Help! fungus or something?

C

chris

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I lost three plecos overnight, all 6 axolotls look furry/fuzzy all over body, especially the feet! the plecos have white bumps on them, ive seen ich but it doesnt look like it. can axies get ich? can i treat the fish/axies with ich gaurd? I also bought some drift wood and soaked it but i read somewhere here that grape wood is bad, how can i tell the diferance in these? i took all wood out and did a 50% water change with soft water and added stress coat? what else can i do thanks all that reply
 
Salt bath, Chris. Read thread in Sick Axie - Fungus? The plecos, I don't know much about that type of fish, but did they show signs of being sick b4 they died? How long has your tank been established? What is the water quality like? How big is the tank? With regards to ich, I don't know, but I'm sure someone else will.
 
plecos and axies in the same tank?plecos are tropical. if theyre in different tanks has anything been sprayed around your house lately? that could be the problem- body sprays or something getting into the water.
 
chris - if the plecos are in the axolotl tank remove them and treat the plecos with fish medication.

You can not treat the axolotls with the fish ick medication. The axolotls need treated with salt baths. 2 teaspoons of salt in 2 liters of water 2 times a day for 10 min and no longer. Dis solve the salt completely and time the salt bath.

You should put the axolotls in the fridge. This will slow down the infection. Keep extra water in the fridge to give them salt baths with and to change their water.

Axolotls need hard water not soft. Most fish medication is toxic for axolotls.

(Message edited by cynorita on May 04, 2005)
 
Post a pic of the wood, and I can tell you if it's grapevine. It will usually be labeled in stores as such.
 
ok, thanks to all who are helping, water is good ph is a little higher than id like it to be. will do a 50%, the tank is a 75 gallon, i have 6 axies i got a couple months ago from micheal shrom. i have a book that says they like soft water? but if hard is good thats cool too. i had the tank established for about a month, everything was goin great i think it was petco's feeder goldfish or the "driftwood" the plecos/ feeder fish got ich then everything went screwy, i did a 50% yesterday and all the death has stopped. plecos seem to do great with axies. Question time? Can axies get ich? could the salt in the soft water be it? I read that some driftwood throws ph way off? would ph do the fluffy/fungus thing? could i use neosulfex, maracyn "body fungus", or methlene blue, as a treatment? also have a outdoor fridge thats empty could i put a ten gallon in there for all six of them? i could probally rig it to filter and bubble and all of that? posting pics too let me know what you think about the skin and if i really have driftwood or grapevine? thanks a million guys!
 
Chris - Axolotls need hard water not soft.

Drift wood will lower your ph over time.

Use salt and the fridge to cure the fungus. As Anne-Marie suggested see www.axolotl.org for more info and see the list there for toxic medications.

I would put them in individual containers in the fridge and keep them that way until they have all healed. They do not need filter or air stone in the fridge. Just keep their water changed and clean.

Keep extra water in the fridge to use for salt baths and water changes.

Feeder fish are not a good idea in an axolotl tank, I also question the plecos sharing the tank. As you have found out disease can be introduced this way and fish can pose a danger to the axolotls gills and skin. The plecos are "sharp" when the axolotls are large enough they will try to eat them, the top fin will harpoon the axolotls mouth. Depending on the type of pleco you have they could suck on the axolotls and injure or kill them and some plecos are protective of their hiding spots, and become aggressive.
 
ok i will post pics after work, what do you put in the hardwater to condition it? is stresscoat ok? or easybalance? and if i put them in tupaware shoe boxes in the fridge how often should i change the water? and I should or should not use goldfish as feeders? can axies get ich? thanks
 
chris - Yes stresscoat works for removing chlorine from the tap water.

Change their water in the fridge every other day or as needed.

No, do not use goldfish as feeders. Fish should not be a staple food for axolotls. Earthworms are a good staple food.

I am not sure if axolotls can get ich. I have no experience with axolotls and ich. I am hoping someone will post some information on that.
 
Amphibians with a healthy slime coat cannot get ich. The slime prevents it, thats one of the reasons it's there. If something were to damage the slime coat, then maybe, but otherwise, I don't think so.
 
i dont use goldfish as a staple diet but their ok for every once and a while right? and what sinking pellets do you all use? thanks
 
You need to weigh up the risk of possibly introducing bacteria / parasites into the water which come from the gold fish. I would not recommend it at all, and don't use feeder fish. I have a small worm farm which has no chemicals and all organic matter, and they get these every so often.
As for sinking pellets, I prefer to hand feed. If pellets sink, the axies nose around on the bottom looking for them and may incidentally suck up some of the small stones along with it. And I don't want that. THat and the fact that pellets don't look all that appetising.
 
chris - No, I would not feed goldfish at all... ever. Pet store feeder fish could have various and many diseases and parasites and goldfish (and other fish) can nip axolotls gills off.

I feed soft moist salmon pellets, you can order them from Michael Shrom or Indiana University. The university uses them to feed their axolotl colony. If you have gravel in your aquarium you may want to feed sinking pellets from a piece of slate or a small saucer to keep the axolotls from eating gravel with the pellets.


Please go read http://www.axolotl.org
for more info on care, health and feeding.

(Message edited by cynorita on May 06, 2005)

(Message edited by cynorita on May 06, 2005)
 
k sounds great can I use earth worms as a staple diet? also i put them in the fridge what temp is ideal? and i have "riverbed sand" on the bottom i work for my friends moms petstore its sweet, thanks for all your help guys, it means alot! i will post pics as soon as i can figure out my new camera? lol
 
Earthworms are a great staple. Normal fridge temperature is fine. It's usually around 40F.
 
my temp is 36F is that too cold, do i still feed the same? or slow down?
 
The axolotl(s) will slow down and maybe only want to eat once every 3 or 4 days, or less at that temp. When you are changing the water offer food.

36 F is a tad cool, if this is a fridge that you can move the temp up a bit to say 41 to 45 F? Those are the temps I have read keeping sick axolotls at. They may be fine at 36 F I just have not heard anything about that low of a temp.
 
the fridge is on 1 it cant get any warmer? what should i do?
 
I would just keep an eye on them. If you are salt bathing them twice a day you should start seeing improvement fairly quickly.
 
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