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Fungus ?!

kaliyahchanel

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So I’ve had this axolotl since May last year so it’s almost a year old. I noticed that it’s gill filaments have shrunken and look like they’ve fallen off and they’re curved forward. I just did a 50% water change so all of the parameters are good. The axolotl is also eating really well (I feed him two crickets a day) and I don’t notice any white fuzzy spots on him. Could this be a fungus and how else could I tell? His filter does cause a bit of water movement, but could that really affect his gills? I’ve included a picture of him.
 

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Hayleyy

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Hey!
You said you didn't notice any white fuzzy spots, so there probably isn't fungus (and I can't see any on the photo either).
Did you test the water using test kits before and after the water change? This will give you accurate numbers, rather than assuming levels are okay after a water change.
A lot of things can affect their gills. One, being genetics but that can't be helped. A high rate of water flow will stress your axies out and cause their gills to curl forward. If there is flow coming from your filter just attach a loofah and that will reduce the flow. Or you can prop some decorations up under the filter to disperse the flow (there's heaps of threads on here on how people do that).
As for the filaments on the gills I believe they can reduce if there is too much oxygen in the water (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). If there's lots of oxygen then the axie wont need the filaments as much so they will reduce.
I would suggest moving from feeding crickets to earthworms. Insects with a hard shell are more difficult to digest, so it isn't recommended to feed them as a staple (this includes mealworms). Earthworms are much more nutritious and it makes them look like they're eating spaghetti!
 

kaliyahchanel

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I do use a sponge filter with an air pump which may increase oxygen in the tank. I did test the water and all of the parameters are we’re fine after the water change. I’ll switch his food and see what happens. Thank you so much for your input and help!
 

Hayleyy

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Do you have a filter in addition to the sponge filter? If you do you can try to turn down the air pump and see if that makes a difference :)
Goodluck!
 
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