Please help! Axolotl/fungus/malachite green

Ive had my axolotl Manuel for a few months and hes recently become very sick.

He has what I am fairly sure is columnaris. It started as a little white patch of his leg, now the leg is completely covered in white/grey fluff. It has also spread to the end of his tail. 2-3cm of the tail is about to break off, its just hanging by a thread. I have also noticed some red rawness developing on the original white patches.

Went to a large, respected aquarium and spoke to a guy with a lot of axolotl experience. He devised a treatment plan for me using a multi-purpose med (active ingredient malachite green). He told me to put the axolotl is a shallow dish of water, and apply the med directly to the skin of effected areas. Axolotl is then returned to hospital tank with clean water which I keep darkened and cool.

This is meant to happen once a day for a week. He's had his third treatment this morning. After doing a lot of research on the net, the general consensus is that malachite green should NEVER be used on axolotls. The guy at the store was so confident that this is the way to go, and he seemed to really know axolotls. So who do I believe????????

Manuel certainly doesnt seem any worse for wear after the malachite green treatments- he ate his first earthworm in a week yesterday. The fungus isnt showing any signs of decreasing though.

Should I continue on till the end of the week or start fridge/salt baths? It sounds silly but Ive become really attached to him as my first axolotl died young. I'll do whatever it takes to save him. Please help me

I would start with the fridge/salt bath regiment.

As far as who to believe? Would you rather believe one person or a whole community of well respected and experienced axolotl keepers?

Thanks for your reply. You'll have to excuse my ignorance.. The guy told me he had been breeding/caring for axolotls for years. I trusted him. Should have looked here first

Hi User Name (quite a unique user name you have there ),

Malachite green is highly toxic to axolotls.

An extract from the "Axolotl Site":

Please note well: Aquarium fish remedies can be toxic to axolotls and it is inadvisable to use them without first consulting an expert. Amphibians absorb chemicals very easily through their skin and it is quite easy to accidentally poison your axolotls with remedies. For example, Sterazin and Protozin from Aqualife are toxic to axolotls. Anything containing metals such as copper or manganese should also be avoided. Two of the most common compounds used in aquarium medications are malachite green and methylene blue. Malachite green is very toxic to amphibians so avoid anything that contains it. Methylene blue is safe to use with axolotls, but as always, try to use the minimum dose. There is a list of reportedly safe or unsafe treatments at the end of this page.

Click to expand...

The fungus will need to be treated with salt baths - if this could be done in conjunction with fridging this would be ideal. The fridge will help relax the axolotl and be a healing balm for him (axolotls love cold water). The fridge will also help the axolotl fight off the fungus.

A guide to fridging: http://www.caudata.org/axolotl-sanctuary/Fridging.shtml

In order to keep the axolotl at a consistent temperature, keep bottles of dechlorinated water in the fridge, as these will be used for both the daily water changes and the salt baths.


Salt Baths:

• Prepare a tub of fresh water
• Dissolve 2-3 teaspoons of non-iodized salt such as sea salt, fresh aquarium salt, kosher salt (do not use table salt!) per litre of water. Ensure that the salt is completely dissolved before putting the axolotl in the saltbath.
• Leave axolotl in salt bath for 10 minutes, but no longer than 15 minutes as the salt will start to damage the axie's skin and gills.

The salt baths will need to be done two to three times a day, make up a fresh bath each time.

Are you able to post a photo of the fungus?

Good luck to you and your lovely axolotl - I hope he pulls through.

I just lost him. I had so much hope

I'm so sorry for your loss.

It hurts so much- especially knowing that I probably killed him with the medicine. I cant bear this

Hey, first step.

RELAX

These things happen and all I can suggest is learn from mistakes made.

Goodluck in the future, and I'm sorry to hear for your loss.

That sucks, you have my condolences as well.

Thanks. Not too sure what lessons I can learn though. To disregard advice for fish shop employees I guess. Water quality was always fine, hardly any current in the tank. He just went downhill so fast.

Unfortunately, most pet shop employees only pretend to know what they are talking about so that they can earn a quick buck. It's a shame really.

I really feel for you, I actually got quite teary-eyed reading this. Please try not to blame yourself, there was no malicious intent and you thought you were doing the best for your axie.

I am a fish shop employee. But that guy was a...well...think of a bad word to insert.

Malachite is a great fungus treatment...for fish. The body plan of an Axie is completely different to that of members of the fish phyla.

