Reptile & Amphibian Forums

it finally happend. i had the horrible feeling in the back of my mind this would happen. iv had 2 tentacleds for maybe 7 months or so and one is all the sudden growing funugs all over. all iv read about the fungus is basicaly when they get it they die. theres NOTHING i can do?? i know they make stuff for fish who have fungus, would it hurt to atleast try it out, id do any thing to save this snake. im going to set up and entire new tank for the other tentacled snake. i have a feeling the fish i have may have something to do with it sence they were fine before but the one is now growing fungus just after about a week of having fish. if any one has any suggestions for me i would apreciate them so much, i want to do every thing to save him but i think its too late.

Perhaps you could try acriflavin, that green stuff for aquarium fish fungus? Also, a bit of salt. If you set up another tank, you have to make sure the ph is right and right on your current aquarium. They do better in acid water conditions. Good luck.

Dan

Acrivlavin can be very hard to find nowadays, as it was proven a carcinogen and has been stripped from most shelves. It did work on fungus, though (I guess it gave the fungus cancer? In bad taste.).

An alternative is similar to the other reccomendation - TTO - a product called MelaFix, a Tea Tree Extract-based medicine by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals. I've had good results with it in a few aquatic herps. A positive of this medicine is that it is not chemical-based and will induce the low pH environment that your snake needs. You can find a bottle of it at most aquarium shops. Good luck.

Scroll down and read the threads titled:

"JAVA CURE?"

"TTO Update"

where do i get this stuff to try and cure my snake?

Here's a link:

http://www.petsolutions.com/Melafix-I-17107011-I-.aspx

I would suggest that you stick with the aquarium version to keep things simple (the link takes you to the aquarium version). Snakemastermyke uses it at triple the dosage listed on the bottle straight into the aquarium water ("I tripple the dossage and add a dose every 1/2 water change weekly.".
Charcoal will filter it out, so remove that from your filter system.

Please let us know if it works or even helps.
Melafix

Many things have been tried for aquatic water snakes and nothing seems to work long-term. The number one cure is: Prevention.

Medications for fish do not work from what I have read. Salt baths are a temporary fix at best. People have tried prescription and non-prescription cremes, ointments, etc. Antibiotics--internal and external. The only item that I am aware of that has a claim of success is the tea tree oil aka Melafix. Snakemastermyke claims that it works, but his is the only claim that I am aware of. I keep an Acrochordus arafurae. I haven't had to use any treatments at this point, but I focus on prevention. That said, I do have some melafix on hand to try should I need to.

Again, Please keep us updated.

luckily they sell melafix at my work! so i was able to pick up a bottle right away and hes being treated now. bad thing is this morning (the very next day after the first melafix treatment) the water is sooo cloudy. is this because its a new tank or maybe the melafix? i dont want to do a water change yet, the bottle says i have to put the stuff in for 7 days then do a water change. we do sell stuff at my work for cloudy water should i try that?

iv also noticed my tentacled snake is trying to get out of the water more. theres some logs that stick out of the water and he sits there often like hes trying to dry out though maybe hes trying to escape. just an odd observation.

I have never used melafix, so its hard for me to give you straight answers. Justyn claims that Melafix causes ammonia spikes---I don't doubt that this is true.

How "New" is this tank? You may very well have double trouble with a brand new tank and melafix--I don't know. If you have moved the snake to a new unestablished tank because its sick--it probably isn't a good idea.

Your snake maybe out of the water because of the effect of the melafix and/or ammonia levels. Its skin maybe sensitive because of the fungus damage.

Did you ever get a thermometer? Heater?

Water clarifying stuff has never worked for me and if you are going to try it for ammonia--its a waste of time. Try Ammo-Lock.

I remember you said you were going to get a new tank, you did have it set up and running for a while, before moving them, right? Check your ammonia levels, this is critical. All the tree oil in the world is not going to help if there are problems with the water conditions that are stressing them out. If you have an ammonia problem, do partial water changes daily to bring it down, also amquel and zeolite can't hurt. Please let us know, what happens, good or bad your experience is valuable to the rest of us, thanks, and good luck.

Actually it is common for them to bask, provided they have easy access to climb out and basking conditions are present, such as a tube light or small heat lamp. Mine basked several times a month and would also do this to help shed their skin. Seemed like as they entered a shed, they would climb out on branches and bask under the light. I am sure your snake needs to dry out as the fungus/medication is bothering it, so perhaps see if it can be put in a cage on paper towels to dry out or rig more branches for it to climb out on. Ensure a small heat lamp is on them. Mine used to roam the house until I sealed the lid of the aquarium. One day my daughter told me there was a big slug in the kitchen but it was just my tentacle snakes up to their old tricks.

Dan

i keep uvb on my tentacleds 12 hours a day. the one thats sick and trying to get out does kind of look like he might shed soon. the other one wouldnt bother trying to get out, he would just shed. i keep the screen tops weighd down because iv heard of tents geting out and dieing, i REALLY dont want that to happen plus i think my cat would kill them. but its pretty funny your daughter thought one was a slug, glad she found him. im taking a sample to work to test the ammonia and every thing again, if its bad im going to pick up the ammo lock. the water is very slowly clearing up. but about the basking, do you think if i put a small turtle ramp in the cage he would use that?

I think they would use a turtle ramp provided it did not rock or vibrate in the tank. Something familiar to them such as branches hanging in and above the water would give them something to cling on to climb out and bask. Felixbranches, those plastic branches might be useful but I think they rust after a while in water. Of course they would have to be extended to their usual spot where they hang out as they will not just simply swim over to the branch. In the aquarium I had, I place several branches near the top of the aquarium. They were horizontal and the tentacles would hang down from them and sway back and fourth in the current to grasp fish. They always stayed on those branches and would follow them to the edges of the tank and climb on the lip of the tank via air pump lines etc and bask under the light. Some would stay out of the water for days it seemed when they were shedding. You sorta have to build them a ladder to entice them to use it to climb out so if you rigged some branches off the turtle ramp, perhaps they could cling to the branches and then eventually work their way up onto the ramp, or just place them on it and see if they remain? However the ramp should be a steady device. If it vibrates or shakes in the water, perhaps they will not feel at ease to sit on such a structure and I am not sure how you can rig it with a filter making a turbulence in the cage unless you lowered the water level and afixed it out of the water? In any case, good luck.

Dan

thanks for all the neat ideas, i definetly want to do something like that for my still thriving tentacled snake. sadly the one with fungus did pass away. im keeping it in the freezer and going to try and find the guy i bought them from. its been a while but he did say if any thing happend hed give me another one.

six months, is longer then most imports last, so if he does replace it, I'd be suprized. What was the results of your water quality test?