I'm wondering what this is :(

About a month ago, one of my female Axolotls developed a bunch on white spots on her, I noticed because her main color is black, I salt bathed her and her tank mate for a week and they both seemed just fine. I put them both back with no problems. I few days ago I noticed that the white spots were back and that she gets injured really easily. And new symptoms as well. She now has an arched back and her tail is turned at a 90 degree angle. I've been salt bathing her for 2 days now and fresh water changes every time. Her back is becoming more arched though. I have her is a separate container from her tank mate but not in the fridge because our fridge is too cold. It's a cold fall this year so the water in the container is probably 45 to 50 degrees. I'm just wondering if there is more that I could do for her. I work and go to school so my days are pretty full but I can make what ever work

Okay, Cheylee, I think the key thing is to figure out exactly what we're looking at here. You said the thing that caused you to salt bathe were white spots - after you salt bathed, did the spots disappear or are they still on her? Did you make absolutely sure they were fungus prior to bathing and weren't simply a) iridophores (which can cause a lot of panic but can be discerned from fungus by shining a light on them) or b) natural light pigmentation? Toothless is Wildtype and covered in white/almost mint coloured spots on her belly and sides, which is normal. If it isn't cottony and falling off, it's most likely to be pigmentation and completely normal.


If you think it WAS fungus, and it has been removed, the chances are she's getting over the shock of being ill and the treatment. If you now think it wasn't, she's likely just a little stressed. It sounds like you did all the right things by using clean fresh water and keeping her cool - her tail is likely kinked from the stress (salt bathing stresses them out like having hospital treatment would for you). The 'getting injured really easily' is a bit vague - what do you mean? Does she have cuts, bruises or nicks? She may be cutting herself on things or may have been bitten by a tank mate prior to being moved, or it might be the side effect of salt bathing (osmotic effect on the skin).

I think by the sounds of it she's getting over the shock of it, but I think we need to be absolutely sure what the white spots are before we suggest any treatments. If it turns out not to be fungus then salt bathing isn't needed and might actually be making her worse; if it is definetely fungus then it's the right course of action.
I hope she gets better soon!

I think pictures are worth more than descriptions in this case - can you post some pics of the 'white spots' so we can see what you're talking about?

Thank you for answering back. Here are some pictures. I hope this helps us.

The first picture is an aerial view of the 'white 'spots'
The second picture is of some spots and her arched back
The third picture is of her tail and more spots

As you can see, the 'spots' are not even level with her skin. That's why I think it's a fungus, and when I do the water changes it appears that some of the 'spots' have fallen off.

What are your water parameters?

Ph:
Ammonia:
Nitrite:
Nitrate:
Temperature:

Also do you use water conditioner to remove the chlorine and chloramine from the water?

I forgot to get the test strips at the pet store today so i can't get the parameters until tomorrow but the temperature is around 50 degrees f.

I usually don't use any water dechlorinater but that's because the water here doesn't have any chlorine in it. I've checked. Plus, I've done many water changes with out it to fish, frogs, and axolotls with no problems.

I will get the parameters tomorrow but it won't be until late, at least in United States time.

Great that you're taking these steps, and you probably already know this, but the test strips aren't considered as effective as liquid test kits - I rely on API Freshwater Test Kits to tell me my parameters and so far they have never let me down. Also, water conditioner is, imo, an absolute must - even if there is no chlorine, there may still be chloramines in the water, which don't evaporate over time and are still present in the water when you add it. Chloramines are also toxic and so need to be treated with water conditioner - I personally use Stress Coat + from API because I like the added aloe which contributes to the slime coat.

Now, those spots...she sure is covered! It doesn't look cottony so I'd really like to know your tank parameters. First off, I'd eliminate iridophores or pigment by shining a torch/light on them - I know they're not level with her skin, but it's probably best to be sure. If they look like skin or are shiny, they're iridophores.

