Purple gills?

[melanie]

Hi I never posted here, i just found the website today. well i have a few axolotls here i bought from a reputable vendor a few weeks ago. One of the white males i have his gills are purple, not the actual frilly things, but the stump of skin they are attached to. I cant remember what the color of them were when i got them, but I know they werent purple. I keep him in a small tank with some rocks and a hiding space for him. any ides why purple?

 

[jordan]

could you possibly post a picture cause that would help everybody to understand more of what you're saying. GOOD LUCK!

 

[sharn]

purple would probably be due to heaps of blood in the gills. is your water really warm? also if its a wildtype its normal (in the lighter ones). i think cynthia had a pic of her wildtype ages ago and it had purple gills, but nothing was wrong it. if you search back a while in the gallery you should find a post called 'good hair day'

 

[cynthia]

melanie - If your white axolotl has black eyes it is possible that the changing color of the gill stalks is normal check this picture and see if yours look like this
http://www.caudata.org/forum/messages/793/33747.html#POST51048

Since you are new to keeping axolotls I would suggest you read http://www.axolotl.org for basic care info.

And check out this article on tank cycling
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml