Sick axie and need help.

[Josh933]

Okay so recently my ammonia in the tank spiked up really high and gave my axie (mudkip) ammonia burn. He started developing a fungal infection too.
A week or so before all these problems he stopped eating completely too so he's lost a lot of weight.

The old levels of my tank were: PH, 7.4 Ammonia 1-2, nitrite 0, nitrate 0.

I found out it was my substrate causing the ammonia problem. I had sand so it was capturing left over blood worms and poo in there. I have done a water change today and removed all the sand so the levels are now back to normal. ( same as above but 0 ammonia).

I've been giving him salt baths to help with the fungal infections which has now almost healed.

My question is, with his fungal infection being almost healed will he be fine to go back in to his tank, as long as I keep doing salt water baths?

My next question is how long does it usually take for them to get their appetite back after being in the fridge.

Thanks

EDIT: One other thing.
A few weeks back he started vomiting up all his food. He was never able to keep earthworms, or pellets down. He was able to digest frozen bloodworms which is what I believed spiked the ammonia some of them getting lost in the sand.

 

[B3llaax3]

I would keep him out of his tank until fully healed to prevent it from happening.
Usually within that same week they should get their appetite but don't feed him as much, feed a lil less than normal to get him use to eating again. Also do 30% water change weekly to help keep levels down.
If feeding frozen food do water changes more frequently.

 

[Skudo09]

The presence of ammonia suggests your tank is not cycled. Was the tank cycled. I would keep him in a tub of cool, clean dechlorinated water and do 100% water changes of the tub daily whilst he remains in there. Unless you cannot keep him in the tub at cool enough temperature, I would not fridge him. Could you post some photos? If the fungus is almost gone, it may be worth stopping the salt baths and offer a more mild treatment like black tea baths which have mild antifungal and antibacterial properties but also help soothe the skin?

Whilst your axolotl stays in the tub, work on getting the tank re-cycled using a fishless cycling method.

 

[Josh933]

The presence of ammonia suggests your tank is not cycled. Was the tank cycled. I would keep him in a tub of cool, clean dechlorinated water and do 100% water changes of the tub daily whilst he remains in there. Unless you cannot keep him in the tub at cool enough temperature, I would not fridge him. Could you post some photos? If the fungus is almost gone, it may be worth stopping the salt baths and offer a more mild treatment like black tea baths which have mild antifungal and antibacterial properties but also help soothe the skin?

Whilst your axolotl stays in the tub, work on getting the tank re-cycled using a fishless cycling method.

The tank was cycled. We have had him for around 5-6 months now
What temperature would you suggest keeping him at? Would you be able to explain how to do a black tea bath too?

 

[AxolotlChris]

You will most likely need to begin your cycle again. Use this website for informative information on the process: http://http://www.oscarfishlover.com/how-to-cycle-your-aquarium

Optimal water temperature is between 16-18 degrees C.

Also this is a passage regarding tea baths taken from: Caudata Culture Articles - Illness Part 2

Tea bath for axolotls
Contributed by Daniel Weiner, August 2007.

I mainly use teabaths for minor skin problems. It may also be used for fungal problems, but in those cases I prefer salt baths. Tea has a slight antifungal and antibacterial effects (resulting from tannins) and additionally it closes the pores in the skin a little bit (mainly resulting from tannin and caffeine). The skin tightens and gets some kind of protective layer, making it harder for fungi and bacteria to intrude on the body. On the other hand, it makes it harder for salt or medicine to reach pathogens that are already inside the body - that is the reason I do not use it on fungal infections, although some people do recommend a tea bath as a cure for fungal infections.

The procedure is preferably done in a quarantine tank, not the animal's regular setup. I take one bag of unflavored black tea for every 10 litres (2.5 gallons) of water. It is important to use black tea because this kind of tea is fermented, so it has tannins. This tea gets covered with boiling water in a small bowl - I leave it there for at least 10 to 15 minutes, so the tannins are dissolved into the water. After the tea cools down, it is added to the quarantine water. After a week I do a large water change (60% at least), and the rest of the tea is removed over time by normal water changes. If you have to make water changes sooner (i.e., you are using a very small bowl or tank) the tea concentration can be replenished during water changes. As far as I know, there are no negative effects, even for long term treatment.

 

[Josh933]

Thank you for the advice and help everyone.
Mudkip just seems too weak. I don't think he'll survive the night unfortunatly. I will do my best but I'll let everyone know how it goes in the morning

 

[AxolotlChris]

Like Skudo said, make sure he is in fresh dechlorinated water, change it 100% everyday. leave him in the dark to rest. I have had friends Axolotls get severe ammonia burn and fungus and just putting them in a separate tub with dechlorinated water changed daily has cleared the problem up within days.

 

[Josh933]

Unfortunately he did not survive the night

R.I.P Mudkip

 

[Skudo09]

I am sorry to hear Mudkip did not pull through