Light Patches on Wild Type

[GalLuvsAxolotls]

One of my wild type axolotls has light patches on his body, but these are not furry. The problem was caused by too warm water temps (tank was running around 72 degrees after adding a canister filter), but we just installed a chiller and the little guys are chill'n at a nice 66 degrees.

My question is, it has been about a week since the chiller has been installed, and there are still the patches. Should I treat with something like Melafix or Primafix or should I give her another week to see if her own immune system can clear up the problem? Thanks!

 

[SludgeMunkey]

One of my wild type axolotls has light patches on his body, but these are not furry. The problem was caused by too warm water temps (tank was running around 72 degrees after adding a canister filter), but we just installed a chiller and the little guys are chill'n at a nice 66 degrees.

My question is, it has been about a week since the chiller has been installed, and there are still the patches. Should I treat with something like Melafix or Primafix or should I give her another week to see if her own immune system can clear up the problem? Thanks!

Not worth worrying about. The treatments you describe will cause more harm than good.
Temperature interrupted ecdysis is not uncommon and should clear up on its own.

For questions like this however, pictures of the issue is best.

 

[GalLuvsAxolotls]

Thanks and as you noted, the light patches seem to be clearing up on their own, albeit slowly. I suspected that using those products would cause more problems than it was worth which is why I asked.

FWIW, my axolotls thanked me for the chiller by laying eggs... I didn't need that kind of thanks!

 

[GalLuvsAxolotls]

It is getting close to a year now and the light patches have not cleared up fully on my wild types.

The tank is running at 66 degrees F, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and 20 PPM. ~ 8weeks ago I realized the tank was at 80ppm nitrates and did some serious water changes to get that down, and since then the nitrates have been at 20ppm. However, that did not fully clear up these light patches.

The patches look like this image http://cdn.instructables.com/FTD/WBE7/H7A8PDTX/FTDWBE7H7A8PDTX.LARGE.jpg.

What should I do at this point? Medicate? Salt bath? All the wild types are eating just fine and very active.

 

[Elise]

This looks similar to a few parasitic/bacterial infections posted in the past. They also seem to develop very slowly and persist for many months with no reduction. However, the ones posted always seem to be localized an area around the cloaca. I've never seen anything like this where the patches are apparent on the abdomen or head. Whatever it is, it's uncommon and you may need a vet for proper diagnosis and treatment. If you do go this route, be sure to share any findings.

I am curious though if these patches are showing around the cloaca. Could you try to snap a picture of underside of your axolotl and upload it?

 

[blushed]

It is getting close to a year now and the light patches have not cleared up fully on my wild types.

The tank is running at 66 degrees F, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, and 20 PPM. ~ 8weeks ago I realized the tank was at 80ppm nitrates and did some serious water changes to get that down, and since then the nitrates have been at 20ppm. However, that did not fully clear up these light patches.

The patches look like this image http://cdn.instructables.com/FTD/WBE7/H7A8PDTX/FTDWBE7H7A8PDTX.LARGE.jpg.

What should I do at this point? Medicate? Salt bath? All the wild types are eating just fine and very active.

My axolotl developed these all over his body and it spread in about 72 hours and he sadly passed away, shocking to see its been a year without clearing up!


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[GalLuvsAxolotls]

Thanks for the replies! I will try to upload some pictures either this evening or tomorrow so you can see the patches on my axolotls. I am hoping I can try a home remedy first, especially since mine do not seem to care that they have these patches, but if I need to go the vet route I will.

I hadn't noticed a light colored area on any of my wildtypes cloaca but I will check that too.

 

[AxolotlChris]

I am hoping I can try a home remedy first, but if I need to go the vet route I will.

Be sure to double check that any remedy you use is Axolotl safe, start enquiring for vets in your area now, I think a vet would be able to provide the best insight.

 

[GalLuvsAxolotls]

I suspect a vet trip is in my future, and I just confirmed this week that my dog's vet office has an exotic specialist. Since these guys have been active, eating, and at a healthy weight, I haven't been too panicked, but I thought the areas would have cleared up by now. The areas have gotten smaller but have not gone away.

For those interested, these are what the patches look like (first two pictures are of the same axolotl) :
http://s963.photobucket.com/user/beakleyl/media/DSC05954_zpsr57qlvxy.jpg.html?sort=3&o=4
http://s963.photobucket.com/user/beakleyl/media/DSC05953_zps94exisfm.jpg.html?sort=3&o=5


http://s963.photobucket.com/user/beakleyl/media/DSC05964_zpsd2hpeysl.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0
http://s963.photobucket.com/user/beakleyl/media/DSC05962_zps7o3sdo8f.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1
http://s963.photobucket.com/user/beakleyl/media/DSC05960_zpsik0zqapw.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2
http://s963.photobucket.com/user/beakleyl/media/DSC05958_zpsubo1rd2y.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3

 

[AxolotlChris]

Certainly does not look healthy, its good he's not showing any signs of stress though.

Definitely contact that vet asap

 

[GalLuvsAxolotls]

We finally got these guys to the vet, and the vet suspects a fungal infection based on the skin scraping. The techs were all taking pictures of them . The first question is always about water quality, but this part irritated me. They took PH of the water in the bucket with the axolotls after the techs had covered the bucket with a towel for awhile. Of course the PH was low! Why did you cover the bucket?!?

The first line of treatment will be salt baths to see if that clears it up. If not, the next course of treatment will be [FONT=Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif]Benzalkonium chloride (not alcohol based).
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[Donna001]

Best of luck with the treatments and I hope that your axolotls make a full recovery.
Please keep us posted on progress.

 

[GalLuvsAxolotls]

Update:Well the 5 every other day salt baths did not clear the patches up. And not being able to find [FONT=Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif]Benzalkonium chloride myself, I contacted my vet who also can not source it. She also can not find a reasonably priced anti-fungal water based additive ($300 for a very small amount!)... She has been looking for a couple weeks. So, she has ordered an anti-fungal topical that should be in next week. That is going to be fun to apply!

Fortunately, all my wild types are none the worse for the wear. They are active, eating well and at good weights. At least this isn't a dire situation!
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[xMay]

I'm new to keeping axolotls so I'm here often reading posts to learn everything I can about these guys. Please keep us updated so that way we can all learn from your experience. Hope you find the solution to the patches!


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