Have I gone mad?

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FireStar

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So this morning, I woke up to find that one of my axies had what appeared to be fungus (it was white and cottony looking) on her gill. I was surprised (and a little bit panicked) because, although they hide from me yesterday, they were perfectly healthy looking two days ago when I fed them.

So I read through the fridging and salt bath guides on here and on the way home from work bought a bag of table salt. Ingredients: Salt and anti-caking agent (554). Is this safe to use?

I came home to find that the fungus isn't there any more (there maybe one or two tiny white specs on her filaments, but maybe I'm seeing things?)

Am I seeing things? Is this the axolotls amazing powers of healing at work? Should I salt bath her anyway?
 
Maybe post a picture of her on the forum so the experts can tell you if the remaining white is fungus.
Are you sure it wasn't just something stuck on her gills that was floating in the tank? A few days back there was something white at the bottom of my tank. Turns out it was a bit of slime which had grown around the suckers holding my filter on. Tiny bit of dirt I missed and spent ages figuring out what it was! Lol :lol:
 
I noticed something similar, I think it was a bit of old food covered with mold jammed in the gill filaments. I would not salt bath it.

I would not worry about the anti-caking agent, there are scare postings about it on the internet but it is pretty harmless stuff in a very low concentration.
 
Fungus can often fall off if it's knocked. Hold out on the salt baths and see if it comes back, if it does then you'll need to do the bath.
 
FireStar said:
So this morning, I woke up to find that one of my axies had what appeared to be fungus (it was white and cottony looking) on her gill. I was surprised (and a little bit panicked) because, although they hide from me yesterday, they were perfectly healthy looking two days ago when I fed them.

So I read through the fridging and salt bath guides on here and on the way home from work bought a bag of table salt. Ingredients: Salt and anti-caking agent (554). Is this safe to use?

I came home to find that the fungus isn't there any more (there maybe one or two tiny white specs on her filaments, but maybe I'm seeing things?)

Am I seeing things? Is this the axolotls amazing powers of healing at work? Should I salt bath her anyway?
Click to expand...

You should use aquarium salt for salt baths and not table salt as table salt often has iodine in which can trigger metamorphosis.

Anti caking agent 554 is "Sodium aluminosilicate which is an acid salt comprising sodium, aluminium, silicon and oxygen" (thank you google). My chemistry knowledge is not good enough to know if this would affect an Axolotl adversely but personally I wouldn't use it.
 
Rock Sea salt or sea salt flakes would be better.

Table salt is refined & anything containing aluminum shouldn't be ingested - even by humans, there are many links to Alzheimer's & aluminum.



<3 >o_o< <3
 
CJ1981 said:
You should use aquarium salt for salt baths and not table salt as table salt often has iodine in which can trigger metamorphosis.

Anti caking agent 554 is "Sodium aluminosilicate which is an acid salt comprising sodium, aluminium, silicon and oxygen" (thank you google). My chemistry knowledge is not good enough to know if this would affect an Axolotl adversely but personally I wouldn't use it.
Click to expand...

I've used table salt in the past when I've needed to give salt baths suddenly. No harm was caused. To my knowledge it's more a case of "low-salt" shouldn't be used as most of the sodium is replaced with Potassium Chloride, which is bad news for axolotls. I may have been misinformed though. Rock salt is my preference.

As for the disappearing "fungus", monitor her to see if it comes back. If it does, you have your answer; it's definitely fungus. If not it's most likely tank debris. If it does indeed come back the next question is what within your tank is causing it?
 
NeekaLovesYou said:
I've used table salt in the past when I've needed to give salt baths suddenly. No harm was caused. To my knowledge it's more a case of "low-salt" shouldn't be used as most of the sodium is replaced with Potassium Chloride, which is bad news for axolotls. I may have been misinformed though. Rock salt is my preference.

As for the disappearing "fungus", monitor her to see if it comes back. If it does, you have your answer; it's definitely fungus. If not it's most likely tank debris. If it does indeed come back the next question is what within your tank is causing it?
Click to expand...

I should imagine that in an emergency it is better than nothing. I'm just rather paranoid about using things that aren't listed as aquarium friendly :eek:
 
CJ1981 said:
I should imagine that in an emergency it is better than nothing. I'm just rather paranoid about using things that aren't listed as aquarium friendly :eek:
Click to expand...

Can't blame you!
 
Thank you everyone for the info. I really appreciate it! :)

I keep checking for any signs of fungus,so far none, but I'll keep on checking

Thanks again :D
 
This is irrelevant to my first post (axies looking good), but it fits the title.

There is something inside or outside my house that keeps making a noise which sounds exactly like an axolotl taking a breath (not my axies)

It's driving me nuts trying to find what it is XD
 
FireStar said:
This is irrelevant to my first post (axies looking good), but it fits the title.

There is something inside or outside my house that keeps making a noise which sounds exactly like an axolotl taking a breath (not my axies)

It's driving me nuts trying to find what it is XD
Click to expand...

Hahahahahha well i know the sounds of each one of my axolotls when they gulp a breath of air.
 
Wow. You win. The rest of my family can't tell my two apart by looking. ;)

But you totally win telling them apart by listening! :rofl:
 
The reason why it is driving me mad is because I love watching my lotls move (which doesn't happen very often in my household unless they're being fed)

I love watching their little legs paddle and when they drift back down after a breath and a burp :supercool:

So every time I hear the sound I run to the tank. The sound occurs every couple of minutes so I keep running back and forth the house, which annoys everyone :dizzy:
 
FireStar said:
The reason why it is driving me mad is because I love watching my lotls move (which doesn't happen very often in my household unless they're being fed)

I love watching their little legs paddle and when they drift back down after a breath and a burp :supercool:

So every time I hear the sound I run to the tank. The sound occurs every couple of minutes so I keep running back and forth the house, which annoys everyone :dizzy:
Click to expand...

They are great time wasters aren't they? You're not as mad as me, I get in trouble (from the kids) for talking to my Axies, I'm sure they listen to me too, they come to the front, put one foot on the glass and look up at me ..... Lol which is more than I can say for the kids!:happy:
 
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