Fungus or...?

[jjdickinson]

I'm not able to take a photo at this time, but I'll do the best I can to describe what's going on!

Last night my axie was fine and well, but this morning I noticed that there was an odd patch on the top of his head. It's lightish colored and vaguely fuzzy, or maybe it looks like it's peeling a bit. It's a pretty large patch, so it startled me, especially since it appeared after only one night.

He was acting normally. I traced my finger along the glass and he reacted, so he's definitely moving around, but it's still very strange.

This hasn't ever happened before so I'm trying to keep cool and figure out what to do before I try something silly. I welcome suggestions and thoughts gratefully. Thanks!

 

[Skudo09]

Does it look like cotton fluff? What are the parameters-ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and temperature?

 

[auntiejude]

On top of the head sounds more like damaged slime coat than fungus. Fungus usually attacks the extemeties - gills and feet first.

A picture would really help.

 

[jjdickinson]

I am currently in classes, so I can't give pictures nor water results.

However, no, it doesn't look like fluff. Actually, the slime coat was my first guess, but I'm paranoid. If anything, the patch in question resembles this one:

Which is the image of an axolotl with heat stress, I believe. And it's a mucus patch, if I understand correctly? Only the patch on my boy is a bit larger, and I've checked his temperature, and it's not over 68 degress F.

I don't understand why something like this would show up though. Is it possible he bumped his head?

 

[auntiejude]

Yes, slime coat problem sounds most likely. A minor scrape is the most likely cause.

It shouldn't need any treatment, but if you feel you want to do something you could try a tea bath - just add a cup of cold back tea to the tank or use it in a 5L bath.

 

[Bellabelloo]

Do you keep anything else in the tank with your axolotl?

 

[jjdickinson]

No, there's nothing else living in the tank with him [yet- I have a large marimo ball coming to me some time during the week! I may put it in or I may not, I haven't heard anything bad about them but I sure don't want him to try and eat it!]

Whatever the stuff was, it came off him. I think I saw bits of the stuff floating around- which I rid of. Would it have come off him so easy if it had been fungus? I sure hope it was only slime.

Anyhow, thanks everyone who helped out! I appreciate it so much, if I see anything weird anytime soon I'll be quick to make it known. I worry about the little guy.