Fungus help please

Hi All,

Both my axies have developed fungus (my tank got too hot in this weather! ). They're currently fridged, and have been for the last week and a half. The tub they're in the fridge in has a complete water change three times a day (while I'm doing their salt bath in another container) with fridge temperature dechlorinated water.

One has fungus in his gills (looks like white fluff) and both have fungus on their toes, and their toe bones are bare on almost all toes - it's awful!

I'm doing salt baths with 1 1/2 teaspoons of completely dissolved non-iodised aquarium salt 2-3 times a day, and leaving them in there for 10-15 mins. I've been doing that since they were fridged, but there doesn't seem to be any change....?

My questions are:

As they both have the fungus, I've been keeping them together in the fridge, but should I be keeping, and bathing, them separate?

What else can I do to help them?

I tried putting them in 2 teaspoons of salt per litre, but they started gulping every 10secs and 'popping' their eyes in and out (!). This was because it was too strong? Or do they just have to deal with that strength for the salt to have any effect?

Thanks for any help!

Ellie

How big is the salt bath container? Too much salt can make everything worse.
You should put a MAXIMUM of one teaspoon per litre.
If the fungus appears loose on the axolotl you can try gentley pulling it off with tweezers, however on the gills it's often too tight to take off.

Hi Stef,

Thanks for your reply.

My salt bath container is about double the size of a rectangle Chinese takeaway container. It'll hold about two litres, but I only put one litre in at a time to both make the measuring of salt to water easier and so the axies can keep their feet on the ground.

I've been using the tweezer method to pull off any loose stuff, but it's hard on their feet as they keep moving!

Now, here's where I'm confused. I did a heap of research on this site before I started the salt baths, and there was a lot of conflicting info. I eventually went with the info given in FAQ#43, as I thought it was the definitive answer, being a sticky... :

• A simple salt solution for treating fungus on aquatic caudates is given in:
  FAQ#43 in the axolotl.org FAQ:
  Give a bath in some salty water for about 10 minutes once or twice a day (2-3 teaspoons aquarium salt or non-iodized table salt per litre or quart). That should kill the fungus within a few days. Don't leave the axolotl in the salt bath for more than 10-15 minutes each time, because the salt will start to damage the axolotl's skin and gills.​

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/salt.shtml

Are you saying that this's wrong? If so, someone should ask the moderators to change the FAQs, coz that's where most people will be getting their help from

Hi Ellie,

The article is correct, it is 2-3 teaspoons of salt per litre of water.

Axolotls find the bath to be a little irritating, this is normal and nothing to worry about if you are following the correct procedure.

1 teaspoon of salt per litre is a mild salt bath, for a severe case of fungus a mild salt bath will not be sufficient.

You need to ensure the salt is fully disolved and evenly dispersed in the water before putting the axolotl in the bath. If the salt is just spooned and lumped in a concentrated spot it will burn the axolotl's skin.

Severe cases of fungus can take weeks to clear. While using the tweezers, be very gentle and never force the fungus if it is not budging.

It's best to keep the axolotls isolated from one another for both housing in the fridge and salt bathing - ie. use seperate containers if you can.

Thanks Jacq - a mild salt bath is definitely of no use at the moment, and I'm happy to know that I haven't been doing my axies harm so far through the levels of salt in the water so far.

I'll put them into isolation as soon as they're due for their next bath as you suggested.

Like I mentioned in my last post, when I tried them with two teaspoons (completely dissolved) they reacted strangely - extreme gulping and popping their eyes in and out. Is this 'normal' behaviour in a salt bath of the correct strength?

Many thanks!

PS Just re-read your post and saw you answered my question - d'oh! Thanks again!

It seems as though Havelock has you on the right track. Just a quick thought, if you are concerned about the fungus on the gills I have a quick answer. Some say that if you wear a latex glove and gently "prod" the gills it should come off. I personally don't think that's a very safe way. Instead, I always took a kitchen baster and gently "shot" water through the gills. Your axie might look around at first, but if you are gentle (GENTLE!) they shouldn't freak out. If it is really bad I suppose you could hold them and do it, but I advise against it. That should at least get out the big chunks.

Fungus is one of my personal nightmares, so Good Luck! I hope everything works out.

Do you have chlorine in your water, we do over here and that it what i use to cure fungus on axies, tap water.Just change the water every day and i'm sure they will be fine. Chlorine will stress them slightly but not as much as a salt bath.