Step By Step – Axolotl Tea Bath, Salt Bath, Antibiotics

axolotl tea bath

Axolotl fungus is a common problem. In terms of treatment, the best course of action is finding what the root cause is, treating it and ensuring all the tank parameters are up to standard. However, with more stubborn or severe cases of axolotl fungus, you’ll have to try different treatment such as axolotl tea bath, axolotl salt bath or antibiotics.

Axolotl tea bath can also be used with other health problems such as open wounds or other skin issues.

In this article we’ll walk you through the steps of performing axolotl tea bath, salt bath and administrating antibiotics to fight off fungus infections.

Tea Baths

The axolotl tea bath is a natural treatment for axolotl fungus, wounds, lesions, and other axolotl skin problems. Not only natural, but tea baths also have antifungal and antibacterial properties.

To read the full guide on axolotl fungus, head over here White Cotton Like Fuzz On Axolotl? Axolotl Fungus – Causes And Treatment

Follow these steps for axolotl tea bath:

  1. Prepare two 5 to 10 litre plastic tubs. Both tubs should be filled with dechlorinated water. Tub 1 is your hospital tub and tub 2 is where you’ll prepare the tea bath
  2. Don’t put your axolotl in any of the tubs yet
  3. Add 2 to 3 drops of Seachem prime to the water in each tub. This ensures that the water is safe for your axolotl
  4. Prepare the axolotl tea bath in the first tub by using 100% pure black tea, Indian almond leaves, or oak leaves
  5. Measure how much water does tub two hold and use 1 tea bag for every 10 litre of water in the tub
  6. Boil the tea and let it sit for 15 minutes to fully dissolve and cool down until it reaches a temperature between 59˚F to 65˚F
  7. Remove the tea bag and add the tea to tub two
  8. Place your axolotl carefully in tub two which is the tea bath tub
  9. Leave the axolotl in the tea bath for 10 minutes
  10.  After the 10 minutes are up, transfer your axolotl from tub two to tub one which has the fresh and dechlorinated water.
  11.  Whilst your axolotl is in tub one, you have the time to empty their original tank and deep clean it – the inside walls and all the decorations before filling it again with clean water
  12.  Keep doing tea baths once per day until your axolotl is healed
  13.  Once fully healed, the axolotl can be placed back into their usual tank (make sure to test the parameters such as ammonia, nitrate and temperature first)

Salt Baths

Axolotl salt bath should never be the first choice of treatment as it’s an aggressive approach that can cause additional stress to your axolotl. Salt baths should only be used in severe cases after you’ve tried everything else. You can either use salt baths on its own or incorporate fridging aswell.

Follow these steps to treat your axolotl with salt baths:

  1. Prepare three plastic tubs. All three tubs should be filled with dechlorinated water and be the same temperature as the original tank. The temperature should be on the lower spectrum of the range 59˚F to 65˚F
  2. Quarantine your axolotl into tub one
  3. Tub two will be where you add the salt and perform the salt baths
  4. Tub three is where you’ll dissolve the salt before adding it tub 2
  5. Now, start adding the salt. Use 2 to 3 teaspoons of salt per litre of water. Ideally, you should use non-ionized salt such as himalayan pink salt or Apu Aquarium Salt. For states with softer water, you need more salt. Whereas for states with harder water, you need less salt
  6. Ensure the salt is well dissolved in the water as chunks of salt can end up burning your axolotl’s skin. The last thing you want to do is cause additional stress to your axolotl
  7. Add the fully dissolved salt from the tub three to tub two which is the salt bath tub
  8. Only keep your axolotl in the salt bath for 10 to 15 minutes or less as their skin will dry up
  9. After the 10-15 minutes have finished, transfer your axolotl from tub two to tub one which has the fresh and dechlorinated water. You should notice after 1 to 3 baths, the fungus starting to come off. If you have to go to 3 baths, it’s a good idea to keep lowering the time. For instance, 1st bath – 15 min, 2nd bath – 10 min and 3rd bath – 5 min
  10. Repeat all the steps above once a day or until you see that the fungus has fallen off your axolotl’s skin
  11. After the fungus is off, there might be wounds left on your axolotl’s skin. To heal those wounds you can use tea baths. Refer to the steps for tea bath in the previous section

Antibiotics

If you’re dealing with a severe case of axolotl fungus, axolotl tea baths won’t cut it and you’ll have to use a more aggressive approach such as antibiotics.

Follow these steps for antibiotics treatment and make sure you’re feeding your axolotl a nutritious diet such as earthworms throughout.

Day One

  1. Administer first dose of Furan and KanaPlex
  2. Use a separate container (bath container) of 100% Holtfreter’s solution and methylene blue
  3. Hydrogen peroxide bath
  4. Scrub both main container and bath container with scrubbing paste

Day Two

  1. Administer second dose of Furan
  2. Bath of 100% Holtfreter’s solution and methylene blue
  3. 1% solution salt bath
  4. Scrub both main container and bath container with scrubbing paste

Day Three

  1. Administer second dose of Kanaplex
  2. Bath of 100% Holtfreter’s solution and methylene blue
  3. Hydrogen peroxide bath
  4. Scrub both main container and bath container with scrubbing paste

Continue this until you see that the axolotl fungus has fallen off.

Final Thoughts

axolotl tea bath

Using a treatment such as axolotl tea bath can help with health problems such as wounds, axolotl fungus and overall skin problems.

As long as done properly, tea baths pose no harm to your axolotl’s health and can only benefit them. On the other hand, treatments such as salt baths or antibiotics can damage your axolotl and cause them stress. This is because these treatments are considered an aggressive approach and you should only use them as a last resort, in very severe cases.

Frequently Asked Questions FAQ

What Are Symptoms Of Axolotl Fungus?

The symptoms of axolotl fungus include:

  • White cotton like growth on gills, legs, mouth or tail
  • Scratching like a dog
  • Stress symptoms such as thrashing around, floating
  • In severe cases – red streaks all over the body and bloating due to waste and liquid build up

Read the full guide on axolotl fungus here White Cotton Like Fuzz On Axolotl? Axolotl Fungus – Causes And Treatment

What Does It Mean If My Axolotl Is Scratching Like A Dog?

If you have an itchy axolotl on your hands, it can mean that this is a symptom of a health issues such as:

  • Axolotl fungus
  • Ammonia or Nitrate spike in their tank water

To read the full guide on itchy axolotl and all the possible causes, head over here Itchy Axolotl? Why Is Your Axolotl Scratching And How To Stop It


References

https://bbevs.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/General-Axolotl-Care-and-Health-Checks-FINAL.pdf

unusualpetsguide

My name is Iliyana and I'm a passionate animal lover and pet owner. As there is significantly less information online about unusual and exotic pets, I decided to found this website and recruit expert writers to help pet owners.

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