Strange gill or worm??

[Firefly dragon]

Hi all ! I have notice a strange gill growing on my axolotls gills but now it gets bigger and I'm worried that may be a worm kind of parasite? Could that be possible??

 

[wolfen]

it is a overgrown gill filament, do not try to cut or remove as it looks like it has quite a bit of blood passing through it.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

to be specific, it's a blood vessel. it's normal. just make sure the tank is safe from the possibility of cuts and scratches as wolfen has stated.

 

[Firefly dragon]

to be specific, it's a blood vessel. it's normal. just make sure the tank is safe from the possibility of cuts and scratches as wolfen has stated.

Ok.. yes it looks like that.. now i am relieved, cause I want to be sure.. thank you very much for your reply!!

 

[Firefly dragon]

it is a overgrown gill filament, do not try to cut or remove as it looks like it has quite a bit of blood passing through it.

Thanks for your response. it was important to know!

Ok.. yes it looks like that.. now i am relieved, cause I want to be sure.. thank you very much for your reply!!

 

[AxltheAxolotl]

What causes these overgrown filaments? My axolotl had one of these for the longest time and now he has more becoming long and im not sure why

 

[wolfen]

the axolotls healing ability can be a very strange thing at times, this can be anything from growing thicker veined filaments to growing an extra leg or tail.
It doesn't harm or affect them it just seems to be something that happens at times.
inside all the filaments on the gill stalks are blood vessels, this is so the axolotl can absorb oxygen straight into the blood stream (this is why the filaments are one of the first things to be effected by raised nitrogen compound levels) it's a bit like turning your lungs inside out and then sticking them on the sides of your head, over time the filaments grow and shrink as well as suffer slight damage, most of the time they grow back with no noticeable difference, sometimes they just end up growing weird, this can be growing enlarged blood vessels or growing the filaments likes pigtails, it isn't unusual for the stems themselves to start growing like antlers, provided they do the job of absorbing oxygen and dispelling carbon dioxide (the flicking they do with gills) the axolotl won't even know the difference, due to the thickness more caution has to be placed as they will bleed more than a normal sized filament if damaged although provided the axolotl is healthy it's blood clotting ability will be quite high so the amount lost will be low.

 

[AxltheAxolotl]

the axolotls healing ability can be a very strange thing at times, this can be anything from growing thicker veined filaments to growing an extra leg or tail.
It doesn't harm or affect them it just seems to be something that happens at times.
inside all the filaments on the gill stalks are blood vessels, this is so the axolotl can absorb oxygen straight into the blood stream (this is why the filaments are one of the first things to be effected by raised nitrogen compound levels) it's a bit like turning your lungs inside out and then sticking them on the sides of your head, over time the filaments grow and shrink as well as suffer slight damage, most of the time they grow back with no noticeable difference, sometimes they just end up growing weird, this can be growing enlarged blood vessels or growing the filaments likes pigtails, it isn't unusual for the stems themselves to start growing like antlers, provided they do the job of absorbing oxygen and dispelling carbon dioxide (the flicking they do with gills) the axolotl won't even know the difference, due to the thickness more caution has to be placed as they will bleed more than a normal sized filament if damaged although provided the axolotl is healthy it's blood clotting ability will be quite high so the amount lost will be low.

Okay thank you for your reply. That makes sense. I just wanted to make sure it wasnt due to an infection or anything.i haven't changed anything in the tank, but im thinking it might just be because he is older. He is probably around 7 or 8 years old.

Thanks again!