Gill size

[piaalexa]

I know this is likely been spoken about on the forums before, but I can't sift through the millions of posts to find my answer

I just wanted to know if anybody can enlighten me on what controls the size of Axolotl gills. In healthy axolotls the size and amount of frill seems to vary, just curious if it could be reasons related to altitude, water chemistry, etc. Thanks in advance!:happy:

 

[keiko]

I'd guess genetics and the amount of oxygen in the water are the biggest factors (less oxygen -> bigger/fluffier gills).

 

[axys]

i think water hardness has something to do with it aswell. On a separate post i remember reading tht water that is too soft can lead to anemia which is not really dangerous or anything but since anemia is basically having trouble getting/delivering oxygen in your body it might lead to fluffier gills? thts just a theory tho, genetics would definitely play a main role as keiko mentioned, second might be water quality ( high ammonia leads to overall unhealthy animal and can burn off gills if really high)

I was actually just thinking about this because i recently got a new axie, she is about half the size of my first axie. They both looks pretty happy and healthy yet from the first day i acquired my first axie she has had thinner and shorter frills. my new one is pretty small and hers are like trees, long and pretty fluffy. They get the same food, they share the same water/tank (with a divider) but they hare different parents. So it also just changes from axolotl to axolotl

 

[Petersgirl]

I definitely think nutrition at an early age and genetics play a part too. Gally and Tooth have incredibly stubby gills with pretty much no fluffiness at all. Embry and Jack come from another batch and have big gills, with a lot more fluffiness. However, there are some I've seen on here, like Margie's, that have the biggest, bouffiest, bounciest fluffy gills I've ever seen. And all of them seem to look like that.

LingKong has beautiful gills on hers too, and I believe she said it was down to frequent water changes - because space is at a premium in China she keeps three or four together, but she replaces the water often so that the axolotls are comfortable. Such frequent changes have resulted in plump, gorgeous axolotls with enviable gills. A zookeeper friend of mine said he had noticed that the axolotls he water changed twice daily grew much quicker than those who were only water changed once a day - even on the same food!

 

[piaalexa]

Yeah I think pH may have something to do with it or the water changing thing. It is just interesting because the ones I have at home get more frequent water changes and have big fluffy gills. Meanwhile I have four I look after at my University and they do not get as frequent water changes and their gills are smaller. Since the ones I have at home are very closely related to the ones at the University (they have the same parents) maybe that's it:happy:

 

[Petersgirl]

Fascinating. I wonder - if the four you keep at University came home with you, would their gills become fluffier to accomodate? Seeing as they're related, we know it isn't wholly genetics there.

 

[fireball99]

I wondered about this too. My axie came from a tank with several other axies in it and his gills were quite big when we got him, but he was just a baby.

Now he's an adult, I've noticed his gills seem smaller and much less fluffy than when he wa smaller. I wondered if maybe while his body grew, his gills stayed the same, so there isn't actually any difference in them.

I'm now thinking it's possibly just the level of oxygen in the water. I rarely see him at the surface gulping air and rarely see him flicking his gills for oxygen so maybe it is the oxygen levels. We live in an area with very soft water and he came from an area with soft water as a baby... but he was sharing a tank when he was small which maybe required fluffier gills as he was sharing the oxygen.