When I bought him, he looked quite pale, but very healthy and a healthy colouring in his gills (also a little on the slim side). Lately his tail has gone BRIGHT PINK and his gills look brighter and a little longer (the length of his gills might be down to our British summer, but the temp is never allowed to exceed 23C). The temperature of his tank is generally between 20-22C, which isn't ideal, but I don't have a chiller (nor can I afford one). I use cooler bottles, but I have to be very careful with these so they don't keep fluctuating the temperature too much. If the temp hits 23C, I take in down to 21C in the space of an hour or so.
My water readings are: Ammonia 0mg/L, Nitrite 0.1mg/L and Nitrate 5mg/L. The tank was fully cycled before I made a home for him and I do 25% water changes twice weekly. The KH in my normal tap water is 0mg/L, so I use aqualibrium salts to raise it to 100mg/L. The packet instructs that I use one teaspoon per gallon, but as it's not designed specifically for Axolotls, I use one level teaspoon per three gallons.
I also use a PH product. My tap water PH is 6.5, so I use 'proper PH 7.0. I would like to stop adding this to water as the more I've read about it, the less I trust these products. I'm just not sure how to do it safely or if he can adjust to a lower PH. I really don't like all the chemical additions (for his health, not my pocket).
He has a tetratec External 700 filter which is set on low flow and I use a long spray bar and point it at the glass. He has an airstone on 'trickle' a couple of hours here and there throughout the day, as I used to have it on trickle all the time, but it seemed like he didn't really want it there at all. He'd swim frantically through it, stick his face in it, or just sit n the airstone. (which looks like a good thing, but I've heard it's not) ????
Oh yeah, he's in a three foot 30 gallon tank, bare bottom as I can't find a substrate that I trust either. I've put tank backing on the bottom of the tank (it looks like brickwork, really nice). The back and sides also have the same backing to shade him from too much dayling. The tank is side on to the window and only the front of the tank is 'open'. He also has a box lid, so nothing ever startles him or scares him.
He sits in his cave and on his plants for about half the day and then he's just really active, swimming all around the tank and making me worry about his bright pink tail and the look of 'stress' in his eyes (well, that's how I perceive the 'look'. He has lots of things to do in his tank and has lots of swimming space too. So, I don't know why his tail is this colour. I've read it can be a sign of stress, but I'd really appreciate any responses that can help bring clarity to this matter! - Please
All I really need is some advice (if you think I could be doing things differently), and mainly, the scary pink tail!
Sorry for the lenghy description, but I though, you know.... more detail is best
Thanks a bunch!
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