If this isn't right it may be a chemical imbalance - say, too much ammonia or nitrite. Another potential cause is temperature - if it's consistently high then she may have developed heat stress. Failing that, I would be worried the white spots may well be a parasite that may have lodged into her skin - some worms have been known to produce spots when they attach to their hosts.

I hope it is just either pigment or an easily treatable cause, but for now, parameters and doing a torch test are the way forward. You can also gently touch it with a finger. If it comes off it may well be fungus.

If none of these methods help we may need a vet's opinion.

You said the temp is at 50*? Isn't that actually too cold? I'm just learning so somebody please chime in here

@Sari - 50-68F is the normal range for axies. Sick axies are often kept at the lower end to slow their metabolism, the progress of infection etc. Healing is supposed to be optimal at 50-55F.

And I agree about the test strips and liquid kits - the strips can give you a rough idea but you really need the liquid tests for accurate results.

Thank you for the advice, Everyone.

I don't know if i can find liquid tests for the water here in town. I live in a smaller town and stuff like that is harder to come by. I just spent 30 dollars on the strips. I know that they aren't 100 percent correct but at least it can give us an idea. Everything in the tank is normal except for nitrates, PH, and alkalinity. Those are all pretty high. Would the best way to fix those be a water change, if so, how much and how often? I know not to do large water changes because those are bad for the tank.

I shined a light on the 'spots' and they didn't seem to shine, They do also kind of come off when i run my finger on them (I only did a few, didn't want to stress her out).

My water Temperature is never high. I make sure that its cool for them. Especially the tank that she's in, It never gets touched by a heat source.

Is the axie any better?

It could be skin that's peeling off from high nitrates. If it looks like cotton wool then it's fungus, but on the pic it didn't look like fungus. Although it's hard to tell from the quality.

If the nitrates are over 40ppm then it's too high. For now I'd check your water every day or two until it's under control. Then check once a week to make sure the parameters are OK.

I also agree with the dechlorinator. I've been using the stress coat+ and it's great.

She is doing a little better. This morning her back wasn't arched and the fungus is slowly going away. I cleaned the filter to the tank, inside and out, as well as do a 25 percent water change on Sunday. I will be doing a small water change every other day until I can get everything back to normal.

I salt bathe her once a day for fifteen minutes and i moved her tank mate into the tank with my male so that she wouldn't get like her. I have also been using the water dechlorinator that helps with slime coats. I'm slowly working on fixing it.

Here is a link for the big liquid teat kit... On sale for $16.99 and if you jave amazon prime, it's free 2 day shipping too

Amazon.com: API Freshwater Master Test Kit: Pet Supplies

Cheylee said:

Thank you for the advice, Everyone.

I don't know if i can find liquid tests for the water here in town. I live in a smaller town and stuff like that is harder to come by. I just spent 30 dollars on the strips. I know that they aren't 100 percent correct but at least it can give us an idea. Everything in the tank is normal except for nitrates, PH, and alkalinity. Those are all pretty high. Would the best way to fix those be a water change, if so, how much and how often? I know not to do large water changes because those are bad for the tank.

I shined a light on the 'spots' and they didn't seem to shine, They do also kind of come off when i run my finger on them (I only did a few, didn't want to stress her out).

My water Temperature is never high. I make sure that its cool for them. Especially the tank that she's in, It never gets touched by a heat source.

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Hi,
I just wanted to let you know that you can get the API Freshwater Test Kit from Pet Mountain, for $16.99, that is where I get most of my aquatic needs, they are awesome and shipping is fast and cheap, here is the web site.....petmountain.com........give them a try, also check Amazon

Good luck,
Mama Mia:happy:

Thank you, everybody for telling me about the test kits. I'm defiantly going to buy one come pay day.

I still think it's a fungus because it comes off when i rub my finger on it. I don't know that else it could be. Her back isn't arched any more and she acts like normal but the fungus is still there. Not so much on her body but on parts of her legs.