Pink tail

[jenny]

elizabeths tail is real pink..like the whole of it. so that means shes stressed right?? why though??

ok let me describe my tank.... its just over half full..its 3ft it has quite a big filter which *does* have water comin out making a kind of current i sposebut its just below water line so quite high up...tank is 18inch high...and they dont seem to mind it they stay near it. but she just seems so unhappy and its really depressing and annoying! shes now stopped eating i dangled a worm infront of her so id unno if it was cos i was holding it or if she doesnt want food....also when i tried moving her from her tank when transporting her she fell on the floor from about 2ft high and that stressed her a bit but she was ok but is she holding a grudge?

 

[mary]

My male axi has a pink tinge to his tail, he seems healthy, he eats heaps and is pretty happy - is there somthing wrong with him, i think his tail has always been that colour???

 

[katy]

elizabeth was ok when you first got her right? it seems she's only been cranky since getting harriet. maybe she'd prefer to be in a tank by herself? which would be pretty difficult to organise.

are her gills bright red as well? usually they're a sort of soft red fading to pink during the day right? when axolotls get stressed their tail goes bright pink and you can see the little veins in the fin bit clearly, and also the gills go bright red. if she fell, she could just be recovering - give her a day or two, if she's still looking stressed, maybe put her in an isolation tank and see if she looks better by herself.

also, it's normal for them to go off food every now and then, especially if it's particularly cold. she'll eat when she's ready to again.

mary, my male axy also usually has a mildly pink tail - it's only when they go bright pink that we should be concerned

 

[mary]

ok thanks

 

[jenny]

when she fell it was a couple of weeks ago. her gills really are quite bright pink but her tail isnt bright pink. her n harriet seem ok. i mean they were in a tank together at the pet shop for however long and i think the pet shop actually had them for ages. however i bought elizabeth first then went back a week later and bought harriet so maybe elizabeth doesnt remember her? i would have thought shed be happier here though than the pet shop shes got a 3ft tank now wi hiding spaces and a big plant etc and in the pet shop it was like a 1ft tank completely bare with no pebbles or anything for both of them which im sure shouldnt be allowed? especially if they are to keep animals for that long a time. still not sure on the whole age thing they said they were both 3 years old but they are only about 7-8 inches.

also, oswold has got white stuff on his gills. ive read stuff bout salt baths? what kinda salt? and how do i make it? its not serious is it? he wont die or anything? its forming round the beginning of his legs as well. he seems ok though.

 

[katy]

if elizabeth seems healthy, i wouldn't worry too much. it's most likely just her personality (axonality?

)

as for oswald, it definitely sounds like something a little nasty - i've got a similar problem with one of mine and am having trouble getting the salt solution, if you can organise the ingredients, they're listed on the main site under health.

 

[jenny]

ok i read about it it says salt water then i clicked the link next to it but it doesnt say how to di it...there is a beach nearish me...can i just get sea water? :s

 

[jenny]

ok just saw all the safe stuff at the bottom...can i use any of those???

 

[katy]

there's a link to it, check here for the solution: http://www.caudata.org/axolotl/page_4.htm#hardness

it does mention sea water there, though i'm no expert when it comes to this - mik? sharon? is sea water safe to use?

 

[jenny]

so i can go in a pet shop and say hi can i have some NaCl, 3.46g
KCl, 0.05g
CaCl2, 0.1g
NaHCO3, 0.2g

lol hmmmmm . .. .. . .

i noticed this morning i had baby guppies in the tank! and who said guppies dont breed in cold water?!? although...they are both female..so im guessing one was already pregnant....only 3 babies though...i thought theyd have had hundreds.

 

[mik]

Jenny,
I have been unable to buy potassium chloride, KCl, over the counter so far. but you will need more than that. The amounts there are for a 100%/1L solution.

Someone confirm my maths I did chemistry 0'level' 24 years ago!

A 4ft tank (12" wide x 18" deep)holds 170L for a 40% solution in a tank of that size you should need 235g NaCl, 3.4g KCl, 6.8g CaCl2 and 13.6g NaHCO3.

NaCl = Sodium chloride = salt
KCl = potassium chloride = dunno
CaCl2 = calcium chloride = ice melter
NaHCO3= sodium bicarbonate = baking soda

Before handling any chems don't forget to check a safety/data sheet. There are plenty online. I think CaCl2 can be quite a nasty irritant until diluted sufficiently.

 

[jenny]

i went to the pet shop and he said he can get me some myxazin for 2moz is this ok to use. shoulld it work?

 

[leighton]

Hi Jenny,

We use Myxazin with our axolotls at half the amount specified on the bottle - it and salt baths cleared up a nasty-looking fungal infection on our male's tail.

 

[jenny]

the pet shop had no myxazin. going gettin my yellow axy 2moz so wil try that pet shop!

 

[katy]

just in further note to the pink tail, my male leucistic juju has been looking rather pink over the last few days, and the only thing i noticed was that he's started healing up an injured toe, and fighting a mild fungal infection. maybe the pink is like an immune response - maybe elizabeth is just busy healing something?