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URGENT HELP NEEDED - Bad fungal infection!

kumamon

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Hello, I urgently need help! (sorry for any spelling mistakes, I'm very panicked and wanted to send this as soon as possible)

(I have extra information under this paragraph, but this is the basics to help reduce the read)
My one and a half year old male axie has a really bad fungal infection and has lost so much weight. I have been attempting to treat it, but clearing it is not working. It's been around for a while and I believe the issue is the tank. Should I quarantine him in a small container and try to fix the tank even though I don't know the issue? Should I do daily 25% water changes and not weekly until the fungus clears up (If is does) as well as salt baths? Should I fridge him? What should I do?
What I am currently doing:
Every 12 hours I remove him for his 80L tank into a 2L salt bath (6 teaspoons to 2L of aquarium salt). After 10 mins I put him back into the tank. This tank is filtered and has plastic plants and hides with fine sand flooring. All parameters are normal.

He has had the fungal infection for months and it so amazing he is still alive. The infection wasn't very bad to begin with. I was treating the fungus with aquarium salt
about twice daily for five days, then two days break and then repeating - each time was ten mins. I did do the salt to weak to begin with, which is why it didn't work, but have increased it to the one above.

I believe the issue is the tank itself. I went away for a week and left a family member to care for him. Despite telling them the correct care, it was not done right and waste was not picked up, but I fixed it as soon as I got back. There is a light sort of milky color in the tank (I have a mirror behind the tank and cannot clearly see my reflection). It's similar to when you first set up a tank. And I can sometimes see fungus 'spores' (I believe) floating in the tank - which I do my best to remove when spot cleaning.

My questions:
Should I continue salt bathing or try a different method? I heard adding antiseptics to the tank (like very low doses of iodine) can help rid fungus in the tank itself and help with the peeling of the axolotls skin. Should I remove him from the tank completely into quarantine or fridging - if so how would I do this? Should I do daily water changes while treating him (which I would need to do if I added an antiseptic)? Are there any options I am unaware about???

I really don't want to lose him. I've done all I can and it's so painful to see him so sick and skinny. I can't believe I didn't ask anything sooner...


Please, Please help!!
Thank you with all my heart, Chloe
 

kumamon

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I've moved him into the fridge. The temperature is 5 degrees Celsius. I've premixed dechlorinated water and salt water (for salt baths) and have also placed them into the fridge to avoid temp shock. The container is shallow (but is a little bit above his fin and head) and is two cm's bigger than his size. I plan on cleaning out the tank completely tomorrow (cleaning sand, plants, hides, filter and having 100% new water) I will cycle until he is hopefully well and happy again.
 

RG

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It may not be fungus. When he returns to the same aquarium after each treatment, salt and cooling do not help. The unclear water can indicate bacteria. It is not easy to get rid of it. The problem is perhaps the aquarium and how it functions. Plastic plants probably from China can also release substances into the water. Is there sufficient filtering liters per minute? I have had a similar problem in the past (red skin, cloudy water). I do not know exactly anymore but I think I added a bucket of clear ditch water. What I did remember is that water change every day did not help. Two days later it was back. If you reorganize the aquarium, ensure sufficient light and living fast-growing plants. The plants then give enough shade but also provide a much better water quality.

Gr.
 

kumamon

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He definitely has a fungus - he shows all symptoms of it (fuzzy spores on his body and loss of appetite). I've moved him from the tank so I can try fix the problem, would restarting the cycle and removing literally everything from the tank help? I've took out one hide which I think was doing something weird to the water but I don't think that was the only issue. If I can't fix the tank but I can get rid of his infection then I will take him out of the fridge and put him a tank with another one of my healthy axolotls (sectioning them apart from each other to make sure they stay healthy).

Thank you for replying!!!
 
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