Axie with short gills.

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ronwel

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question from a newbie. do the axie gills grow longer as they age? I have had my first for about two weeks now and have seen that comparing to pictures his/hers are quiet stubby. he was alone in the tank when I got him but could he have been getting nibbled on at the hatchery? don't know the age but around 4 inches.
 
Gills can grow depending on water quality (lower oxygen may induce more gill filaments), but its mostly dependent on genetics. On this site many of the experienced breeders seem to have longer gills than the typical pet store axolotl. My one axolotl from the pet store has gills that are maybe half of what my others are. If the gills were bitten off it can take a while for them to grow back and even then they still might come back shorter.
 
Ok thank you. He seems to gulp air pretty often. That should get better as his gills grow back I assume. Should I crank up the air pump?
 
ronwel said:
Ok thank you. He seems to gulp air pretty often. That should get better as his gills grow back I assume. Should I crank up the air pump?
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Nope, not necessary and might only stress him out as it creates a little current. Just make sure the water parameters are perfect and he should heal up just fine.
 
Lots of people say using a sponge filter helps improve fluffiness of gills - maybe worth looking into?

What kind of filter do you have - does it have a strong output ? If so, maybe block flow with a plant, hide or sponge.
 
I have two canister filters, one runs through a fridge in the basement so it slows it down quite a lot, the other has a two foot spray bar that I point up. There are several tall plants (plastic) in the tank and I never see any movement in them, it seems like everything is still in there.
 
I keep trying to get a pic you can see, having trouble getting the light right, and obviously dont want to use flash.
 
Ok heres a good one.
 

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They are pretty short but as long as he's healthy don't worry too much. They might grow longer with age but its not worth trying some remedy to make them longer. Just provide a good home and healthy diet and he will flourish on his own.
 
His gills have actually grown a little bit since hes been here ( this photo is from today) and seems to go to the surface a lot less.
 
ronwel said:
His gills have actually grown a little bit since hes been here ( this photo is from today) and seems to go to the surface a lot less.
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the fact that his gills have grown since you've got him shows that they were probably either bitten off or reduced due to some condition before you got him. Younger axolotls are pretty quick at regeneration, so I think maybe a month or two and your axolotls gills should become the more typical length. Yours does look like my wildtype that has generally shorter gills, and most pictures online can really make an axolotl feel inadequate :/
 
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