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loki

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my first axie.. isn't he gorgeous :p
(whoops.. i'm assuming its a boy.. no idea really)

he has been in his tank for two weeks and the pink fringe on his gills has gotten shorter.. any ideas what this means? am i doing something wrong?

is there any way i can determine his age?

reptar2.jpg

reptar1.jpg
 
Its a boy alright, and your not doing anything wrong. If the gills are getting smaller then that means your tank is well oxygenated. :) congrats on getting reptar. How old is he?
 
Lovely colour! Did you cycle your tank before adding your axie? see: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

Whenever a tank has only been setup, even for 2 weeks, then that tank is cycling. You need to test your tankwater for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. Ammonia can effect the gills. If you don't have freshwater test kits then take a sample of tankwater to your petshop and get them to test it for the 3 mentioned.

Ask them to write the figures down for each one (against each relevant name). If the ammonia or nitrite levels are ABOVE 0, which is not surprising if its a newly cycling tank, then you need to do 20-30% waterchanges on your tank either every day or every 2 days, to keep the toxins down.

There is no need to buy any chemicals, especially ones that the petshop suggests, ie that will fix the ammonia or nitrite or cycle the tank. The frequent partial waterchanges will fix things.
 
how can you tell its a boy? cool! that means i guessed right :rofl:

i set up his tank more than 2 weeks before he moved in. had it running with the filter and water ager.

good to know his gills getting shorted isn't something bad!

i don't know how old he is, is there any easy way to tell? he is 20cm long.. does that help?
 
telling sex is easy. if they have a big cloaca (butt) it's a boy and if it is small, a girl. girls also have big bellies cause of the eggs. the only way to know the age is to know when he was born. i was just wondering how old he was just to be friendly.
 
yea im not realy sure about ur substrate but it could be a bit big looks to chunky to me
 
axie_king said:
yea im not realy sure about ur substrate but it could be a bit big looks to chunky to me
Click to expand...

its actually really fine. i did heaps of reading and settled on crushed coral. now i'm not so sure, he could probably quite easily eat the coral so i'll probably change his setup
 
jay_coward said:
If the gills are getting smaller then that means your tank is well oxygenated. :)
Click to expand...
In my experience that's something of a myth. Gills don't atrophy much once they've grown. I think Kapo's on to something, so listen to her.
 
loki, setting up your tank two weeks before you bought your axie, with water ager and filter running, doesn't mean it's cycled. It wouldn't have started cycling until you added a source of ammonia, ie when you bought your axie and added to the tank and started feeding it so it excretes. Leftover food, regurgitated food or poo/waste are what starts the cycle process in your tank.

Otherwise poor water quality can harm your axie, ie: one symptom can be short gills/gill filaments burning if tank is uncycled and ammonia toxins build up where there are no frequent partial waterchanges.

My advice is to test your tankwater as soon as you can, and if needbe (ammonia or nitrite levels ABOVE 0), then do a 20-30% waterchange. While your tank is cycling, you need to have your tankwater tested every couple of days at least (not weekly). Weekly waterchanges in an cycling tank isn't good for your axie as it won't keep the toxins down.

Another big no no that people tend to do is go the other end of the scale and empty over 50%, 75% or the whole tankwater and start again. This can also cause problems, will cause your tank to start the cycle again.

You can remove your gravel completely and have it bare until you're ready to add sand if you wish.
 
Thanks for the info Kapo.

So you think his filaments have burned off due to bad water quality? I'm doing a 20% waterchange weekly (the water I add to the tank is treated with water ager and left to sit in the same room as the axolotl to get to room temp for a few hours before being added).

Will the filaments grow back? I also noticed over the weekend that one of his toes is black, I am unsure if it was like this when I got him though. Is this normal?

Reptar seems happy and unstressed and is eating normally.

Thanks for the advice :p


kapo said:
loki, setting up your tank two weeks before you bought your axie, with water ager and filter running, doesn't mean it's cycled. It wouldn't have started cycling until you added a source of ammonia, ie when you bought your axie and added to the tank and started feeding it so it excretes. Leftover food, regurgitated food or poo/waste are what starts the cycle process in your tank.

Otherwise poor water quality can harm your axie, ie: one symptom can be short gills/gill filaments burning if tank is uncycled and ammonia toxins build up where there are no frequent partial waterchanges.

My advice is to test your tankwater as soon as you can, and if needbe (ammonia or nitrite levels ABOVE 0), then do a 20-30% waterchange. While your tank is cycling, you need to have your tankwater tested every couple of days at least (not weekly). Weekly waterchanges in an cycling tank isn't good for your axie as it won't keep the toxins down.

Another big no no that people tend to do is go the other end of the scale and empty over 50%, 75% or the whole tankwater and start again. This can also cause problems, will cause your tank to start the cycle again.

You can remove your gravel completely and have it bare until you're ready to add sand if you wish.
Click to expand...
 
Yes I think the water quality, ie cycling tank, could be why his gills are shortened/disappearing.

20% weekly waterchanges wont be enough, if your water quality is poor. You need to get the water tested for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Until you know the actual water parameters, you should do 20% waterchanges every 2 days.

Darkening toe tips can be a sign of maturing, on the other hand if the toes start disappearing then it can also be a sign of other problems, also water related, that have been ongoing.

Also, remember when you do get the water tested, ask the petshop to write the figures down, don't just accept it's ok, or it's high, or poisoned. Petshops are notorious for trying to sell you products to fix your tankwater when they're not needed at all.
 
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seems water testing is rather full on!
is there any way i can test and adjust it myself? its quite difficult for me to get to a pet shop.

are you able to recommend a product?

sorry for all the questions!
 
It isn't once you get in a routine. The one I use is Aquarium Pharmaceuticals brand. Costs approx NZ$75 for the full freshwater master test kit, which contains test tubes and chemicals for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, low pH and high pH. Not sure how much it'll cost you in Oz, but it's a worthwhile investment. I test all our tanks weekly and if the axolotls are acting out of character or stressed.

You can also buy them individually for approx $15-$20. The most important one is ammonia if you can't buy the full kit, then next one to acquire nitrite, then nitrate. You may even be able to find the master test kits cheaper online either via Ebay or one of the Australian online Aquarium Stores.

The best way to adjust your tankwater parameters, if they're needed, is via frequent and partial waterchanges (20-30%).
 
You will get the hang of the water testing lark.. Though my little treasures have always looked healthy and well I test the water roughly twice a week. I had a cycled tank that then decided to go potty after I added plants and new sand, I was also using 5 in 1 strips which prooved erratic. So I got a test each for the ammonia, nitrate and nitrite. I was also needing to do daily 20/30% water changes that felt where going on for ever, but now all is well. Keeping the water right will greatly reduce possible health problems like fungus etc. If I can master it any one can!!
 
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