Case report: Albino axolotl with fungal infection

[mileva]

I am a new axolotl owner and would like to share a case report describing my first (and hopefully last) experience with gill fungus. I tended to it using a compilation of advice found on websites and on this caudata.org message board, and my inexperience and uncertainty led to a few mistakes, but fortunately a happy ending!

Note: I live in Canada so access to antibiotics and chemicals like methylene blue are restricted.

Environment:
75 gallon tank, paludarium 40% full of water with two albino axolotls (Wooper and Mudkip). Purchased Dec 23, 2021 as juveniles. Water was not cycled in advance, used dechlorinator (Seachem Prime) and Seachem Stability in recommended amounts. Tank temperature is stable between 16-20C. Plants added by early February. Eating Shrimp Pellets, Axolotl pellets and frozen bloodworms, with occasional frozen brine shrimp.
30% water change every 2 weeks.

March 22, 2022

New photo · Tuesday, Mar 22, 2022 ð¸

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A fungal growth appears on left gill of Wooper. Otherwise healthy: Good appetite, regular waste production.
Did a 40% water change.

March 23, 2022

New photo · Wednesday, Mar 23, 2022 ð¸

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Good appetite, but fungal mass increased considerably.
Fridged axolotl around 10 pm, quarantined in rectangular Ziploc 9-cup container with holes punched in the lid.

All water changes / baths are done twice daily (unless otherwise stated) with dechlorinated (Seachem Prime) and conditioned (Seachem Stability) water that is stored at the same temperature as the quarantine tub.

March 24, 2022
7 am

New photo · Thursday, Mar 24, 2022 ð¸

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Fridge temp too low(?) (~39-40 F, 4C). Increased fridge setting to raise temp.
Skin flaking a little. Lots of white fluffy material on gills. Gills look in much worse condition and paler.
100% water change.

3 pm
Salt bath with 4 tsp of aquarium salt for 15 minutes then returned to fresh water.

7 pm
100% water change

March 25, 2022
7am
Water change. Was moving like it was interested in eating, perhaps, but did not try to feed it.

4pm
Salt bath. Unfortunately, due to a miscommunication with a helper, was accidentally placed back in a salt bath and left in there until 8:30 when the error was realized.

8:30 pm
100% water change. Was offered food but refused. Back legs are immobile and blood vessels streaked red in all limbs. Fungal cluster still present on gill.

March 26, 2022
8:30 am

New photo · Saturday, Mar 26, 2022 ð¸

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Gills without colour, not moving at all. All legs red and vessels prominent. Thought Wooper had died, but legs and gills started to move / flick after a minute or so. Gills are arched forward. Fungus is not improving.

100% water change. Removed tub from fridge and placed in dark cupboard under tank. Water gradually warmed to room temperature (18C).

10:30 am
Improvement. Gills gaining colour (but still pale pink), flicking occasionally. Once came to the surface of water to gulp air. (It continued to gulp air from the surface a few times an hour while in the tub) Was able to move enough that it turned around in the tub. All legs are able to move but still red at the ends.

7:30 pm
Tried feeding. Showed some small interest but I don't think it ate.
Gills are redder, fungus is enlarged.

100% water change. Prepared tea solution with boiled water added to Indian Almond leaves (Jurassic Reptile Products, Almond Leaf Litter). Once cooled, added this at about 20-30% percent volume of the fresh water bath. The first time I did this I didn't let the water cool completely so the bath was somewhat warmer than room temperature.
Right forearm is still red. Noticed some pin prick red spots (not visible on picture).

March 27, 2022
7:30 am

New photo · Sunday, Mar 27, 2022 ð¸

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100% water change. Added 1/4 bin full of dechlorinated tea water.
Fungus is enlarged greatly - seems to be doubling in diameter every day.
Ate two shrimp pellets.
Right forearm is still red, but somewhat improved.

1:00pm
added Pimafix (API) at the recommended dose (0.25 mL per 2L). Used a 1mL syringe to get exact measure.

5:30 pm
Back left foot has dark red streak.
Red streaks have appeared at base of fungal mass.

7pm
Ate one shrimp pellet, refused bloodworms
100% water change, continuing each time with 1/4 bin of tea water, 3/4 fresh water, stability, pimafix (~0.2 mL), prime.
Fungus fell off while transferring into fresh tub (sphere about 1 cm diameter).
Lost part of tops of two gills.
Gills have eroded over the past few days and there are very few short filaments remaining.

New photo · Monday, Mar 28, 2022 ð¸

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March 28, 2022
Pimafix day 2.
Continuing with twice daily changes into 1/4 bin tea water, 7am and 7pm.
Ate some bloodworms in evening.

March 29, 2022
pimafix day 3.
7 am
100% water change.
Took in one pellet and spit back out. (not sure if "flavour" of Pimafix water is appealing..)
There was a pellet of waste in tank in morning
Gills are regrowing a bit.
Seems more active. All legs moving fine, except for right front leg.

7 pm
100% water change.
Did not eat.
Gills seem to be regrowing more.
Small amount of fungus on back left foot (coming from the claw).

