Juvenile with fungus?

Hi everyone,

I have had an axolotl for two weeks. She is three inches long. When I got her from the pet store, her gills were very small. I don’t think the water there was very clean or cool. I noticed then that she had a few very small white spots on her tail that I though could possibly be fungas. Those spots aren’t really there anymore but I noticed the tips of her gills are looking white and today there is what looks like a little fluff hanging off. She has had a few come and go on her gills and fingers. Sometimes fluffs do fall into the tank and she swims past them, but the white tips make me wonder if it really is fungas. Her gills have grown a lot. When I first got her, they had no pink colouring but she has since got some blood flow going through. Are white tips just parts that do not have blood flow to them yet? I don’t have any great photos but I’ll attach a few. Her tail is also flaking a bit. I don’t know if it’s just physical damage from fake plants or related to her being sick.

She lives in a 10 gallon tank right now. I change the water 50% every day and have never had a reading of ammonia above 0.25ppm before a water change. She eats lots, poops, and her gills are growing longer. But I would love some advice. I’m afraid to do anything too drastic since she’s so small.

Re: Juvenile with fungas?

First of all, she is super super cute!
Salt baths are a great option for fluffy fungus, and I haven't read anything about not using them for juveniles so it shouldn't be too stressful on her. I'll post the guide here for you. https://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=72698 If you see any bits around the tank make sure to remove them.
Great to see she is doing better with you. The white gill tips may be a bloodflow thing, so see if they change throughout the day with more active swimming and feeding. Often the gills and tail will go a little red during these times. I've also seen white bits on the gills that seem to just be pigmentation, and isn't anything to worry about. Basically, if it's on the surface on the skin it's likely fungus, but if it's the skin itself then it's pigmentation/bloodflow.
What are your nitrite and nitrate readings?

Re: Juvenile with fungas?

Hayleyy said:

First of all, she is super super cute!
Salt baths are a great option for fluffy fungus, and I haven't read anything about not using them for juveniles so it shouldn't be too stressful on her. I'll post the guide here for you. https://www.caudata.org/forum/showthread.php?t=72698 If you see any bits around the tank make sure to remove them.
Great to see she is doing better with you. The white gill tips may be a bloodflow thing, so see if they change throughout the day with more active swimming and feeding. Often the gills and tail will go a little red during these times. I've also seen white bits on the gills that seem to just be pigmentation, and isn't anything to worry about. Basically, if it's on the surface on the skin it's likely fungus, but if it's the skin itself then it's pigmentation/bloodflow.
What are your nitrite and nitrate readings?

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Thanks for your response! The fluffy part actually came off today when she swam really fast. I haven’t checked the nitrites or nitrates in a few days because this is an uncycled tank and they seem to just stay at zero. But I did a 100% water change today to get anything out that might have been in the tank. I think I will keep an eye on things before I do a salt bath, but that’s a great link to have in case she gets more fluffies!

So, today I was feeding her, and it seemed that she developed a bit of that fluff. And in the same feeding, she shook it off. So I know it is not just fluffs falling into the tank. But does that sound like fungus? Do axolotls ever shed? ?

Fungus usually heals on its own with correction of water parameters

My girl is still getting fluffs on her gills. I would love some more opinions about whether this looks like fungus and if salt baths are necessary. She is still acting perfectly normal and eating. Her water parameters are good here with me, but she may have come home with this from the pet store.

My best guess is fungus and for treating it I think the main priority should be getting her in a cycled tank that's properly cooled! You could transfer her to a smaller tub and do 100% water changes every day until the tank is cycled. It'll cycle more quickly if you don't have to do water changes to keep the ammonia at a safe level for your axi and it also ensures that she isn't exposed to any ammonia or anything whilst she's having this problem. If the problem persists after she's been in a cycled tank for a bit then I'd recommend salt baths. She's so cute!

Giuseppe said:

My best guess is fungus and for treating it I think the main priority should be getting her in a cycled tank that's properly cooled! You could transfer her to a smaller tub and do 100% water changes every day until the tank is cycled. It'll cycle more quickly if you don't have to do water changes to keep the ammonia at a safe level for your axi and it also ensures that she isn't exposed to any ammonia or anything whilst she's having this problem. If the problem persists after she's been in a cycled tank for a bit then I'd recommend salt baths. She's so cute!

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Hi, thanks for your input. To clarify, she is not in the tank that I am cycling. I have a 20 gallon tank that is almost done cycling. She was in a very dirty tank at the pet store, so I took her home before it was done cycling to at least provide her with a clean home. The tank she is in now is a temporary 10 gallon and I change 50% of the water every day. I have changed the water 100% today and a few days ago to give her a fresh slate. The tank is kept cool. She had no fluffs today, so I will monitor her. If they return, I will consider the salt baths.

They are a little more stringy than I usually see, so like you said keep an eye on them and have her in cool clean water. If it gets worse then salt bath.

Hayleyy said:

They are a little more stringy than I usually see, so like you said keep an eye on them and have her in cool clean water. If it gets worse then salt bath.

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Thanks Hayley, I haven’t dealt with a lot of fungus but I had a hard time finding anyone with similar photos. So I wondered if it was a bit unusual. No more so far! I’ll keep watching.

How is your little princess doing?

She is doing better! I have been putting indian almond leaves in the tank with her. She isn’t growing any fluff anymore. One gill tip is still a little white, which will be the last symptom to go! And her big tank is just about cycled, so once she’s better she can go into her big home.