Axolotl looking paler than normal please help!!!

[jerimrom]

Hi there, my axolotl has recently been looking quite pale - he has been eating and behaving normally however, and his gills are super long and fluffy. It seems some parts of his body are a little fluffy, but mostly the only difference is the paleness. I have done water tests and the nitrate and ammonia levels have spiked a bit, so I have been doing daily 30% water changes to combat this. I am still unsure as to whether to tub / salt bath him, as I don’t want to cause him any unnecessary stress! Should I salt bath him or just continue with water changes for now, since he is behaving normally ? (Photos attached)

 

[hunterwho]

Hi! A few questions:
1. How long have you had the axolotl/how old is he? Some golden albinos' coloring fades gradually with age.
2. What are your tank parameters, and what are you using to test them? The API Aquarium Test Kit (the liquid one, not the strips) is super helpful, and you can use it to measure ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and pH with much greater precision than strip tests.
3. It might just be because of the angle the pictures were taken at, but your axie's gills seem more curled forward in the pale picture. The daily water changes might be stressing him out; especially if your tap water/new water has vastly different water parameters than the water in your tank.
4. Does the tint change, and if so, how often? Sometimes when axolotls are sleeping their color changes, and that's perfectly normal!
I don't think you need to tub him or salt bath him; in the pictures, he doesn't seem to have any fungal growth, and if he's behaving as normal, then he's probably fine staying in his aquarium- being tubbed or salted might cause him unnecessary stress. Good luck with your boy!

 

[jerimrom]

Hi! A few questions:
1. How long have you had the axolotl/how old is he? Some golden albinos' coloring fades gradually with age.
2. What are your tank parameters, and what are you using to test them? The API Aquarium Test Kit (the liquid one, not the strips) is super helpful, and you can use it to measure ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and pH with much greater precision than strip tests.
3. It might just be because of the angle the pictures were taken at, but your axie's gills seem more curled forward in the pale picture. The daily water changes might be stressing him out; especially if your tap water/new water has vastly different water parameters than the water in your tank.
4. Does the tint change, and if so, how often? Sometimes when axolotls are sleeping their color changes, and that's perfectly normal!
I don't think you need to tub him or salt bath him; in the pictures, he doesn't seem to have any fungal growth, and if he's behaving as normal, then he's probably fine staying in his aquarium- being tubbed or salted might cause him unnecessary stress. Good luck with your boy!

Thank you so much for your response !!! I’ve not had him too long (maybe about two months) and I’m not sure how long he was in the pet store for (I would be inclined to say about 6 months in total... he’s definitely grown since I’ve got him!
I’ve got API ammonia and nitrate testing kits and ammonia seems to be fine, but nitrites are a little high (about 1.0). Ph is around 7.3, and temperature always ranges between 18-20 degrees.
His tint hasn’t really changed for the last week or so - he got paler all of a sudden over a week and he’s remained this colour.
Hopefully this provides some clarification!