Question: Salt Baths & Fridging

[Bobert]

Hi,

My axie has developed fungus on her Gills and is going off her food. I intend to start some salt baths today, though im not looking forward to it. My poor little axie is going to be stressed.

My concern is about fridging her afterwards. Is fridging absolutely necessary? I have a four year old daughter who may not be able to resist taking a look in the fridge and possibly creating more problems.

 

[tomkeogh]

fridging is much less stressful than salt baths, I have never given a salt bath, but both of my guys enjoyed there time in the fridge, they were both in for a week and had no problems. check the caudata culture and axolotl sanctuary sites to make sure you have correct salt etc.

if your child wants to peek at him while he is in fridge as long as it is only a couple times a day I would not think it will be a problem, if he is disturbed regularly I would say this could cause stress

Good luck...are you sure he has fungus?

 

[dragonlady]

Please make sure you are treating fungus as Tom asked. The fridging is less stressful and does aid in the process. If you are concerned about your daughter, you can consider wrapping the container in a towel to deter roaming hands and eyes! (I have kids too, I understand)

Here is the fridging process: Axolotl Sanctuary

 

[Bobert]

fridging is much less stressful than salt baths, I have never given a salt bath, but both of my guys enjoyed there time in the fridge, they were both in for a week and had no problems. check the caudata culture and axolotl sanctuary sites to make sure you have correct salt etc.

if your child wants to peek at him while he is in fridge as long as it is only a couple times a day I would not think it will be a problem, if he is disturbed regularly I would say this could cause stress

Good luck...are you sure he has fungus?

Yes i think so, been comparing pictures and his Gills have gotten steadily worse over the past few days. All the water parameters are fine. The temperature is 20 c, though i have recently moved the tank from the bedroom, to the living room. When in the bedroom the water was at 18c, so maybe the temp change has something to do with it.

I am thinking of adding some Tetra FungiStop to the tank before doing starting any salt baths. I really feel that this will create a lot of stress for my axie, who hates to be messed with. If the FungiStop fails to work, then ill have to give it salt baths.

 

[Bobert]

So i can put my axie in the fridge without giving any salt baths or adding Fungistop?

 

[tomkeogh]

Before you add any medicine to the tank do some research make sure it is safe. Axolotls: The Fascinating Mexican Axolotl and the Tiger Salamander has a list. yes putting him in fridge and salt baths are not necessarily done together, however I do not know if fridging can kill the fungus, but I imagine it would not do any harm...post some pics people will tell you if it is fungus or not

 

[Bobert]

i will try and get some pictures up later. Im pretty sure its fungus after looking at pictures on the website. He seems to have lost a bit of his Gills, bits of it are turning white and the rest are looking pretty tatty. I just want to do something for her before it gets any worse.

 

[tomkeogh]

well if you do not want to wait and you are sure it is fungus, do a salt bath as instructed, but maybe for a short time with a low concentration of salt, try to get a pic to confirm

 

[melfly]

If its fluffy and white its fungus.
You need to start salt bathing ASAP
Fungus can spread very quick you need to catch it before it takes over, It will take the gills with it.

Good luck!
Mel

 

[Bobert]

Sorry for the quality of the pictures, where taken from my phone an hour ago, my digital camera doesn't appear to work.

The photo's dont really show you the colour, or or clear close up, but you can make out a small clump of white on the right Gill, and on the left Gill you can see where she has lost part of it, and just a few strands remain.

He is still quite active, though I have noticed he makes more frequent visits to the surface, for gulps of air every now and then. He has just started to go off his food. He'll only eat a single worm a day now, compared to the 5 or 6 he was having before.

 

[Bobert]

Pinky's just had his 2nd salt bath and his Gills are already looking so much better. Though I am slightly worried as he isnt eating anything.

How long should i continue with the salt baths and keeping him in the fridge? Also when it is time for Pinky to go back into his tank, will the sudden change of water temperature harm him?

 

[dragonlady]

Do the salt baths 2x daily until all fungus as disappeared. For 2 days after the disappearance, do 1 ten minute bath daily. When it is time to add him back to his tank, allow him to sit in his container to reach room temperature naturally. Then add him to his tank. If his tank is below room temperature, then get him close to that temp and add him.

 

[shoegal]

You will start to see the beneficial effects of salt baths almost immediately. I have run into issues with gill "fuzz" a handful of times, and salt baths always seem to do the trick. I would consider them significantly more effective than fridging when it comes to the issue of gill fungus.

 

[Bobert]

Pinky seems to have taken a few steps backwards, its nearly a week now since ive been giving him salt baths and his fuzzy white gills have now gotten a little worse after initially seeming to clear.

Am i using the right salt? Im using Aqualibrium salt made by Interpet which is the only salt my pet shop stocks. Ive been adding about 7 or 8 teaspoons to the water which is about 3.4 litres ( i store the water in a empty 6 pint milk carton)

He had a little bit of frozen bloodworm last night which was the 1st time he's eaten in a week, he seems to have gone off worms.

Hes still in the fridge which sits at around 5c. Not sure what else i can do

 

[dragonlady]

Sounds like your solution is too diluted. You need to use 2-3 teaspoons per liter (a liter should be enough to just cover him - that's enough) and soak him for 10-15 min. every 12 hours and keep fridging him. Do the salt baths twice a day until all traces are gone and then one 10 min bath for a couple more days to make sure the fungus is completely gone. I am not familiar with that brand name of salt but if it is aquarium salt it should be fine, just verify that it is non-iodized.

The fridge slows down his metabolism so not eating may be because of this. Continue to offer food on a daily basis but he may not eat at all while in the fridge.

Do the salt baths as above and you should see a marked improvement in a few days.

 

[Bobert]

Thanks, ill try using a little less water

 

[Bobert]

I had hoped to post updated pictures, but the quality is awful. Pinky just after his salt bath

 

[Mac Myers]

Does he look better to you?

 

[Bobert]

Does he look better to you?

Maybe only slightly. However i think i made a bad error. I have not been been wiping his Gills with a cotton bud. I just read another thread and i had completely forgotten to do this. Will get some cotton buds and start doing them asap. Will pinky accept me touching her Gills? There isnt a lot of space in her tub and i dont want him hurting himself trying to escape.

I added a picture I took 30 mins ago just before his salt bath. I noticed he had a faint line of red on his tail, right on the bottom> Its only appeared after his salt bath today.