Question: What Kind of Blacklight?

[auntiejude]

Known FACTS:
UV light causes skin tumours in exposed skin - in ANY animal.
UV light exposure is linked to cataracts.
GFP axies have the fluorescent protein in every cell in their body. Every cell in their body glows when exposed to UV, including the insides of their eyeballs.
Axies have no eyelids, and cannot close their eyes against bright lights and UV.

Observable behaviour:
Axies get upset and thrash around the tank when a bright light is turned on suddenly.
GFP axies do the same when exposed to UV light, more so than non-GFP axies do. They do not 'calm down' after a few minutes or get used to it, they continue to hide until the blacklight is turned off.

There is plenty of evidence that:
1. Excessive UV light is harmful to living creatures
2. Axies in general don't like bright light
3. GFP axies react badly to UV light

Why don't we take some of these owners who insist on displaying their GFP axie under a UV light, tape their eyes open, tie their hands so they can't cover their face, lock them in a small room and throw some spotlights on them, and see whether they get stressed?

 

[Sweetie]

Any ideas?

I agree with other contributors - the best idea would be to ditch the lighting idea altogether. From what I have read, it is very cruel. In my household, I have made myself very unpopular by insisting that our desire to see the albino axie more clearly is far less important than the extreme sensitivity of the little lotl's eyes, so we now have no special lighting at all, just a relatively dimly-lit hallway. Surely, this GFC nonsense is one of the more bizarre examples of animal cruelty for the sake of human amusement.

 

[Sweetie]

Why don't we take some of these owners who insist on displaying their GFP axie under a UV light, tape their eyes open, tie their hands so they can't cover their face, lock them in a small room and throw some spotlights on them, and see whether they get stressed?

I know I've preached tolerance on this site, but quite frankly, it's hard to argue with this. It boggles my mind that so many people are so completely oblivious to the suffering of 'lesser' beings or give any consideration whatsoever to the rights of non-human creatures.
I'm a vegetarian because I cannot justify the torture and murder of any animal to feed me when I have alternative food sources. Or even, I suspect, if I didn't. So it literally brings me to tears to see the daily examples of neglect and outright cruelty inflicted upon animals of all sorts. It does make me frustrated and angry - and it's refreshing when somebody actually makes a stand on this sort of thing.
Why on earth are these poor 'glow-in-the-dark' creatures allowed to be bred and sold at all, given that their ignorant (or downright cruel) owners are buying them solely for the purpose of being displayed under such lighting (read: a lifetime of pain or at least significant discomfort)? What, otherwise, is the point of buying one?

 

[Sweetie]

I personally ... will only use [the LED] to show off the UV gene to friends for maybe a minute or two when someone new hasnt seen it yet

I rest my case...

 

[Sweetie]

I would of course air [err, surely] on the side of caution but I still dont think that using low intensity black lights for short periods of time would be harmful in any way, would be much less UV exposure than a bright sunny day in Mexico

How much bright Mexican sun does an axie actually get at the bottom of a murky Mexican lake? And it sounds like you really don't WANT to think that using black lights is harmful in any way...

 

[Sweetie]

We have taken these animals out of there natural environment and jammed them in to a cage that is not even a tenth of it's natural habitat. Deprive it of it's natural verity of food, experiences and active that it would normally have on a day to day basis.

Are you insane? When was the last time someone captured a wild axie in a Mexican lake and put in into a tank???
And again, you are mistaking 'solid proof' for scientific papers and the lack of such a paper as 'solid proof' it's not harmful. This is totally illogical. In the absence of such 'proof', observation is absolutely valid (and forms the hypothesis on which the subsequent 'proof' - research project - will be based).
Finally, stress IS harmful. I won't bother to repeat what so many other posts on this site say about the ways in which stress makes axies vulnerable to illness and disease, but surely you too must have read some of it. Or is there not enough 'solid proof' for that either?

 

[Lianne]

Surely, this GFC nonsense is one of the more bizarre examples of animal cruelty for the sake of human amusement.

Actually, GFP (it's short for Green Fluorescent Protein, so there's no GFC) is used in scientific research to light up specific (parts of) cells. It's not done for amusement, but for research, because genetically modifying animals is not something you can do as a non-scientist (both because you wouldn't know how and because you don't have the right equipment). I guess the GFP axolotls used in research got somehow (intentionally/unintentionally, stupid nonetheless) released to the public and they bred those to create more GFPs because it's "cool".

