Recurrent Fungus

[auntiejude]

My 4 adult axies are taking in turns to get fungus in their gills . As soon as one clears up another one gets it.
I am giving the affetced ones salt baths daily until it clears up and then 2 days afterwards. But it keeps coming back - one after the other

My water parameters are spot on - no ammonia or nitrite, nitrate at 20-30, temp 19C.
I thought it might have something to do with left over egg slime, so I have given the tank a good clean - I changed 80% of the water, scrubbed down the ornaments and plastic plants, and I will be giving the filter a good rinse this weekend.

But is there an axie-safe treatment I can use to kill any fungal spores in the water? Obviously I don't want to crash my cycle by using a broad spectrum antibiotic, I'm after a fungus specific treatment that won't kill all my good bacteria.

 

[snuggly time]

I think Indian Almond Leaves are great. Have you tried floating one in the tank?

 

[xxianxx]

My 4 adult axies are taking in turns to get fungus in their gills . As soon as one clears up another one gets it.
I am giving the affetced ones salt baths daily until it clears up and then 2 days afterwards. But it keeps coming back - one after the other

My water parameters are spot on - no ammonia or nitrite, nitrate at 20-30, temp 19C.
I thought it might have something to do with left over egg slime, so I have given the tank a good clean - I changed 80% of the water, scrubbed down the ornaments and plastic plants, and I will be giving the filter a good rinse this weekend.

But is there an axie-safe treatment I can use to kill any fungal spores in the water? Obviously I don't want to crash my cycle by using a broad spectrum antibiotic, I'm after a fungus specific treatment that won't kill all my good bacteria.

If you put the axolotls in a brand new tank the fungal spores would still get in , they are airborne. Their presence in the tank shouldn't have any effect on a healthy/undamaged axolotl as their slime layer keeps it away. Fungus can can hold if the slime layer is breached by an injury or poor conditions. You have to determine what the cause is and act accordingly. As for treating the tank almond leaves or chlorinated water are good , just do your water changes with tap water (less than 50% so the cycle doesn't get blown), this info is for UK based people, I dont know about other countries tap water.

 

[auntiejude]

Update.

I have some almond leaves, they are turning my water nice and brown .
But my leucistic is still getting fungus - always in the same place in her right gills. There was no obvious injury to start with, but I'm now concerned that the repeated fungus has damaged her gills to the point where she never really gets to heal properly. The others have all been fine since I added the almond leaves.

@Ian - I appreciate what you say about spores in the air and water, I hadn't thought of it that way. I'm reluctant to add chlorine to the tank though, as it upsets my albino - she scratches at her gills if get the dose of dechlorinator wrong and let some slip in - it obviously irritates her more than the others.

Other than continued salt baths should I be doing anything else?

 

[Kaysie]

I will preface by saying this is all pure speculation.

The reoccurring fungus might be a sign there's some damage in the slime coat. If you're not using a dechlorinator with aloe (such as Stress Coat), try picking some up and using a double-dose as a bath.

 

[auntiejude]

This all started when I changed to a dechlorinator with aloe! I couldn't get the one I usually use so had to get a different brand, and thats when the fungus started. I struggled to get the dosage right, it seemed to need a larger dose than it said on the bottle as my strip tests was saying there was still chlorine.

I'll give it a go.

 

[Kaysie]

Now we're cooking with butter...

You could be getting fungus because there's too much aloe in your tank. I use stress coat as my regular dechlorinator, and I've found that I have issues with everything (axies, air stones, biofilm, etc) when I use too much. I've actually cut down to about 3/4 dose. Aloe will gum up and slime everything, especially iff you're using more than the recommended dose. The added gunk could cause them to shed their slime coat more often in an attempt to get rid of the added goop on their gills, leaving their skin more exposed.

Also, do they make liquid reagent chlorine tests? I'm sure you've heard about the accuracy of strips.

 

[auntiejude]

It's funny, I didn't like the film the aloe-dechlor left, so I have already switched back. I'll keep up the water changes until all the aloe is gone, and continue with the salt baths.

I have never found a liquid chlorine test kit for aquarium use, only for hot tubs and pools, thats why I use the strips. They are a useful indicator even if they are not entirely accurate. But my albino is far more reliable when it comes to telling me whether I have any chlorine .