Golden Axie pinkish tail??? Bad or maybe a mix breed?

kaliko22 · Jul 10, 2012

I was just wondering if my axie looks ok, he/she is a tad over 7 inches, acts fine, swims and walks around, very healthy eater (whole fat night crawler every other day), regular water changes etc. No filter, but I change the water after he goes potty (every other day) so I vacuum it out, takes about half the water with it, then replace with conditioned water. any way. 20 Gallon tank, bare bottom; just trying to weed out any questions lol But lately I have noticed that his tail looks more pink, his gills go back and forth on being pretty red, but at the usual times when he has a normal increase in blood flow (active, eating, ready to go potty). Just want to make sure that this is ok, or if it is something that is starting to go wrong, because I would rather nip it in the butt now

I dont think that he looks stressed, gills stick out, but not forward, tail is straight etc? Oh the temp... it stays right around 72, has gotten up to 75 or so, but cooled it off, and he didnt seem stressed then... not sure

kaliko22 · Jul 10, 2012

here is a pic of his set up, would add more plants but he seems to want nothing to do with the ones that are in there... rarely hides, just watches everything going on in the house... and watches the turtle in his 40gallon tank a few feet away lol guess I could raise his water level?

JodieBromilow · Jul 11, 2012

Hi :happy:,
You`re axolotl is normal and nice and healthy!, all light coloured axolotls get a red/pink tail its when there active its the blood going through its tail, but its nothing to worry about but i would defiantly add some live plants in your axolotl tank if you havent got a filtter as it will add oxygen to the water and yes i would defiantly put the water level up in your axolotl tank

your set-ups really good though and your axolotl is adorable

kaliko22 · Jul 11, 2012

That's good to know! I did up it about 3/4 full, I just don't have a lid and hear too many stories about them jumping out lol. I have been wondering about live plants, but never had them before so have to do some research.

its bare bottom, much easier to keep clean, so have to figure something out.

JodieBromilow · Jul 11, 2012

oh good if you havent got a lid its best not to fill it right up to the top because yes they can tend to jump out

, i have sand as substrate and it gets diry quite easy as its white! and as for the plants i would get some java moss and tie a bit around your hide with fishig wire and it will climb all around/over it its like a ivy and its low light tolerant and java fern is a great plant too and you can buy little mini plant pots disigned for fish tank plants or when you buy them they will come with a metal weight on them just keep that on it and it will keep the plant from floating up and also duckweed or fairy moss are great plants there little tiny floating plants with nice long roots that are also low light tolerant and grow like crazy! and all these plants are really cheap! :happy:

xxianxx · Jul 11, 2012

Your temp is a bit high, if you drop it to below 68f(20c) you will find the pink colour will go. Light coloured axolotls who go pink are generally subject to low water quality or high temps. If you choose to use a bare bottomed tank make sure you wipe it over to remove the slimy bacterial build up, this may infect/rot your axolotls toes. You could add a few plants and hides, axolotls like cover, if you add surface plants it may choose to hang under them . Nice looking axolotl, appears healthy and well kept, just drop the temp a bit.

kaliko22 · Jul 11, 2012

Well, that was the easiest research I've ever done! Lol. Was trying to look up the best ones.

and they don't need anything extra, just put them in the water and that's it?

kaliko22 · Jul 11, 2012

The plants I mean of course.

xxianxx · Jul 11, 2012

If you wish a planted tank you need to be able to feed the plants, by removing 50% of the water every other day and not using a substrate (which increases the surface area for nitrifying bacteria colonies) you are not allowing your tank to cycle. Check out the appropriate threads on this site. Any specific questions post them here.

kaliko22 · Jul 11, 2012

Slightly confused by your response... you're saying that in order to take care of the plants I would have to do a 50% water change every other day, and doing so would not cycle my tank?

xxianxx · Jul 11, 2012

By doing 50% water changes and having no substrate you are not allowing your tank to cycle. The ammonia which is produced by your axolotl is being removed before it can be converted to nitrates and nitrites which the plants use. The plants may not die but they may not flourish. Free floating plants are good with axolotls as they have a tendancy to dig them up unless they are weighted down. Check the bit about filtration on this link Axolotls - Housing in Captivity and tank cycling here Aquarium Cycling

kaliko22 · Jul 11, 2012

Ok I understand now. Thanks!

kaliko22 · Jul 11, 2012

so I got some live plants, still have the 3 fake ones, but got 4 real for now. Could not find all the ones I wanted. I did a test on the water, everything is fine except the ammonia is at .50, even after a partial water change so hope that the plants help that a least a little. I will see how these plants do before I get more

I am also looking into getting him a small canister filter that like I have for my turtle with s spray bar so that there is not a lot of water flow.

