She's about 10 inches long (estimate). The pail has an 8 inch diameter. I confirmed that that is Walkies, the female I kept, based on the photo date and chat logs. I think that they can be sexed like axolotls and ambystomids, etc, by the cloaca size. Tail size also plays a role, but I don't remember if the male was larger than the female. In any event, the cloaca was much smaller than the (assumed) male we caught two weeks later.
Funny you should mention the gills, Paris. While they shrunk a small degree from better airation over the first month or two, last night I had a bit of a scare. She'd been hiding in her favorite rock hole place for the last few days and I hadn't seen her, and when she came out, her gills seemed tiny. I panicked, tried to see what was wrong, and a possible cue as to what was going on. Ideas ran through my head from disease to parasites to her somehow metamorphing from iodine somehow in the water (however unlikely). I decided to go try a partial water change, but when I got down there, she fanned her gills and they were as big as ever. I guess she just had them tucked in, like they bring them close when fanning their gills. It could be a way they protect them from damage, if anyone knows for sure, please let me know.
I just tried to feed her, but the minnow got out of my hands and scared her, and my recovery attempts scared her out from the rock, and the same thing happened. At least now I know that it's normal, though it hadn't happened before. She appears to be healthy, though I imagine she could really use a couple minnows after all the worms I'd been stuck with feeding her lately.
I'm glad you guys like the photo, if I ever clean the tank out and have to remove her, or someone catches another fishing, etc, I'll be sure to try and get some better ones (as opposed to the blurry ones I get from her tank.)
(Message edited by onetwentysix on June 30, 2004)