New photo · Wednesday, Mar 30, 2022 ð¸

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New photo · Wednesday, Mar 30, 2022 ð¸

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March 30, 2022
pimafix day 4 - half dose.
7 am
Ate one pellet. Fungus on back foot appears larger.
Seems more energetic. Right front foot is curled, reddened and toes are not moving.


March 31, 2022
pimafix day 5 - half dose.
Continuing with twice daily water changes with IAL.
Lost three toe tips . Was not injured prior to quarantine - this was a result of fridging too cold and/or extended salt bath. Front right paw still curls under and is not functional. Appetite slowly increasing. Offering food twice daily, shrimp pellets in AM and shrimp pellets + bloodworms in evening.

April 1, 2022
pimafix day 6 - half dose.
Continuing with twice daily water changes with IAL.
Outer skin coat is peeling off (healthy underneath).
Evening: bowel movement. Saw some grits of the tank substrate.

April 2, 2022
pimafix day 7 - half dose.
Continuing with twice daily water changes with IAL.
morning: good energy and appetite (four pellets)
Gills continuing to look better.

April 3, 2022
Pimafix course is complete.
Gradually mixing in water from main tank with each water change.

April 4,2022
Back in regular tank!
Gills are noticeably darker than other axolotl.
Green spots in picture are from algae on glass.
Decent appetite.
Came to surface a couple times for air.

New photo · Monday, Apr 4, 2022 ð¸

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April 10, 2022
Fully recovered, eating well. Colouration back to normal, gill filaments are restored. Is not coming to the surface for air. Mobility in all limbs is 100%, Lost toe tips are regrowing. Some regrowth of affected gill stalks.

New photo · Sunday, Apr 10, 2022 ð¸

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[frank beard]

Thanks for putting together this well documented experience. I am certain it will be very useful to other especially since it had a good ending.

 

[JM29]

Ok,
You got rid of the fungus within 19 days using fridging, salt baths and a chemical.
Thanks for the report.

Now, your axolotl is back in its regular tank, but the cause, whatever it is, has not been found and eliminated ?

 

[wolfen]

if your axolotl is susceptible to fungus use 3g per litre marine salt in the any water containing a axolotl to reduce chances of fungus flair up.
bay oil (pimafix) has been mentioned before as a fungus treatment for axolotls although at a reduced dosage.

 

[mileva]

Ok,
You got rid of the fungus within 19 days using fridging, salt baths and a chemical.
Thanks for the report.

Now, your axolotl is back in its regular tank, but the cause, whatever it is, has not been found and eliminated ?

I can't confidently say what the cause of the fungus was, especially since it has not returned and the second axolotl appeared to be thriving in the regular tank. At the time, the water test results were reasonable. I didn't record them but the tank was supporting a healthy population of cyclops and hydra which seemed like a good sign. However, there are several factors which may have contributed:

1) There are large limestone rocks decorating the tank that I picked up from outside. They were washed with hot water but not sterilized by any means.
2) Wooper prefers hiding behind the rocks, in and around the bubbler. It is conceivable that he scraped his gills travelling between here and the front of the tank where he is fed, opening up the region for infection. Certainly the fungus wasted no time attacking his toes in the quarantine container, and this was in fresh water being changed twice daily. I am keeping a close eye on it and am prepared to seal off the passage if it is going to cause problems.
3) I had recently ran out of frozen bloodworms and had replaced them with frozen brine shrimp, which are somewhat harder to clean up. Or maybe the sudden change in diet was a stress factor, but there was no loss of appetite.

 

[wolfen]

I can't confidently say what the cause of the fungus was, especially since it has not returned and the second axolotl appeared to be thriving in the regular tank. At the time, the water test results were reasonable. I didn't record them but the tank was supporting a healthy population of cyclops and hydra which seemed like a good sign. However, there are several factors which may have contributed:

1) There are large limestone rocks decorating the tank that I picked up from outside. They were washed with hot water but not sterilized by any means.
2) Wooper prefers hiding behind the rocks, in and around the bubbler. It is conceivable that he scraped his gills travelling between here and the front of the tank where he is fed, opening up the region for infection. Certainly the fungus wasted no time attacking his toes in the quarantine container, and this was in fresh water being changed twice daily. I am keeping a close eye on it and am prepared to seal off the passage if it is going to cause problems.
3) I had recently ran out of frozen bloodworms and had replaced them with frozen brine shrimp, which are somewhat harder to clean up. Or maybe the sudden change in diet was a stress factor, but there was no loss of appetite.

the toe infection could have been caused by bacteria growth in the plastic tub it mentions about it here Guide to Axolotl Husbandry - Ambystoma.uky.edu
I believe you had the same issue that most people suffer when they go on vacation and somebody else cares for the axolotls and they come back with the tank at raised parameters, this is caused by being too clean, by making sure the tank is spotless you reduce the amount of food for filter bacteria, they therefore reduce colony size, then when there is a sudden increase in waste the bacteria isn't large enough to cope, this is often confused as having a crashed cycle.
limestone is good to have in the tank as it will help buffer the ph by keeping the kh gh steady.
some axolotls are prone to fungus, axolotls originate from slight brackish moderate to hard water environment and although a lot of axolotl are quite happy and thrive in a freshwater environment others require a small amount of salt to remain healthy.