Help :( I'm confused.

[inkozana]

Lance and Samantha just moved in together, because I bought a new tank big enough for both of them.
Turns out Samantha is a boy So I'll have to change it to Sam. Anyway that's not the issue-
Sam's tail had been nipped overnight (which was probably by Lance) and Lance still has that little red mark on his lip (that came before they moved in together though)

When I woke up the other day I noticed they both had fungus on them, Sam more so than Lance.
So I've cleaned all the plants in their tank (so they don't catch the fungus) and given them some salt baths.
Sam is not eating though
Lance is.

Any advice?

 

[gr33neyes]

Their health is not 100% so their not eating, its not surprising. Even we go off our food when we are ill. Has the fungus gone yet?
How often are you doing the salt baths?
You need to continue the baths for around a week after all fungus has gone.
Try sam with some different food to try to get his interest back.
Have you tested your water? I'm thinking this may be your problem.

 

[inkozana]

My water is usually fine, the right temperature and the pH is around 7. Are there other tests I can do?
Thanks for your help. I've been trying to do the baths three times a day, I think there is still a little fungus there.

 

[Julie1002]

Yeah you can test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. Ammonia and nitrite should be 0ppm and nitrate can be between 20-40ppm.

 

[dvsgal]

When mine had fungus, or limbs missing, in the morning, they had 15 minutes in melafix antibacterial fish remedy. At night they had 15 minutes in pimafix antifungal fish remedy. I filled a 4ltr icecream container halfway with fresh tankwater, and put a capfull of the solution. They were over fungus in 2 weeks and/or a better healing process. But keep them seperated untill they are totaly 100% fungus free. I had a quicker result treating them this way than salt baths.

 

[inkozana]

Where do I get those fish remedy things..? Sorry.
How do I test for nirate etc..?

 

[ron570]

You can pick these up at an aquarium shop, tropical fish store. Normally one that sells saltwater fish have a large variety of remedies. Look on axolotl.org for fungus remedies also. For nitrate, ammonia, etc you can get a water test kit at the same place. You can buy kits that tests everything, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, ph, hardness, etc.

 

[Kaysie]

Fish medications can be deadly for axolotls.

 

[dvsgal]

Fish medications can be deadly for axolotls.

Yes, but 15 minutes wont harm them, plus what i do works out to be half the dose. Salt baths are bad too if u leave them in there too long.


Inkozana, a good petstore will have these remedys. Take a sample of ur water to the petstore, and they can test it for you too.

 

[Kal El]

Yes, but 15 minutes wont harm them, plus what i do works out to be half the dose. Salt baths are bad too if u leave them in there too long.


Inkozana, a good petstore will have these remedys. Take a sample of ur water to the petstore, and they can test it for you too.

Yes, salt baths can be bad for axolotls if used in excess. But this seldom occurs because a specific dose has been calculated and an appropriate time for bathing.

This article should help assess whether your axolotl should be subjected to fish remedies such as Pimafix and Melafix:

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/illness.shtml

Note the following reference for Melaxfix:
Caution: This product is related to turpentine. Its safety for amphibians is unknown, and its effectiveness is highly questionable.

Turpentine is an organic solvent. It is also a non-polar solvent, hence it will be readily miscible with an axolotl's cell membrane, and may diffuse through. You have to keep in mind that axolotl's do not have keratinised scales like fish, thus they will be more susceptible to the adverse effects of its surrounding environment. With that being said, it's always a good idea to check the chemical constituents of a fish remedy and if you are in doubt, then do not subject your axolotl to the medication. Better safe than sorry.

Jay.

 

[inkozana]

I saw Melafix in the petstore but didn't get it. Instead I bought a pack of dissolveable tablets that said they would take care of any fungus or bacterical issues in my tank.
It said I must take the carbon filter out- I didn't really know what that meant so I just removed my entire filter until the tablet had dissolved.

It changed my tank colour to a little blue/greenish. Now my Axie's are back in the tank swimming around as usual.

Sam's tail seems to be rotting a bit (maybe Lance didn't bite him?) The tablet said it would also help with tail/fin rot.
I don't know what else to do, if anyone is interested in helping me further please post and I'll put up a photo of Sam's tail.

