Parasitic infection?

[Krispen]

Hi everyone! I have a 6 inch female Axie in a cycled 10 gallon tank with sponge filter. Temp around 60F and all water parameters normal. She gets pellets every other day and I clean out old pellets frequently. Bare bottom tank.

The past few days she has stayed in her hide, appeared more pale and not eating (she has always had a good appetite). On top of that I've been noticing white "fluff" on the bottom of the tank with white worms. I am familiar with planaria and these look like them but larger. For two days this waste has appeared in the tank- no other stools.

I am treating her with API General Cure for parasites. Any thoughts or similar experiences?

Residue on bottom of tank


Krispen's Lotls

 

[Bette]

Aww, poor thing! Yes, those certainly look like they could be a parasitic type of worm. General Cure contains metro & prazi, right? How long have you been treating her with this, and how do you think she is coping with the meds?
Luckily, I have never experienced this with any of mine. But like you, I would try using meds that are accepted as relatively safe for axolotls (not quite sure on the prazi). And possibly, I would try getting the local vet's opinion on meds.

Have you already referred to this page? Caudata Culture Articles - Illness Part 1

 

[Bette]

You could bring a few of the cute, disgusting wormies to the local vet for analysis...

 

[HitmanSougo13]

I just had a very similar problem! All animals (unless it was lab grown) would contain a certain parasite load. If it is visible on her than it is probably internal and there is a population increase there. If you need her to deworming you can attempt to contact stores to see if they sell deworming medication but from where I live, that kind of medicine can only be prescribed at a vet.

Now it got to the point where I was force feeding my pet because I didn't know what the problem was and I did not see the worms before. Unfortunately since there were those worms, she probably was not getting all the nutrients from the food. But remember food is energy which also helps her stay active. So you will have to make those decisions.

Good luck! Do separate her from the main tank and into a sick tub. Also since there were worms at the main tank you would need to sterilize it, this would mean a tank restart as sucky as it is.