White fungus and inappetance

[Jamie_ayla]

I have a 5 month old axolotl who I just noticed today had white fuzz (presumed fungus) growing on her gills. I immediately set to a frenzy of internet searching and have found conflicting information. She had last eaten 2 days ago and I can’t get her to eat anything today. So far, I read to give salt baths, not give salt baths, give tea baths, tub and do frequent water changes, and potentially use pimafix. Currently I’ve tubbed her and plan to do twice daily water changes. I purchased pimafix, but am hesitant to use it. I did read to give only 10% of the dose though. I also did a partial water change in the tank (even though she isn’t in it) to help with any imbalances. I do have a chiller which keeps the tank at 65F and I checked the parameters: pH 6.8, ammonia: 0.5, nitrates: 0, nitrate: 10. The tank is planted with Java ferns, Anubias, Java moss and floating salvinia. I feel like the fungus looks worse and one of her gills is now curled. My gut tells me that she’s worsening and I’m desperate to not do the wrong thing. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I really hate this feeling of not knowing how to help her. Thank you!!

 

[inuratus]

She will definitely need a salt bath. My axie is little so when I did salt baths twice a day I did them for 10 mins each instead of 15 minutes and I did the lowest concentration that was recommended (2 tsp per 1 litre or 4 cups water) The salt I used was aquarium salt though people saaaay you can use table salt that's non iodized but it could have things like anti caking agent and whatnot so I figure it's safer to go with pure aquarium salt.

My axie was still active and eating, but I hear that if they are not eating one shouldn't worry unless it's been like a week or so. I suggest to tub her and do two 100% water changes a day 12 hrs apart or close to it. Make sure you condition the water. I recommend prime as it helps make the ammonia that is produced throughout the day non-toxic. When you give her bath it will be outside of the tub in another small tupperware-like container. Make sure that water is conditioned and is at the same temp as the water she is in throughout the day.

It took my axi about 1 week of baths to clear his fungus.

 

[efs710920mex]

I agree on salt baths. Pimafix is a carcinogenic so I would stay away from it. In case you don't want to use salt methylene blue is better than pimafix.

https://apifishcare.com/pdfs/products-us/pimafix/api-pimafix-safety-data-sheet.pdf

 

[Murk]

Do you have a picture of her from the side?

 

[Jamie_ayla]

Good news!! She ate 3 pellets for me this morning and the fungus “fluff” fell off. I still think she looks a tad bit skinny though.

I’ve heard that before about pimafix, but also heard others say they’ve used it with no problems and other sites tout it as “axolotl safe.” I still haven’t used it myself. It’s frustrating that so much information contradicts itself.

I’m hesitant to do the salt baths as I’ve heard they’re irritating to their gills and super stressful. Extra stress definitely doesn’t sound good for her immune system. Do you really think I need to do that if she continues to improve with just twice daily fresh, dechlorinated water? I am using prime water conditioner.

What about using John’s solution? Would that be helpful? I’ve read to use it at 20% in their regular tank for general health (I’ve never done this). Or maybe higher concentration while sick/tubbed?

I’ve tried to get a couple extra pics. Also, just thankful to everyone for all your help. I’m a vet tech (mostly with dogs/cats) and I typically know the best course of action to take for my pets health, but sweet, little Temmie’s health is a whole new ball game for me. It’s really great to know that other people care and are willing to help.

 

[Jamie_ayla]

Oh! And any thoughts on the tank in general. I can tell you, I’m not really interested in completely emptying it and scrubbing everything. From what I’ve read, fungus is opportunistic and is likely water parameters to blame for it taking hold. My thought was to perform daily partial water changes in her tank for a week or so before replacing her back in.

 

[efs710920mex]

Fungi are always present in water and air so as you say there is no use in cleaning everything thoroughly. I would add salt while the animal is not in there in a high concentration but beware of plants, some are not very resistant to salt.

 

[inuratus]

I, too, like yourself was hesitant to do a salt bath because of all the conflicting stories I read, but my axie's fungus was progressing and I thought doing something is better than nothing. I first did tea baths and that didn't help. So I tried the salt baths and it did after about a week.

I would say for now keep an eye on her. If the fluff doesn't come back she should be all set, but if it does she'll most likely need some treatment.
I have also been suggested to use John's solution for fungal prevention and I am going to try it in my tank because after the fungus cleared up it returned a week later.

Off-topic but is Temmie's name taken from Undertale? The game has a character by that name so I was curious.

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Okay so heres my 2 cents

Fungus or saprolegnia generally resolves on its own with tubbing and 100% water changes every 12-24 hours. Generally do this until 3-4 days after the fungus resolves.

treating the tank for perceived floating fungus is a waste.

I personally use johns solution in my tanks and tubs as it promotes a healthy slime coat, electrolyte balance and increases healing.
You can you 1 tablespoon of pickling/aquarium salt per 10g which does not even register as salinity but will help like Johns solution does.

PimaFix is deadly to axolotls
Salt baths are harsh and can cause massive stress.

You need to find the root cause of the fungus. Generally temp and or water quality.

 

[Jamie_ayla]

100% it’s from Undertale. Can’t you totally see all the adorable axolotl derp faces going to ‘colleg’? It just seemed so fitting.

Thank you for your insight too. I’ve purchased some aquarium salt and have decided to low dose the tub and the tank just to make sure. I’ve read a couple other people recommending the same salt concentration. I’m going to skip out on salt baths (unless it worsens). This has all started some extra research about my water and it seems we have soft water in my area. I’m not totally sure if the salt will help harden the water at all, but I have seen that it can be generally helpful in small amounts for a lot of freshwater fish. Maybe I’ll try adding some coral in later. I was going to make John’s solution, but couldn’t find any Epsom salt that wasn’t laced with lavender, lime, eucalyptus.....geez!

As for the cause, it must be water quality. I cycled the tank for 2 months with plants and do ~20% water changes weekly. The temperature is really stable at 65F (I went all in for a chiller because I stress too much). But have still had a couple ammonia spikes. I think that there’s too many places for poop to hide and foul the water.