Rapid fungal infection. Axie hurting herself

[Colettem]

Please please help. My poor baby overnight got an awful fungal infection overnight. She keeps freaking out trying to get it off her gills and has hit the top of the tank multiple times now. I don’t know what to do. If I try a salt bath she will jump she’s so scared. Water parameters are perfect and temps are in the 60s Fahrenheit. She keeps hitting the tank lid trying so hard to get out and I am so scared for her. What do i do

 

[Colettem]

Are there any quick fixes that will help her not to freak out trying to get it off her gills and hurt herself

 

[KayDee]

I would remove her from her tank immediately. Place her in a tub of dechlorinated fresh clean cool water. Half fill the tub or cover it with a towel or lid with air holes if worried about her jumping out.

The fungus treatment options are best handled by more informed folk than myself but you need to sort her tank out because something has caused her to become unwell.

 

[Colettem]

I would remove her from her tank immediately. Place her in a tub of dechlorinated fresh clean cool water. Half fill the tub or cover it with a towel or lid with air holes if worried about her jumping out.

The fungus treatment options are best handled by more informed folk than myself but you need to sort her tank out because something has caused her to become unwell.

What should I do with the tub? Should I put it in the fridge? It’s too warm here to leave the tub without some kind of cooling system. I started treating the tank with pimafix at 1/10th the dose and put an Indian almond leaf in. Also added ice to make it extra cool. The water parameters were all perfect, so I don’t know what could be wrong with the tank ): I just moved her into this tank several days ago, so I don’t know if it is just caused by stress? I used filter media from my big guy to help cycle this new tank, and have been doing about 40-50% changes daily and using QuickStart dechlorinator as directed

 

[Murk]

Could you list the tank parameters as well?
If you just moved her into the tank, it's quite likely something in the tank is not as perfect as you think, causing the fungus.

Treating fungus is a waste if you can't remove the source - it will grow back just as quickly. Until you've found the source, tubbing is indeed a good short-term action. If you can't keep the tub cool, putting it in the fridge is fine (if you can, keep it more on the "cool" side rather than "cold").

 

[Colettem]

Could you list the tank parameters as well?
If you just moved her into the tank, it's quite likely something in the tank is not as perfect as you think, causing the fungus.

Treating fungus is a waste if you can't remove the source - it will grow back just as quickly. Until you've found the source, tubbing is indeed a good short-term action. If you can't keep the tub cool, putting it in the fridge is fine (if you can, keep it more on the "cool" side rather than "cold").

Ammonia, nitrates and nitrites were all zero. I don’t remember the exact pH or alkalinity, but they were both in good ranges. Should I tub her and just completely empty and recycle the tank?

 

[Murk]

No, I would definitely not completely crash the tank.

It sounds like you have an uncycled tank (no nitrates). Honestly, 95% of the fungus issues on this forum come from uncycled (and/or too hot) tanks.

Since you have access to seeded filter media, cycling the tank might take shorter than usual, which is good.
If you can keep the axolotl in a cool tub with daily fresh water until the tank is cycled, that would be best.

Try tubbing her in daily clean, fresh water first. For otherwise strong and healthy axolotls, that's often enough to get rid of fungus.
If after a week she still has fungus (or it's getting worse), give light salt baths a try.
Neither of the two will prevent the fungus from coming back: to do that you need a cycled tank.

 

[Colettem]

I have her tubbed in dechlorinated water and she is swimming frantically trying to get out out. She isn’t calming down. What do i do

 

[Murk]

What kind of dechlorinator are you using?
I'm not very experienced with dechlorinators, but you mentioned QuickStart earlier, which isn't a dechlorinator at all.

If you could take a picture of the axolotl that might help as well.

 

[Colettem]

What kind of dechlorinator are you using?
I'm not very experienced with dechlorinators, but you mentioned QuickStart earlier, which isn't a dechlorinator at all.

If you could take a picture of the axolotl that might help as well.

I had put quick start but I can add regular tap dechlorinator as well. These are the best I could take

 

[Colettem]

I put in a drop of top fin dechlorinator. She is still swimming quite a bit but has seemed to calm down a little. Should I put the tub in the fridge?

