OH NO! skin peeling, possible fungus?

[peter]

N.

i doubt you will find Furan 2 in Oz. i searched for it for about a month when my gang had the dreaded fungus but the only info i could get was that it was not found in Oz due to some import regulations.
i did manage to get TRI-SULPHA Tablets (made by Aqua Master) (listed as safe to relatively safe on the caudata website). i think it did help.
as for Pimafix and Melafix it MIGHT help but personally i found it useless when my gang was degenerating before my eyes.
as has been already said, salts baths are a valuable treatment for sick ax's along with refrigeration. they may go a long time without food if they are refrigerated for a long period of time. one of mine didn't eat for a month.

you are correct about the ammonia still detectable is you use ammo lock in you tank. the ammo lock (from what i understood) binds to the ammonia but doesn't remove it from you tank, it just makes it, i suppose, inactive.
i placed an "AmmO free" carbon bag in my filter.
this actually binds the ammonia into the carbon bag.

N. you will find an enormous amount of valuable info here on this site, take what the aquariums and pet shops tell you on board but don't do anything until you ask on this site.

it does sound like the problem you are dealing with is a fungus, the foot and gills and whatever bits of skin erodes will come back. some ax's regenerate rather quickly, some very slowly.
eating is a very good sign, sick ax's lose their appetite very quickly so it sounds like you little ax is on the mend.

p.

 

[n]

Tracked down the Furan 2 (the one and only place here that has it)!
I need to know what priority to treat little amigo in though!
I tested the water for ammonia and bad news...its 2.0 so i cant put him into the tank until it has cycled (correct?) which involves leaving it to sit until it reaches zero ammonia? Do i do turkey baster treatment to remove poo to help this along or do i leave it there like suggested earlier?
Since i have the fabled medication i dont know whether to use it yet or not since the dosage is supposed to be for 38 litres and hes only in 4 litres in the fridge.

 

[n]

p.s. thanks for info so far everyone

 

[cynthia]

N - Good job on finding the medication.

I would continue to add his poo to the aquarium for a few more days so your bioload is well on its way.

No, do not put him in the tank with the ammonia not reading zero. It is being in the tank with ammonia that help start the fungus problems. Plus medication can kill your biological filter and that means.... starting all over again.

Deciding to use the medication depends on how amigo looks? Is he improving? does his leg (stump) look infected? is it growing back? does he still have fungus?

Should you choose to medicate him with the furan 2 , you should start off at a dosage that is half of what the package says for fish.

I would use a container that is 5 gallons (18 liters) to mix the medication in. Pull apart one capsule onto a paper plate or napkin and divide the powder into 4 even piles. Put 1/4 of the powder out of the capsule into the bucket of fresh cool declorinated water and mix it well. Then use this medicated water to change the water in your axolotls 4 liter container.

Discard the unused medicated water (safely) after 24 hour hours (you may need some to use the change his water with if he poos). Put this water some place safe so no pet or child drinks it, until it is time to discard it.

Save your 3 other piles of powder for the next 3 days.

Mix a fresh batch of medicated water each day and repeat.

After 4 days of medication change the axolotl back to fresh unmedicated water.

(Message edited by cynorita on July 01, 2005)

 

[cynthia]

N - I missed part of your question about cycling in my previous post.

After your ammonia is zero your nitrite should read high. You should wait until your nitrite reading is zero. Then you can do a 20% water change on the tank and it should be safe for the axolotl.

But since the tank will be newly cycled keep testing it daily for a while to make sure the ammonia or nitrite doesn't start to climb. At this point you can control it with frequent partial (20 to 30%) water changes rather than removing the axolotl.

Once cycled regular maintenance; vacuuming the substrate, and changing 20% of your water on a weekly basis should keep the tank in balance.

Here is another good article for you to read it is short and to the point.
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

I applaud your patience, I hope after all this the axolotl recovers and you are finally able to enjoy your pet.

 

[n]

no change as of yet, been medicating him as suggested. will keep in touch

 

[cynthia]

N - this is a really long time for no change what so ever.

Could you take a picture of him so we can see?

 

[n]

i think his foot might be growing back a little? He hasnt been eating but i suspect thats due to being in the fridge.
The tank is still not ammonia free.
Photos:

 

[cynthia]

N - Are you still salt bathing or treating him with furan 2? Is the white in the picture at the top of his damaged leg really that white or was that caused by the camera flash?

He is very skinny I hope he eats something soon. Have you tried offering a small piece of night crawler?

 

[n]

Yes, he is still being treated with furan 2
The tank still has high ammonia (2.0)
The top of the leg is that white colour.
What is night crawler? would a garden worm be a good idea?

 

[cynthia]

Yes garden worms would be a good idea. He needs to eat something he is terribly thin. If he wont eat the worm let him sit out on the counter for a day and warm up and see if you can get him to eat.

How long have you been treating him with furan 2? It may be safer to go back to salt baths if you have been treating him for a long time with medication.

Does he look any better now?

 

[n]

I shall try to find some garden worms. Do i cut it up or put it in whole?
I have set him on the bench so i can try to feed him tomorrow.
I have been treating him with the furan 2 from around the 5th of July.
Hes still active and his foot doesnt seem to be infected but as you said he is awfully skinny.
I think the tank will take a long time to become free of ammonia as there is a lot of his poo left in there from before. should i start it again or leave it?
Thanks!

 

[cynthia]

If they are small worms try feeding them whole, if they are big cut them up for him.

The tank should take about 30 days maybe a little more to cycle.

Have you been testing the water? What are the ammonia,nitrite and nitrate readings?

 

[n]

I couldnt find any worms anywhere! I guess it isnt the season and the earth is really dry
Its been a longer than 30 days, yes i have been testing it.
Hes still out of the fridge. Should i keep medicating him with furan 2?

 

[cynthia]

I am worried about using the medication for so long.
I would switch back to salt baths twice a day and see if it helps. Looking at the pictures he doesn't appear to be making any progress to me.