Sick Axie update

Hi Everyone,

My axies become a bit more sick since my last update from this unknown ilness. I continued to keep him in my main tank because he was maintaining his appetite but now his conditions seems to have gotten worse. His caudal fin has reduced in size and he flays his rear legs in an unusual configuration which I find distressing. Would it be wise to fridge him and would this help him fight the infection?

The axies I kept a couple years back which died shared some of the same equipment such as the pumps, airstones and soem of the plants. Im concerned I might have transmitted the infection through some of these these thing but it was so long ago like in 2001 and I though fungal/bacterial infections were more oppurtunistic striking during periods of stress such as hot weatehr or bad water conditions. I have been keeping the water fairly clean and I regualry change the water and have filteration. My bronze axie Bronzski still eating he seems to be a littel thinner but the infection does not seem to be bothering him as much as my black lotl

Dont know what to do anyone have any ideas?

I thought I remembered you being advised to quarantine your axie when it was first discussed, also i believe it was recommended to fridge your axie.

I think he looks very stressed and fridging your axie would be the best option, to calm him and help him fight this infection.

It is best to consult a vet to perform diagnostic tests. I would be inclined to start a course of antibiotics for this axie. Fridging can be useful but if this condition has persisted for a while, it is unlikely to spontaneously go away on its own.

The chances of contamination from equipment from 2001 is very slim especially if the equipment were cleaned and stored away in a dry environment.

Hi Rayson,

Are there any chemicals that I could use to treat the infection my self such as Mercurochrome or Nitrofura - G (as mentioned on the Indiana Axolotl colony website). Would any treatments like this be available at aquarium stores? If I could fridge them for the moment and add solutions such as these I heard that people had some success treating bacterial/fungal infections with these solutions but I do not know the correct dosages to use for mercurochrome or any of the other chemicals for amphibians, I do not want to harm them any further.

I think that I bought a bad axolotl from one of the aquariums because they were kept crowded and were biting each other and were probably carrying diseases my mistake. This axolotl looked so healthy but i could have been a carrier. Theyve been together so long now I doubt qaurantining would really do anything anymore.

My first bronze axolotl was very healthy and the diseases only started to appear when I introduced the black axolotl. I tested ammonia yesterday it was at about 2 ppm so I have done extensive water changes and have been able to reduce the levels to 0.5 ppm. I have a pH meter that I use for work and it read 7.3 which is when ammonia is less toxic so I am happy withh the ph as its close to 7.0.

I dont know what Ive done wrong Ive kept axolotls for much longer then this without illness only heat seemed to kill them. When I was younger and kept themI wasnt even aware of cycling either. I really feel like Ive done everything wrong but Ive been looking after them so well cleaning the mess and changing water frequently.

On a side note Mercurochrome is available at pharmacy, what would be an appropriate dosage using these types of products? Ive heard that some even come in crystalline forms too

In my opinion, i don't like antibiotic baths. Some vets do use carefully titrated doses of antibiotic medication in baths (ie enrofloxacin) to soak the axie in, however i do not routinely peform medicated baths for the following reasons.

1) Baths require transdermal penetration of the active antibiotics. Axie skin although very sensitive, are after all selectively permeable. As such you cannot effectively deliver a known accurate volume of drug into the axie. Systemic delivery of antibiotics via intraperitoneal injection is the surest way to deliver antibiotics in a known accurate volume to the axie.

2) Injections are also less stressful as the time taken to deliver an injection is quick and thereafter tha axie can be left to recuperate in the tank. Compared to a bath, the axie has to soak for a period of time and some medication can have an unpleasant stinging sensation and the axie cannot escape from its aquatic evironment.

3) Antibiotics through the bloodstream (from an injection) can target infections throughout the body. Baths tend to be more effective for superficial dermal conditions. They cannot effectively penetrate walled lesions and abscesses, cannot reach internal organs where there may be a nidus for subsequent infection (ie carriers)

4) All medications added in water (baths) will strip off the protective slime coat on the skin. Although it may rid infections on the skin, it will also expose raw unprotected skin that is vulnerable to trauma and infection again.

5) Different antibiotics have different inherent properties. There are hydrophilic and hydrophobic type drugs that have different efficacy in an aqueous delivery.

6) Off the counter products tend to be weak broad spectrums. There are many types of pathogenic microbes. They are sensitive to different types of drugs. Using an antibiotic that is not strong enough to eradicate them completely will not only mask an underlying pathology, but will also cause resistant strains of microbes to thrive.

7) In mixed infections, using a generic weak broad spectrum can possibly rid one causative pathogen but will cause the opportunistic secondary resistant pathogen to thrive and proliferate.

In summary, i would advise any home remedies from over the counter products. The best thing you can do is to ensure good tank conditions and nutrition, fridge and bring it to a vet.