white spot or fungus

Make no bones about it, this fungus is nasty. Not only is it an unknown to treat, it often recurs and can be deadly. If at all possible, it is best to ensure you keep your 'fura at optimal conditions and avoid having to deal with this fungus at all.

There is no sure cure. There are some success stories, but they seem to work for one and not another. I have not had to deal with White Spot Fungus myself**, so instead, shall share with you some interesting information gleaned from conversations and papers written on the fungus by keepers, and allow you to make an informed decision on the best way to treat this yourself.

I had read a lot about this fungus prior to getting Nessie and Loch and was particularly concerned when I found out Loch had already had a white spot outbreak with his previous owner. Knowing about the high incidence of recurrance, I went out of my way to find out more.

(**Since writing this, I have had white spot fungus on Nessie. This occured after I placed an internal powerhead inside the tank to circulate the water for cleanliness. It appears the constantly moving water and the noise of this powerhead upset her and caused stress. White spot fungus appeared and when I noticed this I removed the powerhead and started treating her with the Salt Treatment Solution. I now maintain her tank in a little used room and as a brackish tank and have had no further problems.)

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The Brackish Tank or Salt Treatment solution:

One keeper I spoke to had extensive experience with 'fura's, currently holding adults in his possesion now and having passed a couple more adults onto a Zoo prior to obtaining the hatchlings he keeps now as adults. He is involved with the 'fura exhibit at his place of work.

When his first 'fura developed white spot, he used multiple brands of Anti Fungal remedies from an aquarium store, without success and his snake scarred badly, with white spot recurring endlessly. Eventually he decided to try adding marine salt to the aquarium. He added this to achieve a specific gravity of 1.005 and maintained all his fura tanks at this level as a maximum.

After maintaining his 'fura's in brackish tanks, he no longer had problems with white spot.

• My notes:
• The specific gravity referred to here is the density of the water. The specific gravity changes as you add salt, pure water sits at 1.000 and 'ocean' salt water is around 1.025. It is important, when adding salt to a tank to create and maintain a brackish water tank, that a Hygrometer be obtained and specific gravity measurements be taken regularly, as water changes and evaporation will decrease and increase the salt content accordingly. Measurements such as a 'teaspoon' per a quantity of water can be very inprecise due to humidity and the ability of salt to soak up moisture from the air and thus increase bulk size, without increasing strength.
• The only salt that should be used when creating a brackish tank is salt specially prepared for marine tank keeping. Table salt or rock salt does not contain all the ingredients of sea salt, such as bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, metal salts, nitrates, sulphates and phosphates.
• When adding salt to a tank, ensure the salt is dissolved well in fresh water or a half bucket of tank water and add the salt liquid to the tank slowly, so as to not saturate the inhabitants in a strong salt solution. Always underdose rather than overdose and raise the levels over a period of time as neccessary.
• Of course, all this specific gravity stuff and special salt mix is really not terribly important if you are just going to dose your fura to eradicate the white spot and then return the tank to fresh water.

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Anti Fungal Remedies:

Rarely has anyone I have spoken to used these with any real lasting success. Although most tried them as a first line of attack.

Basically it seems any general purpose Anti Fungal liquid can be obtained from an aquarium store and used/dosed according to the directions. I cannot and will not recommend any brands as introducing medicants to snakes can be a risky business and I do not want to be a part of this recommendation in case the worst happens and someone ends up poisoning their 'fura. :(

One keeper was recommeded a topical cream to put onto his 'fura, by his vet. He was instructed to remove the snake daily from the tank, dry it lightly, apply the topical vet prescribed cream, allow to remain out of water about a half hour, before replacing it in the tank and retreating daily. This treatment did seem to be clearing up the fungus, however, I have not been in touch with this keeper for a little while, so I do not know the long term outcome of this treatment.

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Light Versus Dark:

A few experienced keepers have mentioned this to me. It seems the theory behind it is that the Arafura is commonly found in 'coloured' water. IE: Water that has high tannin levels or mud content and does not allow a lot of natural light to pass through.

One keeper, after having gone through the fungus nightmare for just too long, decided to try removing all light sources to his tank to simulate the natural light conditions that Arafura's are found in. He covered his tank with a light blanket, allowing a gap above for airflow and left it that way. After a period of time he noticed the fungus on the affected snakes clearing up and green algal growth was starting on the interior of the tank. When the tank was quite green with algal growth, he removed the blanket and has maintained a high green algal growth ever since. Concurrently, the fungus disappeared and has not returned.

• My notes:
• It is a known factor that high stress can cause fungal growth on Arafuras. Could it be that by creating a darker tank, there was not a chemical reaction that caused the fungus to recede, but rather, a more secret seclusive life style was afforded to the arafura's, possibly removing a stress factor and allow the immune system to fight off the fungus naturally?

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Stress as a factor in fungal conditions:

It is known that stress situations can reduce the Arafura immune system, thereby making a snake that would otherwise cope well in the conditions it is kept, become susceptible to white spot or fungus.

It is important to remember therefore that:

• An Arafura is not a snake to be removed from it's tank and handled often. Out of water the Arafura is particularly vulnerable and handling can be a major stress issue for it.
• Arafurae are extremely vulnerable from above and naturally hide in darkened areas, liking very little light in their hiding spots. Ensure your snake has lots of dark holes and logs to hide in, and has reeds or driftwood for it to sneak up along to reach the surface to breathe. Open expanses of water that the 'fura has to swim through or cross to reach the surface for breathing, will increase stress levels.
• Arafura's are found in still waters, not fast moving or noisy water. Ensure filtration vibration is kept to a minimum and water movement is reduced as much as possible to ensure the snake does not have to fight currents or endure excessive noise, which may cause it to choose a less than suitable hiding place and increase stress levels.