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Fungus due to over feeding?

mmuumi

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So today I picked this from Mex's gill - see pic attached; it looked cottony on the gill, came off quite easily and out of water looked like slime with parts of his gills in it. Looks like fungus, right?
Now there's two questions:
- should I do anything about it if there's no more left on Mex, his gills are perfectly clean now; do I need to add say tea to the water just in case - or do nothing and just watch if anything else appears?
- is it possible to appear due to his crazy appetite? He literally is always hungry and ready to eat, ALWAYS! Axl, his golden albino buddy, knows when to stop and refuses food when he had enough, but Mex can eat 24/7 and if there's any shared food - well, he gets it all. So can fungus appear due to over feeding?
Ph 7.4
Temp 16C
Ammonia 0.5
Nitrites 0,
Nitrates 0,
Tank not cycled yet so I change 40% water every day.
Thanks:)))
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auntiejude

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Fungus in the tank is not the same as fungus on an axie. But the problem with uneaten food or waste is that it breaks down and releases ammonia, which could be contributing to gill or slime coat damage which is then allowing fungus to get a foot hold.

Indian almond leaves in the tank would be a good first line of defence, especially as you're cycling your tank.

Other than that you seem to be doing everything right - just keep an eye open for ammonia and nitrite spikes, change more water if you get a high reading to compensate.
 

xxianxx

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Its better to cycle the tank without the axolotl in as you will be exposing it to ammonia, Google "fishless cycling". Whilst the tank is cycling keep the axolotl in a tub with 100% daily water changes.
 

mmuumi

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Just a bit if an update: so this morning Mex has grown exactly the same fungus thingy on the very same spot as yesterday; I took him and his buddy out of the tank into separate tubs and am giving Mex an aquarium salt bath at the moment (pic attached), he
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didn't mind it at all, I don't think he even noticed. The fungus came off quite easily, and it had gill feathers inside just like yesterday.
I also acquired Indian almond leaves just now and am planning on cleaning the tank, changing water and adding the leaves in
Q:
- how many leaves do I need for 65 l tank, I've got leaves that are palm size and a bit bigger; pics attached;
- since I'm changing water daily, shall I take the leaves out every time or just change some water as normal and keep them floating?
- salt baths and leaves - do they work together? Shall I keep Mex in the tub for now? The fungus is tiny, see pic, but still? Repeat baths 3 times today-tomorrow? The temp in our house, the tank and tubs is 15-16C and both guys seem quite comfy in there;
- Pimafix - would you use it at all?
- shall I feed them while in tubs? They seem hungry again, but they'be been pooing a lot recently, which could've contributed to fungus?
Sorry for so many questions, but I'm trying to do the right thing and minimise trauma for my beloved Mex:) and yep, I get extremely anxious and can't think of anything else at the moment:))))))))
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mmuumi

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so my little patient is back in his cleaned tank with his buddy, ate, pooed and now chills right under the water filter waving gills:) no fungus visible on the gill in question, I guess I'll see if there's any reappearing in the morning...


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auntiejude

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Salt baths - twice a day, continue 2 or 3 days after the fungus looks like its gone.
2 leaves would be good, leave them in as it takes a good soaking to release the tannins.
Don't feed axies in a salt bath, feed then in a freshwater tub if they are not in their tank.
You're doing fine - we have all dealt with fungus, and as long as you deal with it promptly it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
 

Sweetie

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If you're doing salt baths, it may be best to hold off on the Indian almond leaves, as I believe they can make it harder for the salt to penetrate the skin and do its job. On the other hand, they do take a few days in the tank to break down and start releasing their tannins and other valuable components (you can break them up to speed up this process), so you could probably add them a few days before finishing the salt bath regime.
If you are convinced this is fungus (and not just a slime coat issue), you will need to continue the salt baths for a couple of days after the fungus appears to be gone, just to be certain you have eradicated it.
On the other hand, I am not actually convinced that it is fungus, in which case the salt baths may be doing more harm than good. The Indian almond leaves do have mildly antifungal properties, so maybe all you need to do is add them and keep a close eye on your water tests (especially ammonia, high levels of which can cause shedding of the slime coat and/or loss of gill filaments).
PS You do have an absolutely gorgeous lotl there btw - I can see why you're so concerned to protect those magnificent gills. (Are you sure 'he' isn't a 'she'? I can't see a good tummy view, so cannot tell if there are testicles, but that body shape looks very female to me. Either that or you have one chubby boy there!)
 
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mmuumi

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Thank you so much for your help and answers!:) I think my main problem is being constantly worried about my babies, need to learn to take it easy:)))
I put 2 leaves in, and i do agree that I may have a couple of days till they start releasing tannins:)
Is it possible that slime coat would be shedding just in one spot on the gill feathers? Well I guess we'll see what tomorrow brings but at the moment it's all clean and has been since the first bath (he had another one, and again, didn't seem to mind at all, like it wasn't irritating him whatsoever, maybe it really wasn't?).
And yep, he (she) is the most gorgeous Axie - his brother Axl is also mega adorable and is regrowing his missing gills so rapidly (he had none on one side when I got him, must've been bitten off by hungry siblings). Re He or She - I honestly don't know, they do look different though, Axl is longer and thinner and Mex is a chubby shortie, so maybe he is a girl:))) I'll try to get pics of their bellies and post them to get your opinions:) and some pics just for fun:)
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Sweetie

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I think your golden albino is probably male and your wild type (I think I can see the eye ring) has a distinctly female body shape, though you can't be certain till they're 12 months old or more. A male will start to develop distinctive bulges behind and between the rear legs by then. You can't help worrying heaps about them as a newbie lotl lover. I did the same. I think we all do! Try not to stress - your babies look very healthy and happy to me. As for overfeeding, the general rule of thumb is feed them lots of lovely earthworms so that their tummies are the same width as the widest part of their head. :D
 

mmuumi

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I love how they're always together and it looks like they miss each other - though I know they're not supposed to feel attached and all that... Still, when I returned them to the tank from separate tubs today, they both went to the same hide and were swimming together afterwards:)))) so cute! Plus Mex loves putting his/her head on Axl's tail and sleeping like that:)) I think she/he is a melanoid, cuz the eye ring isn't shiny or contrasty like I saw wilds here on the forum?


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Sweetie

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Tank mates must at least get used to having each other around, and many seem to become very fond of each other. If you do have a male and a female, though, as seems to be the case, prepare for hundreds and hundreds of lotl eggs one day!! :eek:
As for the eye ring, it's often hard to tell with photos, but if it is a melanoid, it will lack the shiny eye ring.
 
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