I would read up and arm yourself with some big scientific words as to why malachite and axies don't mix and go down there and tell him. Not necessarily to him feel bad, but to make sure the same advice isn't given again.

Its not your fault for trusting an aquatics proffessional. I for one always make sure I know what i'm talking about before giving out advice, after all these pets are like children to some people!

Hi User Name

As JacksonUK said above, I would DEFINATELY print off the article posted by Jacq and take it to show that bloke - not to be snidey, but so he doesn't hand out that advice again - you may be saving the lives of countless axies by doing so

So sorry about your loss - it is terrible, but at least now you have discovered this site, you will now be more familiar with axie husbandry and should you choose to get another axie, you will be ready for any illnesses!

Sorry again.

Zoe x

Thanks for the replies I did what you suggested, so hopefully he will give better advice now.

I have a concern with my other axie though- it has been hanging off the spray bar a lot!? Holding on with front two legs... Will sometimes stay there for hours! Have also noticed what looks like tiny red scratches/cuts on the front legs. Red leg?? The tank is set up perfectly... dont know why my axies keep getting sick, any suggestions welcome!!

Really sorry to hear of your loss.

Have you made any new additions to your tank in the last little while?

Havent made any recent changes. The red spots appear to have cleared up- but now I can see what looks like colmunaris on the end of his tail.. and its starting to rot off. Should i fridge and salt bath him?

Maybe its not columnaris on second inspection.. looks like the skin itself is just rotting away, could this be the case?

Hi Username,

The tail tip is definitely necrotic. The tissues are dying and even the capillary network in the tail is receding. I have several questions that i need to find out before i can troubleshoot.

1 - For your previous axie which you used malachite green, how did you add the chemical? Into the main tank or in a seperate tub? Was this axie exposed to malachite green at any juncture?

2 - Do you keep other axies or fish etc with this axie?

3 - Have you noticed any recent physical trauma to this axie before such as tail being caught at the filters etc.?

A lot of axie illnesses look very similar in clinical presentation. Even as a vet, i would only go with possible list of differentials and not jump to conclusion on the aetiology. This is because treatment method and efficacy can differ and disease prognosis can also differ.

Columnaris is a bacteria not a fungus, even though it can look like saprolegnia, a fungal infection. Parasites such as Oodinium can also look like a fuzzy covering. Fortunately, salt baths are effective in treating all of them. Hence i recommend you perform salt baths and fridging immediately. Follow the fridging instructions as linked by Jacquie.

I would recommend you give two salt baths per day for 3 days. Space the interval period as evenly as possible, ie. - 8 am in morning, 8 pm at night. An hour or two off is ok. During these baths, the axie will attempt to struggle a bit. This is normal.

Basically just prepare a tub of fresh dechlorinated water and dissolve 2 to 3 flat teaspoonfuls of non-iodized salt per litre of water. You can use salt such as kosher salt, freshwater aquarium salt or sea salt. Do not use table salt. You can then place your axie in the salt solution for about 10 minutes but no longer than 15 minutes per session. Excessive salt solution soaking can cause damage to the axie's gills and skin. Have a look through this article as well.

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/salt.shtml

If you can gently tease off any flaking/peeling lesions that is also fine. You can do so gently with a cotton Q-tip. Roll the Q-tip towards you to gently lift away at the lesion rather than prod at it or roll inwards which can damage the skin.

Monitor the progress and response of the axie during the salt baths. From the 4th day onwards, reduce down to once per day until the end of the week. Continue to monitor. I anticipate a marked improvement by day 3. If by end of the week, the salt baths and fridging did not improve the condition, again a vet appointment will be necessary.

You can also prepare one or two bottles (1 or 1.5 L bottle) of salt solution in the fridge. The most convenient time to do salt baths will be during your daily water changes. As the salt solution is fridged, there will be minimal thermal stress.

Note: At any time, if you notice the axie's condition worsening, stop the treatment and bring it to a vet.

Cheers

Hi, thanks very much for your reply. This axie has been exposed to malachite green. The whole tank was treated, at half the dosage recommended on the bottle. I left it overnight then did large water changes to clear it out. This was a few weeks ago and he had seemed fine up untill now.
No fish are kept with the axies, no physical injuries that I know of, but the other axie does bite his tail occassionally. I will start the fridging and baths now and report progress.