deteriorating gill filaments?

[jennag446]

my axies gill filaments seem to look a lot different than they did a month ago. ammonia is 0 ppm, nitrites 0, and nitrates 5 ppm. the first picture is when i first got him, second is now. what can i do to help him? do the filaments look like they’ve come off? he eats fine, energy is good, and poops fine. i honestly can’t tell if they are coming off or if they’ve just changed in size. some seem to be longer now. i just performed a partial water change. i’m not sure if i need to keep this up every day or not

 

[wolfen]

as your axolotl grows its gills will look smaller and smaller, this isn't due to shrinking but because its body proportions will grow faster than its gills will.
provided the water parameters are good and correct and the water is kept cold and well oxygenated you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

 

[fishkid]

he looks fine to me, as said above the appearance of his gills will change as he grows. if water parameters are good and the tank is fully cycled there is no need to do daily water changes, that will do more harm than good really adding unnecessary stress.

 

[jennag446]

as your axolotl grows its gills will look smaller and smaller, this isn't due to shrinking but because its body proportions will grow faster than its gills will.
provided the water parameters are good and correct and the water is kept cold and well oxygenated you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

but it’s not the size of them, it’s the fact that my axolotl is losing some of the filaments. is that ok?

 

[wolfen]

but it’s not the size of them, it’s the fact that my axolotl is losing some of the filaments. is that ok?

looking at the photos the gill stem growth is nice with visible blood flow and the filaments are nicely coloured with no pale areas, no sign of fungus, all in all quite healthy.
the gill filaments regrow continuously and suffer general wear and tear over time.