Azhael · Jul 12, 2012

The live plants will help some, by absorving nitrogen compounds themselves, but you really need to properly cycle the tank.
As Ian said, the large, frequent water changes prevent the process from happening not really because of eliminating ammonia (since ammonia is produced fast as you have seen in the test) but rather because the changes are big enough to cause conditions to vary wildly and prevent bacterial stablishment. If you limit water changes to a maximum of 20% each time, conditions will remain more stable and bacteria will spread on every submerged surface, eventually achieving what´s called a cycled tank.

Also, get a lid asap. You can make cheap ones yourself with little effort. The are several threads around the forums that show how to make them in different styles.

Visi · Jul 12, 2012

In my area, they often sell axolotls with marimo (Hokkaido lake balls) They're probably the perfect plant to go with them because they have no roots (require no pot or substrate to plant in), need a very limited amount of light and don't mind getting pushed around by a feisty amphibian. Getting knocked around exposes all sides to the small amount of light they need, so the ball stays green and happy. Also, for a "lid" you can just put mesh on the top and anchor it around the tank with an over-sized rubber band (I have one that's meant to hold garbage bags in place in their bins) or tie a string or ribbon to hold it in place. The mesh will allow you to still use a fan to cool the water, while being sure your little guy can't jump out.

kaliko22 · Jul 12, 2012

I will find a new way to clean up his messes then (turkey baster?). I do half because I vacuum out the bottom, and that just ends up being how much water comes out. But I will do it a different way so that I am leaving more water in, and not removing so much of it. Thanks!!!!!! When I got him I asked the breeder questions, and he said to just do a 20% change every or every other day, and clean up poop. Figured he would tell me when asked all of the tricks. He said that to just fill the tank half way since he was a baby, condition water of course, and he is good to go. Goodness... he could have given more detail when asked. Thought he told me everything I needed because he had gorgeous adults, but guess I was blind and didnt know it!

xxianxx · Jul 12, 2012

When you do your research on tank cycling make sure you understand the differences between cycling a tank with and without an axolotl, as you are inexperienced it would be advisable to choose the "fish less cycle" method, as having an axolotl in a cycling tank can be detrimental to its well being. I have often cycled tanks with animals in them but i understand the process.

kaliko22 · Jul 12, 2012

I understand, but like I said, the guy I bought him from made it sound like I didnt have to worry about it

If i move him into a bigger tank again, I will definitely cycle with out him in. This tank I just moved him to is cooler now, and he is fine and eating. no physical changes. The water parameters are doing their slight fluctuations, but nothing crazy and I am still doing partial changes since he does not have a filter. Got the plants to help with the ammonia, plus had used some of his old water and all of his old fake plants and hide (unwashed) so that it would not be a total fresh start. He is lazily swimming around as normal, or just chilling, his flush of pink is gone, and he just gobbled up some pieces of worm as normal

kaliko22 · Jul 16, 2012

And now he is really sick. Won't hardly eat. If he eats a little he throws it up. Extremely pale. Not as active as he usually is. Gills shrank. Filaments almost gone. Tail still a little flush. Wonder if I bought some bad worms and they got him sick. Either way since he was not improving I put him back into his old tank with fresh dechlorinated water like how I always kept him before. No filter like before. Unless he ate a piece of plant and he has an obstruction? Idk. Very worried. He had such great personality, now looks like he is diminishing.

JodieBromilow · Jul 16, 2012

Did you move him into a new bigger tank?

Golden Axie pinkish tail??? Bad or maybe a mix breed?

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