 

[Colettem]

She is still swimming quite a bit into the walls of the tub. She’s in a pot currently (easier to keep cool) it’s bigger than her in diameter, but not too much bigger. Would she be swimming cause it’s too small? She’s swimming with her head towards the top but it doesn’t appear to be for oxygen. Her gills are down for the first time since I’ve gotten her a week ago which I feel like is good and her tail isn’t curled

 

[Binditheaxolotl]

She is still swimming quite a bit into the walls of the tub. She’s in a pot currently (easier to keep cool) it’s bigger than her in diameter, but not too much bigger. Would she be swimming cause it’s too small? She’s swimming with her head towards the top but it doesn’t appear to be for oxygen. Her gills are down for the first time since I’ve gotten her a week ago which I feel like is good and her tail isn’t curled

Methylene blue works wonders for fungus. I got mine off chewy.com. No, I don’t think the cramped space would cause her to swim. Do u use dechlorinator?

 

[Colettem]

Methylene blue works wonders for fungus. I got mine off chewy.com. No, I don’t think the cramped space would cause her to swim. Do u use dechlorinator?

I ordered some methylene blue that is coming in today! And I had originally used QuickStart in the water. After about 10 minutes of her being in there, I was told that QuickStart wasn’t a dechlorinator, so I put some top fin dechlorinator in

 

[Binditheaxolotl]

I ordered some methylene blue that is coming in today! And I had originally used QuickStart in the water. After about 10 minutes of her being in there, I was told that QuickStart wasn’t a dechlorinator, so I put some top fin dechlorinator in

Okay, I bet the chlorine is why she was freaking out. Did u measure the top fin correctly for the amount of water she is in? Prime is probably the golden standard, you get get a big bottle of it for relatively cheap.

 

[Colettem]

Okay, I bet the chlorine is why she was freaking out. Did u measure the top fin correctly for the amount of water she is in? Prime is probably the golden standard, you get get a big bottle of it for relatively cheap.

The top fin is 1ml for 10 gallons so I just put a drop in. Since she’s still swimming a lot, I just put another drop in. I have prime as well, but was worried because it’s such a little dose needed to use prime. She’s still swimming quite a bit. Should i put a little more in?

 

[Binditheaxolotl]

The top fin is 1ml for 10 gallons so I just put a drop in. Since she’s still swimming a lot, I just put another drop in. I have prime as well, but was worried because it’s such a little dose needed to use prime. She’s still swimming quite a bit. Should i put a little more in?

I would put maybe 2 drops of prime in, just to help a bit more

 

[Colettem]

I would put maybe 2 drops of prime in, just to help a bit more

Okay! Thank you. She has finally calmed down a bit. Poor baby. I noticed the tiniest bit of fungus has come off. Still a ton on her little gills. Hopefully the methylene blue helps even more!

She didn’t eat yesterday and wouldn’t eat this morning. How long can she go without eating before I should worry? She’s only 6 months old

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Quick start is not a dechlorinator it is beneficial bacteria - do not use in tub.

Use 1 drop of prime per 1 gallon of water or even if tubbing and less than 1 gallon use 1 drop. It is safe to many times overdose.

change the water twice a day with 1 drop of prime again. use coldest water you can get from your tap or keep a jug you can use in your fridge. you need yo keep her cool

I would suggest making some Johns solution to help soothe her and help with the fungus - handout is HERE

 

[Colettem]

Quick start is not a dechlorinator it is beneficial bacteria - do not use in tub.

Use 1 drop of prime per 1 gallon of water or even if tubbing and less than 1 gallon use 1 drop. It is safe to many times overdose.

change the water twice a day with 1 drop of prime again. use coldest water you can get from your tap or keep a jug you can use in your fridge. you need yo keep her cool

I would suggest making some Johns solution to help soothe her and help with the fungus - handout is HERE

Thank you! I have her tubbed right now and am changing the water twice a day. I have Indian almond leaves in with her to soothe her and have begun using blue methylene! I will use prime as the main dechlorinator and steer away from QuickStart! I’ve also been keeping my window open and turning off the heat, so it’s about 60 degrees Fahrenheit in here and the tub she is in is in another bin of ice. I am dechlorinating and fridging water for each water change! I think the blue methylene is working (I used half a normal dose) as I see a bunch of debris that I assume is fungus in the tub and have been seeing it come off in small pieces!