Where did they go?

Leucistic Tank

Small tank

Well, it is a sure good thing that the axolotls were separated! The big tank now has four or five, maybe six, axolotls. The leucistics are hard to keep up with because they are still small and speedy, but I would estimate about ten now. The little tank has about three or four that I can see. All of them are small.The question now is why the axolotls remaining in the large tank are so large why the rest are so tiny comparatively. The immediate answer that comes to mind is cannibalism: eat the most, grow the most. However, there are no axolotls in the little tank where cannibalism has occurred with sizes comparable to the axolotls in the large tank. None of the leucistics have outstanding size either. Perhaps the size of the tank is a factor in the growth rate of the axolotls. Another potential food source is being experimented. Frozen beef liver cut in strips are eaten well by the larger axolotls, but not quite as readily by the small ones. It is also a great treat for the full-grown axolotls.

A few of the large axolotls

Moving up!

Gimongo! And two small ones for size comparison

It has been such an interesting few weeks! The superstars have emerged, especially the wild type we have named "Gimongo." There are noticeably fewer axolotls in the tanks; cannibalism definitely took its toll. However, many of the ones that are left are huge in comparison to before. Some are still smaller than the rest. The big tank has more, larger axolotls, whereas the smaller one has fewer, smaller ones. The wild types are definitely emerging as a power over the poor leucistics. The leucistic population is much smaller than it was during the last post. Since we want to ensure some leucistic axolotls survive, we took the father out of the small holding tank and sent him home to free up a third tank especially for the white babies. They were separated from the wild types and placed in this tank. The bloodworms ran out over spring break, so we tried feeding them amphibian pellets (the regular diet of the full grown axolotls). They recognized them as food and ate them. This means that they are nearing the adoption stage! It seems like they have grown so quickly.

Little Leucistic Tank