Fungus on my axolotl

[maximillion35]

Hi,

I need help with my salamander. I am not sure what the original source of the fungus is, but my axolotl has had several traumas recently. The people at the Vivarium(where we purchased) him have suggested the water may be too warm. It is fuzzy white patches and seemed well spread over his body.

Also, unrelated...he only seems to want to eat the small filter worms we purchase, Although I have been told they'll eat fish? I generally try to keep a few guppy's in there to tempt him but hem never seems to take the bait(pardon the pun).

Thanks Staci

[Jennewt]

What is his temperature? Unlike fish, the treatment for fungus on axolotls involves cooling them down as much as possible. Even the refrigerator can be used for this. Get the tank as cool as possible ASAP.

Salt baths are the standard treatment for fungus. see:
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/salt.shtml
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/illness.shtml

For general info, see:
http://www.axolotl.org

[maximillion35]

His regular temp is about 20 degrees, but I have moved him to the coldest room in my house. I have moved him from the tank because I was worried about further contact with the bacteria. I had guppies in there that all died the night before so I am very concerned about putting anything back in until I have thoroughly cleaned it. I have checked the ph that is fine, we put in a beneficial bacteria/ nitrate to nitrite or vice versa stabilizer that was not properly stored at the pet store. I am thinking maybe this contributed to his stress? It is winter and fairly cold in the back room, also I hope to not put him in my already crammed fridge.

The salt bath can damage them further, I'd like to avoid that.

[Sarah]

I think the substance you put in for bacteria is probably useless and may have contributed to stressing out your axolotl. Almost none of those products (like ph up/down, ammonia controllers, etc) work and can even do harm sometimes so I would avoid using anything like that in future.

Salt baths are a good treatment for fungus. If you follow the instructions in that link that Jennewt sent you are unlikely to have any problems. As the article quotes "There are no completely harmless pharmacological agents for the treatment of salamander diseases, but the cautious use of salt solutions is relatively safe.". So I think you should give salt baths ago and failing that, perhaps medication (which is generally more risky to use). Also if you can make room in your fridge that is the best way to keep your axolotl while he is stressed out and will encourage him to get better a lot faster. Temp should be above 5C and do 100% daily water changes with dechlorinated water.

To get your tank back in order, do you have testing kits for ammonia? You should check all your water parameters to make sure it is not a water quality problem. It sounds like it if all your guppies died Also do you dechlorinate the water first?

With using feeder fish, you will need to quarantine any fish you buy for feeding for 30 days before putting them in the tank with your axie. This is to ensure that there are no diseases present. Often feeder fish at stores carry diseases and tend to be sickly.

[maximillion35]

Thanks so much, I have not been quarantining the fish I buy from the pet stores. I check the ammonia, other water qualities, and put him in the fridge. How long should they be in th fridge?

[kapo]

An axolotl can be kept in the fridge for several weeks if needed. This slows their metabolism down and gives them a chance to heal and destress. When they're stressed they tend to develop fungus - could be from anything to do with water quality and temperature (and even tank companions).

Don't do a complete cleanout of your tank, it's not needed. Just test the water parameters for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates (these are the most important ones). Keep a record of it near your tank (a little notebook) so you can refer back to it. Usually anything over 0 for ammonia/nitrItes then you should do a 20-30% waterchange the same day as the test - this keeps any toxins down in your tank and if anything should be done weekly.

If you have only recently purchased your axolotl (within the month) then part of the problem could be a newly cycling tank, which is normal, see: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml In this case, waterchanges need to be done every day or every second day as you don't have any established good bacteria. (Buying stuff from the petshop won't help unless you used Biospira, which is usually kept stored in the fridge (to keep the bacteria alive).

How long have you had your axolotl and how often do you do waterchanges?

[maximillion35]

We have had Klaus since September and since then we do a partial water change every week, and a whole tank change when it becomes stagnant and cloudy(not a problem with the filter now). We had been using a refrigerated bacteria, before I bought the expired stuff. This morning the fungus seems to be shedding off of his body, I can see it floating in the water. I assume that this is a good sign?

[Sarah]

You should never do 100% water changes (unless the water has been contaminated - which shouldn't happen to most people). Stick to 20% water changes as doing full ones will stress out your axie and will start the cycling process again.

Have you been monitoring the ammonia/nitrate/nitrite levels? If not, you should do this now to make sure your water is fine. You can buy testing kits from the pet store. If you can't afford all of them, get the ammonia one as that is the most important.

During cycling you may need to do 20% water changes each day as you need to do them whenever ammonia is greater than 0. Read that article kapo linked to if you need more explanation of the cycling process. Once your tank is cycled you can go back to weekly water changes of 20%.

Edit: what is this refrigerated bacteria? You don't need that stuff usually, it tends to not help at all in your tank as bacteria can't live for long in a bottle.

[kapo]

The refrigerated bacteria may be Biospira, which is only available in the States. As far as I know from the threads I've read on this on other forums since I joined Caudata; this is the only thing that can help/speed cycling as it has live bacteria (hence the reason it needs to be kept refrigerated - unlike the so called product called "Cycle" = which contains dead bacteria). You would still need to monitor your tankwater via test kits though (ammonia, nitrite and nitrates) and if necessary do the partial waterchanges.

But as your tank is probably already in cycle mode anyway, then it's probably not needed. As Sarah says, just do the regular water testing every few days and waterchange when needed (may mean that you do 20% waterchanges every few days - when ammonia/nitrite are over 0 rather than weekly).

Also, try and spotclean any uneaten food/waste using a turkey baster.