Sick Mudpuppy white bumps

[LauraOlson92]

Hello, I've had my Mudpuppy for 1 week. Previous to getting her we had recently moved, so our 150 gallon tank has only been set up for 3 weeks and had been treated with Quick Start and Prime water softener. We have a bristle nosed pleco, an angelfish and a few emperor tetras, none of our fish seem to be having problems. However, the last few days we have noticed our Mudpuppy getting white bumps all over her body. I'm really concerned and don't know how to handle this situation. Her water is typically always sitting at 70 degrees. The pH seems to be sitting at 7.6 which is high right? What do I do, should I be really worried? She is pretty decently active from what I can tell. Here is an attached picture of how she looks today. You may have to zoom in.

 

[axolotl nerd]

Hello, I've had my Mudpuppy for 1 week. Previous to getting her we had recently moved, so our 150 gallon tank has only been set up for 3 weeks and had been treated with Quick Start and Prime water softener. We have a bristle nosed pleco, an angelfish and a few emperor tetras, none of our fish seem to be having problems. However, the last few days we have noticed our Mudpuppy getting white bumps all over her body. I'm really concerned and don't know how to handle this situation. Her water is typically always sitting at 70 degrees. The pH seems to be sitting at 7.6 which is high right? What do I do, should I be really worried? She is pretty decently active from what I can tell. Here is an attached picture of how she looks today. You may have to zoom in.

this looks like a tiger salamander- and it's morphing. i have no advice on the white spots, so summoning @wolfen for help

 

[wolfen]

definitely a tiger salamander morphing, as to the spots they most likely caused by bacteria or possibly viral which will have to be investigated by a vet as some can be hard to treat, do not introduce any more animals to the tank, do not place any of the animals into tanks with other animals, make sure to wash hands before and after exposure to the tank water.

 

[axolotl nerd]

definitely a tiger salamander morphing, as to the spots they most likely caused by bacteria or possibly viral which will have to be investigated by a vet as some can be hard to treat, do not introduce any more animals to the tank, do not place any of the animals into tanks with other animals, make sure to wash hands before and after exposure to the tank water.

I suspected a bacterial issue, just wasn't sure if i was right or not. also- @LauraOlson92 , is she being kept with the other fish? if so, they need to be quarantined

 

[Autistic Catholic]

You have a tiger salamander from the ambystoma family. This is what a mudpuppy (necturus) looks like
IDK who told you it was a mudpuppy, but it's not.

 

[LauraOlson92]

You have a tiger salamander from the ambystoma family. This is what a mudpuppy (necturus) looks like
IDK who told you it was a mudpuppy, but it's not.
View attachment 95688

Okay but what does that mean? I got her from an older man selling a bunch of them at a local flea market. He said he raises them in a pond or something and that she's about a year old. He assured us it was a mudpuppy. So if she's a tiger salamander does she need to not be in a 150 gallon tank? I feel silly for getting her now, I have had a lot of trouble finding correct info on her or how she needs to be cared for. I want to be doing all I can for her though.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

Is it showing signs of agitation being in the water? Some take slower to morph than others so when it begins morphing, you will see that it needs to have land. Don't feel silly. This happens to many people. Mudpuppies are neotenic salamanders so they don't need land to be happy, comfortable, and thrive. A tiger salamander will eventually need land but only when it starts to morph. You may experiment by adding a land area to the tank she's in (or he).

 

[Skdecoteau]

Honestly, I would separate her into another tank with shallower water and a land area with a slope she can climb up on to once she morphs. There are many videos on YouTube on how to do this as well as ideas and info on the Cuadata forums.

Right now she has gills to breathe water like a fish, but once she morphs she will lose her gills and gain lungs to breathe air. If she can't get on to dry land, she will literally drown. She'll still need a shallow "pool" of water that she can swim in, though. I just use a shallow, 4 cup, square glass Pyrex dish for this. My fully morphed salamanders swim in theirs every night.

I'm hoping someone more experienced will chime in about the white bumps. I have several salamanders from the ambystoma family myself and I'd like to know what to do if they ever have the same issue.

Edit: here are a couple of pics of my set up during different stages of morphing. In the smaller "tank" you can't really tell but the substrate & gravel really do come up on to dry land at the peak. The one with the 10 gallon tank has plenty of water in the background although it's hard to see.