Help, gill fungus!

Help, my Baby Smeagul's got something white and fluffy dangling from one of his gills! Is it a fungus, or what is it? (See photo)



He has recently been injured during feeding, maybe that's where it got him. It certainly seems to itch a lot.

Any pointers?

does he scratch his gills? Are you sure it´s not a bit of food?

Does it look like cotton wool?

Looks like 'cotton wool disease' to me (sorry don't know it's official name), but it's hard to tell from the photo.

Yes he does scratch his gills a lot, and it does look like cotton wool...His/her left set of gills does look a lot smaller than his/her right one too. Now what?

Please wait until someone who has more experience comments on what it could be, but if it is 'cotton wool disease' it can be treated with salt baths.

When my axie Elsa had it, I removed her from her tank and placed her in a tub of fresh water and put her in the fridge.

Then twice a day I would give her a salt bath. Mix 2 teaspoons of salt with 2 litres of water. Once all the salt has completely dissolved place the axie in it for a max of 10 mins (any more can burn their gills/skin). After a salt bath replace the axie back in the fridge.

Make sure that you have bottled water in the fridge to do the salt baths and water changes with as dramatic changes in temperature aren't good.

When Elsa had it, the 'cotton wool' looked literally like a fluff ball off of a jumper or something had gotten into the tank and had landed on her gills. It was only on her gills btw.

After the salt baths, the fluff fell off and there was a little gills damage from it, but she healed remarkably quickly as I caught it when there was only one 'fluff ball'.

My first axie, Baby, she died from this fungus (I assume its a fungus) after one and a half weeks - I was new to axie caring and had no idea it was even a bad thing .

Good luck anyway

Any chance of a closer pic?

Carl - As Hayley suggested salt baths for fungus usually work.

2 teaspoons of salt, 2 liters of water, 2 times a day.

What is the temperature in your tank?

It looks like it might be Sapolegnia - me.

White or discolored 'cotton-wool' patches on the skin or fins. Often accompanied by inflammation and skin erosion
1) Saprolegnia (fungus) infection
2) Columnaris infection (mouth fungus/cotton wool disease).
Take sample for microscopic examination which would show typical long 'gliding' bacteria (Flexibacter sp).

Saprolegniasis
Cause
"Sap" is traditionally regarded as a secondary infection which infects the fish after another primary stress has affected the fish.
This can range from infection by a parasitic organism, high ammonia levels, low oxygen levels to stress in harvesting.
The only exception to this appears to be in times of severe change in water temperature (5 degrees plus) over a short period of time when water temperatures are below 16 degrees Celsius.
Consequently this "winter kill" is only seen in late autumn or early spring.
Saprolegnia lives on dead and rotting organic material.
As a preventative treatment it is therefore advisable to devise methods to ensure that you remove most of this material from your ponds.
Regular water exchanges at times of increased risk is one method.

PREVENTION
These diseases are extremely difficult to treat - no doubt due to the facts that:
a) they are essentially diseases of the internal organs i.e. spleen, brain, liver, etc., which are difficult to reach with medications, and,
b) apart from disease 6 (Saprolegnia), there are no easily-seen external symptoms until the disease is already well advanced.
The key to successful avoidance however is undoubtedly keep the system scrupulously clean at all times. Never overfeed, use the Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia, pH and Hardness test kits to ensure that water management, and water chemistry are always maintained within optimal limits.

Wow, sounds serious...I'll do my best!
Luckily, after two days of salt bath the stuff has vanished, Smeagul feeds and behaves normaly and has stopped scratching...gonna keep you posted if anything else'll happen!

Great news

Yea, seems as if he/she made it through. One interesting note though...it seems the gills on the stembase of the formerly infected area have died off...Looks a little bit like a broomstick now. Any other way he/she's doing fine.

Thanks for all the helpful and quick answers!

Thats what happened to Elsa's gills too - they soon grow back

Oh NO, Just checked on Smeagoul this morning, and the rotten stuff is back, this time on a new gill! It has been two days since the old stuff had gone....maybe I should have done more salt baths for one or two days...

Well, since its back, I tried getting a better picture of Smeagouls NEW gill fungus.

This time It's on the tip of his second right gill. The black stuff looks like died off gills. The stem is infected too, I tried plucking at it carefully with dull tweezers and S. bolted. After seven minutes in the saltbath i could pluck most of it off easily with a lot less of a reaction on his side...salt seems to work somewhat.

Keep up the salt baths - it will get rid of it.

I carried on salt bathing Elsa up to 2 days after the fluff had gone, but a slightly weaker solution.

Thanks a lot HJ, I'll try that. Hold your thumbs;-)

lol aww you brought back memories then, all my old school friends used to call me HJ

Any update on the little guy?

Well, the fungus hasn't reappeared and S/he's behaving normal. Thanks again for the help!