 

[marcee77]

I don't know how well this works, but I'm thinking of buying it. Seems perfect. Says its submersible but I'd stick it above the water line in case it gets warm.

Aquarium Fish Tank Waterproof 30 LED Light Lamp Bar Submersible Stick Strip White | AZ Aquariums

 

[Kaini]

I don't know how well this works, but I'm thinking of buying it. Seems perfect. Says its submersible but I'd stick it above the water line in case it gets warm.

Aquarium Fish Tank Waterproof 30 LED Light Lamp Bar Submersible Stick Strip White | AZ Aquariums

I think you should actually read the rest of this thread.

 

[Skudo09]

I don't know how well this works, but I'm thinking of buying it. Seems perfect. Says its submersible but I'd stick it above the water line in case it gets warm.

Aquarium Fish Tank Waterproof 30 LED Light Lamp Bar Submersible Stick Strip White | AZ Aquariums

I would steer clear of any submersible lighting with axolotls. It is not necessary and stressful to the axolotls.

 

[xxianxx]

I would steer clear of any submersible lighting with axolotls. It is not necessary and stressful to the axolotls.

You think its anymore stressful than daylight coming in through the side of the tank ? I have seen submersible lights in axolotl tanks and they don't appear stressed

 

[mackinthebox]

so many varied opinions!
so many unnecessary attacks...

UV light can be dangerous but it takes time for the exposure to be harmful

Do what you feel is best for your animal, listen to all the advice given and make the best decision for you and your animal's health
Every axolotl is different just like every person, cat and dog are different
They will each react differently and have different responses
I hope the information everyone has provided will allow you to make the best decision

If you want to know what blacklight to use
I would suggest a small LED blacklight, dont use it very long and dont leave it on, it will have the most confined wavelength of them all and will limit exposure to the most harmful wavelengths of UV light
Otherwise the smallest Fluorescent you can find would work just again, limit exposure as much as possible

 

[Azhael]

The best way to limit exposure is to not expose them at all.

 

[Skudo09]

You think its anymore stressful than daylight coming in through the side of the tank ? I have seen submersible lights in axolotl tanks and they don't appear stressed

I do believe that yes it is more stressful than natural sunlight (although I would also advise against having a tank setup in direct sunlight). That is great you have seen axolotls that have not seemed stressed with this type of lighting. However this has not been my experience and I would advise against such lighting.

 

[Boomsloth]

I do believe that yes it is more stressful than natural sunlight (although I would also advise against having a tank setup in direct sunlight). That is great you have seen axolotls that have not seemed stressed with this type of lighting. However this has not been my experience and I would advise against such lighting.

Its not so much about how intense the light is coming into the tank, rather how much cover is provided for the axolotls. This still strays away from the original point of this thread asking about black lights for gfp axolotls. Seeing that I have both gfp and non-gfp I feel I can provide my experience with the lighting I use or have seen them react under.

Every axolotl can act differently under any light but both my gfp axolotls in the past became agitated under even the smallest amount of black light. I believe its already been said how the gfp protein fluoresces inside their eyeballs. I'm assuming that the original poster wanted the novelty effect of a glowing pet but like everyone else I advise against getting a black light or you'll see your axolotl swim wildly throughout the tank.

However this doesn't mean that you have to avoid lighting your aquarium. Personally, I chose to use a full spectrum bulb on half my tank that allows my duckweed to grow and offer some cover. Typical standard aquarium lights wont cut it for growing most floating plants so any fake type of cover should suffice. My full spectrum light does put out some UV spectrum which means my gfp axolotls move to the other side of the tank when it turns on. As for the non-gfp axolotls, they won't typically hang out right under the light, but are not as sensitive to its effects as the gfps as long as the duckweed shields some of the light. Also its hard to compare gfp axolotls with glofish since the tetra fish can tolerate light better than an axolotl even before the gfp gene is added. Remember that if you provide no cover at all the axolotl will be stressed from the light. A lot of lights can emit a good amount of heat and if you are heating the tank above 72F you're going to run into more issues. I hope that allows you to make an intelligent decision based on the axolotls well-being.