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Question: Speed of gill regeneration

CalgaryAxolotl

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I made the mistake of letting my female betta relax after spawning in my 30 gallon tank shared only with my axolotl. Before I knew it, my poor axolotl had nearly all of his gills nipped clean. I'm wondering how quickly I can expect them to grow back, and if I should do anything differently in the meanwhile. I was thinking of adding an extra air stone so the water is extra oxygen rich to make up for the lack of gill surface area. Anything else I should be doing?
 

lea

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Firstly make sure the fish is out of the axie tank . You need to make sure the water is kept clean and cool and the gills should grow back in no time.
 

larn

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The rate of regeneration will depend on the age of the axolotl and it's metabolic rate, you can slow down his RMR by putting him in the fridge for a couple of weeks, the younger it is the faster it regenerates (read the tutorial on this website before you do it)

I think averagely it takes between 3 to 5 weeks to regenerate completely

I have a similar problem at the moment although doesn't sound as bad as yours.My axolotl had one of his gills bitten off by his brother 'snapper' and so he is in the fridge now.
 
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CalgaryAxolotl

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RMR is resting metabolic rate? Fridging her to slow her metabolism makes sense, but wouldn't I want to speed the metabolism (or at least not lower it) for a quicker regrowth?

About the air stone, I'm wondering if keeping the O2 levels lower would encourage the growth of fluffier gills. Like how a plant will only grow roots until it can provide itself with an appropriate amount of nutrients. Or will they grow back to regular size anyway in which case the more O2 the better?
 

larn

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I could be wrong about lowering the temperature, (to be honest i am fairly new to keeping axolotls) but i think it's a good idea to fridge him just after an injury because will relax him if he is stressed. I took mine out of the fridge today because the temperature seemed to fluctuate too much and i know that's not good.

After my axolotl had his gill bitten off, he showed signs of stress, like using his back foot to try to scratch the wound and he seemed very irritated, after i fridged him he seemed to be more relaxed and now he seems more happy.

maybe you could lower the water level so it can get gulps of air from the surface a bit easier. I'm not sure if the air stone will help, but i think your theory does seem logical.

hopefully someone else can input some ideas as i am still learning al lot about this myself
 
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