Saved a super sick axie, now what?

S

sharn

Guest
hi all, today i went down the road and saw they had a baby axie (bout 12cm) there. the current was so strong he was moving backwards and fowards just sitting there! on closer inspection i saw he had lots of white stuff hanging off him, i assume this is a fungus and im salt bathing him twice a day. hes also really skinny, i have two minnows in the tank for him to eat because hes used to live foods, they gave me goldfish as well but they were way too big even my 20cm axie wouldnt touch it- even though it can fit in her huge mouth hehe. his gills are insane! the tip of one fell off in the tank as i put him into it, they are hidious! hardly any feathers and so short (plus they were so far fowards they were nearly touching his head!) he rushes up to the surface every 20 mins or so- i have a airstone on super dooper low. theyve moved back now (thankfully). hes really a lovely axie, hes got wild type eyes and hes a leucy (goldy ones, not sure if my other leucy has same eyes or not) and has quite a dark head with dirty white patches on him. hes really lovely. anyhow any advice on feeding him? he doesnt seem to eat the food i offer (so far bacon- i find they cant resist!- and a special axie food) he had a few nips at it but didnt eat it. ive got some bloodworms i can try..?? i also put a few teaspoons of salt in there 1:10l of water, is this enough/too much? i just read that some people keep a wee bit of salt in the tank at all times, wards off infections of something.
Thanks heaps!!
 
Just to make sure Sharn he is not in the same tank with your other babies is he? This fungus is highly contagious and a killer if not beaten. I've lost one baby to it already and I'm close to losing my two others (they are currently in the fridge)... Anyway, he should be quarantined, I'm hoping he has been and you just didn't say that. With the feeding thing. My boy wouldn't eat because of the fungus. Upon lots of monitored salt baths I am discovering they are coughing up some sort of fungus/mucus which I believe is why they were not eating. I am now resorting to possibly force feeding my little guy. Getting some mushy brine shrimp or fry (baby fish food) and putting it in a small syringe, minus the needle and squirting it in his mouth. I have been strongly advised not to squirt directly straight into his mouth but into the corner as otherwise he could choke on it. I would say this is a last resort but if he's not eating and he's super skinny it may already be at that stage. Good luck, and good on you for saving a sick baby.
 
no way is he in with the other two! hed get eaten hes so small!! hehe and i no that fungus is really contagious. i managed to tempt him into eating a tiny piece of bacon, took him ages to get it down but at least he ate, now all i have to get him to do is eat healthy stuff hehe. alot of the fungus has come off after one salt bath already so thats good and his gills are lookin a wee bit better even though ive only had him about 6-10 hours.... damnit now im going to have to get a 4 foot tank haha for when hes bigger and healthier so he can be friends with the other two
biggrin.gif
 
Hi Sharn,

the salt concentration for you tank should be about 1 to 1.7 gms per litre. If you look at http://www.axolotl.org/requirements.htm#hardness for clearer instructions on salting your tank.

If you buy Aquarium Salts (basically a 99.9% pure salt) there should be a scoop in it which holds 20 gms of salt. Alternatively plain salt (I think I have read somewhere on this site that iodized salt is not recommended, have a look at some of the other "salt" threads) will suffice although it's got an anti-caking agent which just prevents it from clumping and makes he water slightly cloudy for a while but this eventually settles.

Work out you tank volume and add the salt in small doses, probably best to dissolve the salt in a small volume of water and then add a bit at a time.

when you do partial water changes, only add salt proportional to the amount of water being replaced eg if you are replacing 20 Litres, add 20 - 34 grams only.
I was using 1 gram per litre but have recently increased it to about 1.7 gram since all my gang had a fungal infection. seems that the increased salt really does help.

good luck.

peter
 
I do not think bacon is a good idea. Worms... stick to worms.
 
Blood worms are also a good choice.. as they smell alot and the axie should go for it. But yes try worms.. thay cant get enough of them!!
 
hehe yeah i give them bacon as a treat, like once a month maybe less. hes looking alot better now, im going to try him on the special axolotl food tonight. it looks like he has no fungus at all left so maybe it was shedding skin or something. i noticed a little red thing on his gill, looks like a tiny red ball or something, i really wanted to pull it off but i knew id hurt him so i left it, the salt baths will make it go away hopefully. i have searched for worms far and wide in my garden with no luck, ive dug up mums pretty flower beds, put big holes in the lawn etc but i havent found any!!!! might have to get a small worm farm....i might go worm hunting again today... when mums gone out of course *looks around nervously and starts digging* haha thanks guys!
 
Here's some tricks for getting worms.

Tip 1. Take a large piece of pressboard/cardboard, or something similar. Find a spot it will fit in flat on the ground, and soak the ground with a garden hose. Put the board on top of the wet spot. Dampen the ground every few days, and you should be able to pick worms from the underside of the board every few days.

Tip 2. At sundown, heavily water your flower beds (but no more than the plants can take. Don't want to wreck your mums plants!). Then, after dark, check the flowerbeds. There should be worms right on the surface, mating. Just grab them! Be quick though, and walk softly. They can retract into the ground surprisingly fast. They are REALLY slimy at this time (you don't want to know why), so some may get away.
 
Taking the poor little wormies right in the middle of mating.... tisk tisk.... Worm farms are quite expensive but I hear quite good once set up and you can help save the environment by then putting all your organic plant and kitchen waste in the worm farm bin instead of in the rubbish... Go worms go!!!
 
ahhh i cut up a yogurt container.....lol and buried the open half in the ground and chucked potato, apple and carrot peels on it.. thanks ill try that cardboard thing... ill pass on the mating ones GROSS, no way am i touching worms doing that!
 
okay guys... need ya help again!! during one of his salt baths i spotted some little clear egg looking things on his gills, one on the gill that broke and the one next to it. he also has a little red blood blister looking thing on the other side, i REALLY wanted to pull it off but mum said i wasnt allowed because it could be a growth or something, they look like clear goldfish eggs (about the same size) any ideas? im still doing the salt baths so hopefully itll go away...
 
Are you able to take a photo of it? Where mine have had fungus on the gill area - on the little fronds that stick up and wave about (do you mean the little fronds or the actual gill area under the neck?) and the fungus has come away they have had a few little blood spots, these have cleared up relatively quickly. Read under the blood in container post as I asked someone else about it too. If it is that then I think it's part of the fungus coming away and the skin healing, it leaves little wounds. If it's not that though and it's something else (which I'm not sure of from your description) then I wouldn't be able to help out without seeing any pictures... not sure I could answer anything else other than fungus questions but I'm sure with a picture countless people here can help. Good luck Sharn.
 
ahhh i wish i had a camera!!! its on the tip of the gill stalk, looks like a clear goldfish egg attached to the gill, yeah ive been reading that post. thanks heaps celia
 
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