Could it be?

Hello I just bought a leucistic axolotl 2 days ago, as excited as I am I just keep watching him over and over and over. Today I noticed this, I've read in other threads that axolotls can grow white spots of fungi on them, and with my paranoid nature I thought the worst.

Maybe this isn't anything to worry about and well the poor thing has been stressed for 1 day now, he doesn't want to eat (He did eat the first day in the new tank) and the other axies got past the curiosity of the new member, On another thread I've noticed that my filter might also be a problem which I'm working on.

Which no further thing to add I'll put a photo of his gills and eventually as he adapts to its new home I'll post more detailed photos.

I can't really tell from the pictures. If it is fungus, you caught it very, very early - good job. It may be injuries, though, where the gills have been broken and are healing. Fungus has fluffy white hairs - can you see tiny, thread-like hairs on the white spots?

-Eva

No not really! Maybe it's just that i'm paranoid! It's just that I don't want anything bad to happen to the rookie!

Also i took more photos on a special tank but this diva is harder to photograph than a victoria's secret model! I kinda got some shots... for me it looks like the gills are shrinking probably cuz of the stress from the current that the filter creates.

I moved the filter as high as i could to lessen the strong current on the bottom where they stay and also saving for the new filter i'll have to buy.

So here are the photos

Please help!

Hi asprine,

Im glad you picked it up early. I would say its an early stage of a fungal infection. The gills appear tattered, discoloured and also seem to have white fuzzy clumps.

You might like to perform salt baths. http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/salt.shtml

Basically just prepare a tub of fresh dechlorinated water and dissolve 2 to 3 flat teaspoonfuls of non-iodized salt per litre of water. You can use salt such as kosher salt, freshwater aquarium salt or sea salt. Do not use table salt. You can then place your axie in the salt solution for about 10 minutes but no longer than 15 minutes per session. Excessive salt solution soaking can cause damage to the axie's gills and skin.

You can also meanwhile fridge your axie for a couple of days. Place your axie in a tub large enough to allow it to stretch out its limbs and tail fully and comfortably. Top it up with fresh dechlorinated water till the axie is fully submerge but not floating. You can then use a perforated lid or netting to prevent the axie from jumping out. A tea towel placed over the tub can also give it the quiet dark solace it needs. Daily 100% water changes will be necessary. You can store pre-prepared bottles of dechlorinated water in the fridge for this purpose. Continue to offer food daily and remove uneaten food within 15 minutes. Fridging will destress your axie, boost its immunity and render harmful pathogens less viable.

Cheers

Thanks! I'll get into it right away!

After how long since its been in the fridge should I salt bath him! He doesn't look any better his back is arched and his gills are shrinking !! HELP!

You can combine the two treatments. A salt bath (in water as cold as the water in the fridge) can be administered one to three times a day.

-Eva

So even if he has no fungi and he's just plain stressed will that help?

Hi asprine,

To make it easier, fridging is useful for treating 'stress', fungal infections as well as bacteria infections.

Salt balths are only indicated when there is fungal infection. Tea baths can be used for minor fungal and bacterial infections.

If your axie is just stressed without any infections, there is no necessity to perform the salt baths.

I would recommend you just fridge your axie for a couple of days first and monitor if there is any improvement. Sometimes merely fridging would help resolve the problem.

Cheers.

well its his fourth day in the fridge and he's looking very very pale white, he's not pink anymore, his gills are shrinking per day, i just don't know what else to do? should i just wait? I don't even think vets here are qualified for handling axies! I hope you know of something

Hi asprine,

Don't worry about your axie looking paler than pink while in the fridge. The cold temperature reduces metabolism and the axie's blood circulation would be more directed towards vital organs rather than peripheral (skin) regions.

Are you still offering food daily? What are you feeding your axie and how is its appetite?

Does it show other signs of illness? Are they deteriorating? Why not take serial photographs every 2 or 3 days and compare. This way you can monitor the progress. What do you mean by the gills shrinking? Are the filaments looking tattered? Do the gills appear shrivelled, twisted and deformed?

Also ensure you do 100% daily water changes with clean dechlorinated water. You can store pre prepared bottles of water in the fridge.

Please keep us updated.

Cheers

Well I do the water changes, I think he has no fungi, and maybe i made the mistake of giving him a salt bath and probably that stressed him, i'm offering him food, but he shows no interest, it's been 4 days now, and i offer him crickets, because pet stores here don't sell earthworms and the blood worms are very contaminated, the crickets come from a breeder, and I was advised by the biologist that sold me the axie to feed them with those, what else should i offer?

I hope he doesn't die on me =(

Hi Asprine,

While in the fridge the axolot's metabolism is slowed right down decreasing the appetite, advantageously the weightloss is also slowed down. Not being inclined to eat is normal at these low temperatures, keep offering food however each day, but don't be concerned if he doesn't eat it.

In conjuction with fridging an axolotl can go without food for about three months.

How cold do you have the fridge set for? The temperature should be from 5 degrees celcius to 8 degrees celcius and no lower than 5 degrees celcius.

When doing his daily water changes, are you using the fridged dechlorinated water to keep the temperature at a constant? If not, the axolotl will be subject to temperature shock which can make them more stressed and ill.

Hi! thanks for the reply! I do change the water every day, it's dechlorinated, and i store other jugs in the fridge as well so the temp won't be a problem. Luckily for me this fridge i have is super hi tech and lets you control the temp at your own liking. I set up the temp in 7°C which is the higher i can set it up to in the fridge

Hello! I'm happy to inform that Nogada is doing fine, or at least better, he looks calmer, he still doesn't eat, and his gills arent as feathery as they were when i first bought it (which awfuly ironic was the thing that drew my attention to them), a permanent thing I'm afraid, but I dunno, you're the ones that know! I was just updating on him, and well give me any tips you want!

nice axie mario
congrats

doens't look like fungus to me, but more like the tips of the gill branches are just growing back.

yup! in the end it turned out to be that! hehehe now this axie is a killing machine and eats lots lots!