white stuff in tank and on my axolotl :S

my axolotl is about 2 1/2-3 months old. i have him in a 2.5 gallon aquarium with a small filter. he's partially in the sun light in the morning. the white stuff is growing on his gills and the decorations and floor in the tank :S

How big is your axie? The minimum size for an adult axolotl is about 10 gallons so you will need to upgrade your tank soonish.

Also get rid of the stones, they could easily be ingested by your axie and cause impaction. Use sand or bare floor.

What are your water readings? Ammonia/nitrate/nitrite/ph? And what is the temperature? Axolotls can get white patches if the water is too warm.

Alternatively it could be fungus, is the stuff on his gills cottony? If it is, it is probably fungus so you should put your axie in the fridge and start salt bath treatment.

Hi Liz,

A 2.5 gallon tank is far too small for an axolotl, the bare minimum size tank for an axolotl is 10 gallons and this is for a juvenile, as the axolotl grows bigger he will need a two foot tank at least.

I would advise you to remove that substrate, it's the size that can be ingested by the axolotl and cause impaction which can be deadly if the axolotl can not pass it, and judging from the looks of your axie's stomach he has swallowed some.

You can keep the axolotl on a bare bottom floor or use sand. Suitable sands are childrens play sand as this has been sterilized for use by children, pool filter sand or fresh water aquarium sand sold at most aquariums. Do not use Beach sand or marine sand.

If you can, move the tank away from the sunlight - axolotl's do not like light. If the tank can not be moved, then you will need to provide the axolotl with some hides so he can get away from the light.

The white fluff I would say is fungus. The usual suspects for fungus is poor water quality, warm water or stress.

You will need to commence salt baths and fridging, the fridging as well as aiding in the removal of the fungus will also help the axolotl pass the gravel.

Salt bath procedure to treat the fungus:

Prepare a tub of fresh dechlorinated water and dissolve 2-3 teaspoons of salt per litre of water. Put in enough water to cover the axolotl and leave axolotl in the salt bath for about 10 minutes, no longer than 15 minutes as the salt will start to damage the axolotl's gills/skin. Salt bath should be done 2-3 times daily.

Prepare another tub of fresh dechlorinated water for the axolotl, and place tub in the fridge. Ensure that the fridge is set for at least 5 degrees celcius, no lower than this.

You will need to also keep bottles of dechlorinated water in the fridge, these will be used for the 100% water changes that must be done daily. These will also be used for the salt baths. The idea of this is to ensure the temporary home and salt baths are at a constant temperature to ensure the axolotl is not subjected to temperature shock.

thanks! i plan on giving him salt baths.
audrey said it's probably food that he didn't eat.
he's only 3 inches long.

Liz, axolotls usually get fungus when they are stressed out. It would be helpful if you could post the water readings I asked for so you can determine why the fungus has occurred. As if you don't solve the underlying problem it will just come back.

Also is it definitely fungus? If you could describe what the white patches, that would be good.

well i can't post the readings because i don't have them.
not, i'm not sure that it's fungus.
the white stuff is kind of stringy.
but last night it was colpmetely gone.

That is good that it has gone , is your axie eating? If he is, that is a good sign.

With your water readings you should get at the very least an ammonia and ph test kits but I also recommend you get nitrate and nitrite tests. You need to be able to check the water quality to make sure it is ok for your axie. They can be picked up from aquarium stores or pet shops. In the mean time I think you should take a sample of your water to a petstore or aquarium as they can test the water for free for you. Ammonia and nitrite should be 0, nitrate 10-40, and ph between 6.5-8. If ammonia is above 0, you need to do 20% water changes until your tank is cycled. Here is an article to explain it http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml.

Also do you have a thermometer in your tank? If not, I would get one of them, they are only a few dollars, as temperature is very important to axolotls.

Good luck and when you get your water readings it would be helpful if you could come back and post them here!