Illness/Sickness: Young axolotl gills curling

[Drich1009]

This is my young axolotl Remy. He is around 4 months old and lives in the tank with another axolotl from the same clutch of eggs. They have always been together since birth and I have never had any issues with them.

Recently I have noticed his gills have started to curl like this, mostly early in the morning. The temperature in the tank is optimal and I have done water tests weekly as well as a 50% tank change every weekend. His brother is a little bit bigger than he is and his gills don’t seem to have such a steep curve.

He is eating fine but I have noticed his brother does sometimes try eat his food too and I have seen him accidentally nip near him on a few occasions. I make sure they do both end up eating enough. They are on a diet of small pellets. He also is mainly hiding in the caves/hides in the tank. It’s very rare I see him whereas his brother is always at the front of the tank watching me and swimming to follow me. When it is not feeding time they are seen side my side with no issues at all. They do not nip at eachother.

Is there anything I am doing wrong or are his gills not as bad as I think? I will also send a photo of his slightly bigger brother to compare their gills.

 

[wolfen]

the gills look fine, if concerned ensure that there is adequate water oxygenation.
gills are a concern when they are bent forward at the root as if to cover the eyes also if they are regressing.