Ariel
New member
Last week I bought a 4 inch wild type Axolotl.
In the store it was labeled "GFP Axolotl (glows under black light)".
The one I chose specifically because it had shiny bluish green eyes; also it appeared very stressed (gills curled dramatically forward) but otherwise healthy.
At first she only hid among the plants and charged the sides of the aquarium at the smallest startle. After a couple days she has relaxed and begun to leasurely explore the tank. Her gills are still somewhat curled but signifigantly less that they were, they have also grown noticeably "fluffier". I'm wondering if they are a little stuck in that position from being in a stressful environment for so long. She seems healthy and happy otherwise and yesterday she gorged on some fresh salmon strips fed from my hand.
Here is my question:
I just bought a blacklight but when I set it up my Alolotl did not glow. I know very little about GFP, so forgive my stupid questions. Do they need to "absorb" light like glow in the dark plastic? Do the glowing proteins need to "mature"? Will it glow better as a full grown adult? From the pictures online it looks like they glow a bright green except for their eyes stay black. My Axie showed almost no glow except for a barely discernible shimmer near the anus; yet stragely the eyes lit up like bright little highbeams! I havn't seem any pictures like this, with only the eyes glowing under a blacklight. Are there different types of blacklights that will illuminate different areas?
If my Axolotl doesn't glow; I am going to return the blacklight. Should I hold onto it? Am I doing something wrong?
In the store it was labeled "GFP Axolotl (glows under black light)".
The one I chose specifically because it had shiny bluish green eyes; also it appeared very stressed (gills curled dramatically forward) but otherwise healthy.
At first she only hid among the plants and charged the sides of the aquarium at the smallest startle. After a couple days she has relaxed and begun to leasurely explore the tank. Her gills are still somewhat curled but signifigantly less that they were, they have also grown noticeably "fluffier". I'm wondering if they are a little stuck in that position from being in a stressful environment for so long. She seems healthy and happy otherwise and yesterday she gorged on some fresh salmon strips fed from my hand.
Here is my question:
I just bought a blacklight but when I set it up my Alolotl did not glow. I know very little about GFP, so forgive my stupid questions. Do they need to "absorb" light like glow in the dark plastic? Do the glowing proteins need to "mature"? Will it glow better as a full grown adult? From the pictures online it looks like they glow a bright green except for their eyes stay black. My Axie showed almost no glow except for a barely discernible shimmer near the anus; yet stragely the eyes lit up like bright little highbeams! I havn't seem any pictures like this, with only the eyes glowing under a blacklight. Are there different types of blacklights that will illuminate different areas?
If my Axolotl doesn't glow; I am going to return the blacklight. Should I hold onto it? Am I doing something wrong?