African Dwarf Frog FUNGUS! did i treat correctly? !?!

[mgkaelen]

hi friends
like the post next to mine, i noticed that my frog also had a fungus today! i called one of the lfs in my area and they confirmed that it was probably a fungus! i didn't want to bring him to the store because i didn't want to stress the poor thing, but he has a cotton-like covering on his back and hind legs.. also, i tried to feed him a little (even though they eat at night) and he wasn't interested.. my OTHER african dwarf was VERY INTERESTED though, so i figured he was sick.

over the phone they said i should use some aquarium salt as well as something else (sounded like SULFUR perhaps... that's all i remember unfortunately).. so i drive down there and a guy (probably someone else--i should have written down the name of the man i talked to on the phone and the name of the product!) recommends the salt as well as penicillin.... i have no problem with it, however it's going to $10 for a pack and i'll need 2 because i have a 30 gallon tank.. the tablets just won't be eno ugh for one pack ... i dont' want to spend SO MUCH money becuase it's just a frog.. however if my whole tank is infected it's worth it!

the guy sensed my uneasiness and then recommended METHYLENE BLUE, which is much cheaper. the front of the package reads "for treatment of fungus and bacterial infections in the artificial hatching of fertile eggs". i bought it and the salt.... i was FREAKING OUT. i haven't had to medicate any fish yet and i do'nt want to lose any of them! even my frog!

SO i took the frog out of the tank, put him on a paper towel, and put a drop of the meth blue on him. then i put him back int he tank and put a few teaspoons of saquarium salt into the tank.

AM I JEOPARDIZING OTHER FISH IN MY TANK!? i'm really scared now, even though i was told they should be okay. i just don't want everyone to DIE just becuase i didn't want to spend the $20 on penicillin. will the meth blue kill good bacteria in my tank? i took out the carbon filter also in my tank..

any help , suggestions, or comments would be appreciated! feel free to pm me or AIM me at KAELENHOWARD . thanks guys. sorry for the long post!!!

[mgkaelen]

PS got a water test and everything is NORMAL% !

[Allivymar]

Sorry mg; I haven't the vaguest clue about frogs. I don't know what meds are safe for em. I do think they other fish should be ok, as I gather you treated the frog topically, and not the entire tank.

[Fruitbat]

mgkaelen...

Antibacterials like penicillin generally have NO effect on fungal infections...I suspect the fellow at the lfs was taking a wild stab when he recommended that one.

Some treatments that may be of use:

1) If the fungus is caught in its early stages, diluted hydrogen peroxide (available at any drug store) can be used. Dilute it to 75% strength for adults and 50% strength for juveniles. Apply directly to the affected area with something like a small paintbrush daily until the condition clears up.
2) 2% Malachite Green, used as a 5-minute dip once a day, may clear up the fungus. It is preferable to do this only once but it can be repeated up to three times.
3) Your lfs guy may have been on-target with Methylene Blue. It can be used in a manner similar to Malachite Green.

I don't have any specific recommendations from personal experience because I've never kept African Clawed Frogs but I did some searching on the web and through some books on diseases of reptiles and amphibians in my personal library and those are what I came up with.

Oh....there is likely no danger to your fish from the fungus infection the frog has. Most fungal infections that frogs get are the result of some sort of injury to the skin and are not contagious to uninjured animals.

Methylene blue and Malachite green both have the potential to stain objects in your aquarium. If you use them as a dip...that is...take the frog out of the tank and dip it in the diluted solution....then they won't cause any harm in your tank.

I'd try the hydrogen peroxide thing first....it has the least potential to cause problems.

[sweetsuvvyb]

Just as an FYI (hopefully this will ease some of your worries), an antibiotic (such as penicillin) will not treat a fungal infection....only good for bacterial infections. They get recommended far beyong their actual usefulness IMHO.

Hopefully the meth blue took care of the fungus...keep an eye on the froggie. If he gets worse, we'll work on something new!

[mgkaelen]

thanks friends! i realized that penicillin was an antibiotic when i got home and actually THOUGHT about it (people getting it for ear infections, ETC!). crazy lfs owners !!$!$!!!!! i isolated the frog tonihgt... my QT tank doesn't have a heater, (i have a small betta tank), so i just submerged it in tank water and now the QT tank is floating in my bit 29g to keep the temp stable. i put one more drip of the meth blue in , as well as a tunnel and gravel so the frog won't get too freaked .. i hope he's alive tomorrow. =] i'll keep everyone posted !

[mgkaelen]

frog lived through the night! still lethargic, hanging out in his isolated QT tank in the tunnel. he doesn't look any better, but he doesn't look any worse either! did a 50% water change and am going to get an airstone today to make sure he has a good amt of oxygen!

how long should i wait before trying another type of medication? i don't want it to be too late by the time i have realized the meth blue won't do the trick!

[Fruitbat]

mgkaelen....

Remember that your frog is an amphibian and, as such, does not utilize dissolved oxygen like a fish does. The airstone really isn't particularly necessary.

As for the Methylene Blue...give it a few days. Fungal infections are tough to get rid of but this one should respond to the Methylene Blue.

[mgkaelen]

i bought maracyn-2 becuase i didn't see any improvement with the meth blue after a few days and i guess i'm just anal. put it in last night and this morning i woke up and froggy was better! it seemed like a lot of fungus was off of his body, and he was even out of his tunnel moving a little.!

[mgkaelen]

i know this post hasn't been updated, but for anyone that has this problem in the future (fungus on amphibian-- or even fish!), the maracyn-2 wasn't working (it seemed like it was for a few days, but after treating for more than 5 days, he still had what seemd like almost the same amt of fungus)... i bought the medication at petsmart and called them to ask if they had any sort of return policy on items that didn't work (didn't want to swindle them, but it was EXPENSIVE!! -- bought 24 tabs for $13!) -- they said to just bring the product back and they would switch it out for what i wanted... i felt bad, but i didn't want to spend another $13 on my one frog. i brought it back, exchanged it for maracyn (1) and IMMEDIATELY the frog looked better. after treating for 5 days, he looked GREAT. put him back in the tank and he's eating again ...

i recommend maracyn ONE for ALL FUNGUS PROBLEMS ON AMPHIBIANS!!!!!!!!!!!