Illness/Sickness: Cotton Wool Disease?

On Thursday my beautiful Axie Vince developed what I think is Cotton Wool Disease on his gills and tail. Me and my boyfriend put Interpet's Anti Fungus and Finrot in the tank and left it to do it's job.

This morning, I was in utter hysterics. He was on his last legs and I couldn't bare to see him like that, he lost all motion in his left side and was half over. We dosed him up with more anti fungus and finrot and throughout the day I've been so proud of him, he's swimming up to the tank, moving around, and I think he's also eating. The upper half of his tail looks like it was sliced right off, and his gills on the left side have only started to flicker.

Am I doing the right thing? I'm so worried because he's made some much progress within the last 12 hours. Also, would it be a good thing to rub the "cotton wool" off his gills with a cotton bud? Or should I just leave it to go?


UPDATE: One of the "cotton wool" fungus' just fell off his gills, so now I can guess he can start regenerating well

The medication you are using is meant for fish, and not amphibians. Give this a read through: Caudata Culture Articles - Salt Solutions in Treating Salamanders

What are your water conditions and temperature? Can you post a photo of your axolotl so that we can see his condition and help you decide what steps to take next?

My water conditions are fine, I tested the water and it wasn't too bad. The temperature, is relatively cold and definitely below 20 (I don't have thermometer because I dropped it when I took it out for a clean and it smashed to pieces).

I don't have a photo of his worse conditions, and overnight the fungus is virtually all gone, but I just don't have a camera good enough to take a clear enough shot.

I have considered a salt bath, and I am questioning whether it would be a good thing. What I've done does seem fine, even if it was meant for fish I got the first thing available to me. I read your link and unfortunately all the aquatics shops are closed on a Sunday/Monday in this area so a salt bath is out of the question at the minute, but I will definitely consider one when they open back up as it does seem like it would be really effective at getting rid of the parasite completely.

Just thought I'd say that unfortunately the treatment just didn't work my my little baby gave up yesterday

I was going to go to the aquatics/DIY store and buy some aquarium salt (after talking to my dad we decided the salt bath was the best thing to go with) but in the morning I knew something was wrong and I couldn't leave him.

It's awful and I feel awful, I just didn't know what to do, I feel like such a bad person for letting my little guy down. I doubt I'll be getting another axie any time soon, and if I did, I'd know exactly what to do thank to this forum and all the advice I got from here, I still love these fascinating creatures. He was my first axie and me and my boyfriend are going to make a little memorial out of his ornaments (he loved the spongebob house, squidward house and gary the snail spongebob stuff we put in there). But honestly, this forum gives amazing advice, it's unfortunate I couldn't take it quick enough to save my poor Vince.

Thanks jclee for the advice
The photos are all half a year old. I didn't have any more recent ones (the photos of him are his old tank, and the ornaments was when I moved him to a bigger tank)

I am sorry that you lost the little guy. Definitely keep reading up on them, and never say never. These guys can be pretty great.

So sorry to hear of your loss

And as jclee says, look to the future....