 

[inkozana]

Also Sarah, thank-you for your help but my petstore doesn't even know what an axolotl is (yet they sell them *eyeroll*..)
I saw kits for testing NH3 and N levels, so I will get that when I have enough money.


Below are photos of the tank after the tablet was dissolved (not the blue colour) A photo of Sam's tail and also one of his gills where a sore seems to be.

 

[dvsgal]

Yes, salt baths can be bad for axolotls if used in excess. But this seldom occurs because a specific dose has been calculated and an appropriate time for bathing.

This article should help assess whether your axolotl should be subjected to fish remedies such as Pimafix and Melafix:

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/illness.shtml

Note the following reference for Melaxfix:
Caution: This product is related to turpentine. Its safety for amphibians is unknown, and its effectiveness is highly questionable.

Turpentine is an organic solvent. It is also a non-polar solvent, hence it will be readily miscible with an axolotl's cell membrane, and may diffuse through. You have to keep in mind that axolotl's do not have keratinised scales like fish, thus they will be more susceptible to the adverse effects of its surrounding environment. With that being said, it's always a good idea to check the chemical constituents of a fish remedy and if you are in doubt, then do not subject your axolotl to the medication. Better safe than sorry.

Jay.

With my experience using HALF the dose, for 15 minutes, ive never had a problem. Ur right if using the FULL dose, HALF for 15 minutes has never harmed them. My breeder does the samething and never had a problem, and he has been breeding axies for over 10 years.

inkozana
Ive never heard of the dissolveable tablets. Whats the brand name?
As for the tail, is that rot getting worse, even with salt baths?
I think you need to keep the water moving with these kind of medications, not 100% sure on that, at least keep the bubbler going.
Which gill is sore? I cant tell sorry..

 

[Kaysie]

I suspect your tablet contains malachite green, which is deadly to axolotls. Further, I don't see signs of fungus, just wounds, which don't need treatment.

But now that you've treated the entire tank, you've killed off any good bacterial cycle you had, and will have to completely dismantle the tank, scrub it clean, rinse the gravel, and make sure everything is spotless in order to remove all the medication.

 

[Abrahm]

With my experience using HALF the dose, for 15 minutes, ive never had a problem. Ur right if using the FULL dose, HALF for 15 minutes has never harmed them. My breeder does the samething and never had a problem, and he has been breeding axies for over 10 years.

While it may have worked for you and works for your breeder, it doesn't mean it is the best method. The idea with salt baths and melafix baths is to expose the fungus to conditions it won't survive but that the animal itself can. The problem with melafix and its turpentine like ingredient is that it is far harsher than salt, a chemical that an axolotl can easily deal with when it's placed back in normal water.

With the melafix you have this turpentine like chemical that may be in the axolotl's blood and then needs to be processed by the kidneys/liver where it can cause additional damage. For most healthy axolotls this probably isn't a problem and the system cleans out the toxin. A very ill axolotl may not be able to take the additional stress on his organs and die while salt would put far less stress on the animal.

Yes, it may take more time, but it is also gentler and less likely to cause damage to organ systems.

I suspect your tablet contains malachite green, which is deadly to axolotls. Further, I don't see signs of fungus, just wounds, which don't need treatment.

But now that you've treated the entire tank, you've killed off any good bacterial cycle you had, and will have to completely dismantle the tank, scrub it clean, rinse the gravel, and make sure everything is spotless in order to remove all the medication.

Could it be methylene blue? I believe that is less toxic to amphibians. You also will want to use activated carbon in your tank when you get it up and running to remove any additional medication.

 

[Kaysie]

I originally thought that, but meth blue is usually very blue, and lacks any green tint. By looking at the water, it looks as though it's tinted green more than blue. Regardless, my previous statements hold true for both chemicals.

 

[inkozana]

Kaysie what you said wasn't very helpful and it just made me feel stupid.
Maybe you could've said something like that before when I said I had trouble with fungus and given me an alternative.

My axolotls are FINE in the tank, they been in overnight now and had their first salt bath for the day a few minutes ago.
The tail is getting better, the dead parts are dropping off and it looks as though a new tip of the tail has started to form.
Sam's sore gill is the first one on the right side of the photo (that little white spot).
The only problem is that they aren't eating, so today I will go and buy some live food for them and see if they will eat that.