White Spot
Treatment Info

Treatment Side Note:
One thing that needs to be taken into consideration when attempting to "Treat" the White Spot Fungus is: Skin Permeability. Acrochordus arafurae and javanicus apparently have very IMpermeable skin whereas Acrochordus granulatus appears to have Very permeable skin. What you use to treat an A. arafurae or javanicus may very well not be absorbed through the skin. However, that does not apply to A. granulatus. Because the skin of A. granulatus is very permeable--the "Treatment" that you choose may very well be absorbed through the skin and cause liver, kidney or some other damage--even out-right poisoning.


 

Salt
Aquarium Salt is known to have many medicinal qualities in the aquarium environment. One of the most Successfully UNsuccessful treatments for the Acrochordus White Spot Fungus is: Salt. It has worked short-term for many people, but only worked Long-term for very few. The difference, I believe, is the correction in IMproper Husbandry.
In other words, it doesn't work for most people, because: they do not fix the root problem, (i.e., Security, Temp, Water Quality, etc).
Where the few people that are successful with salt: either have their Husbandry parameters close Enough, or they correct one or more things that were wrong and reduce the snake's stress-load.

Adding Salt to the Environment
Acrochordus snakes stop drinking at an Unknown Salinity Level. This causes Dehydration at a known rate of 0.5% of Body Mass/day. Dehydration will cause Stress. Stress=White Spot Fungus. Be Very Careful when deciding to add salt to the environment. It may appear to be a very viable "Hands-Off" approach, but fresh dinking water will still need to be provided.

Salt Baths
Salt Baths seem like a better option, except for the double capturing, double Handling and everything else involved. One very important aspect of Salt Baths is the Handling. These snakes are not designed to support their own body weight outside of the water. They are designed for a life of buoyancy. When they do exit the water--their body weight is fully supported by the land, and they do it in their own way and in their own time. Its not the same when You try to "Handle" them regardless of Your intention. Handling Acrochordus snakes includes a large Risk of Physical Injury--the objective is to reduce stress, Not increase it. The handling of Acrochordus granulatus is much easier because of its smaller size. However, the same cannot be said of the larger Acrochordus arafurae and javanicus.
Additionally, Acrochordus snakes are very susceptible to rapid Temperature changes. The Temperature of 1 gal. of water in a 5 gal. bucket can drop 10F in 30 minutes in an air conditioned room. Rapid temperature fluctuation can cause tetanic muscle spasms followed by death--Think of the "Stress" involved.


Koizyme
Koizyme "is a proprietary, organic preparation of non-pathogenic bacteria, enzymes and micro-nutrients, and it works on the established principle of an accepted scientific process widely known in commercial aquaculture management called "Competitive Exclusion." It is basically a bottle of "Good" bacteria that one adds to a body of water to Out-Compete "Bad" Bacteria such as Psuedomonas and Aeromonas.
My Experience, confirmed by conversations with others, shows that Sometimes Acrochordus snakes will develop "Bubbles" filled with a Clear Liquid during times of stress and normally after the White-spot Fungus has started to develop. Without having done tests of the Clear Liquid--I assume that it contains some "Bad" Bacteria such as Psuedomonas or Aeromonas--this simply makes sense based upon a general understanding of the animal world and how things work, and is also supported by the work of Dr. Lilywhite.
I have added koizyme Daily at Double the standard rate (2ml/50gal of water) without any ill effects. It may be a waste of the product to do it Daily on an on-going basis--However, there will be Plenty of "Good" bacteria to Out-Compete the "Bad", and any excess "Good" bacteria will just Out-Compete itself. In short, a Maximum level of "Good" bacteria will be maintained while minimizing the level of "Bad" Bacteria.
During the Fall of 2005 I had a terrible time trying to maintain stable temps. A day-time High of 88F and a Night-time Low of 83F was just not something this Arafura was happy with. After adjusting the Heaters up and down, adding the 29gal. Refugium, and finally adding another 200watt heater--I finally managed to maintain a minimum temp of 86F and a High (on warmer days) of 88F. White-spot had broken out in the worse case, by far, that I have experienced since I've had this snake. I initially added the Double daily dose of Koizyme for 3 days in a row, and then began Melafix at the standard (POND Version) rate of 10ml/50gal. of water Daily combined with the continued Koizyme.
For anyone wondering if Melafix will harm the "Good" Bacteria in Koizyme: I wrote them and asked, and this was what they told me:

 

The 29gal. Refugium contains 4 different kinds of Snails, 2 different Kinds of Shrimp, about 50 Freshwater Clams, Floating Frogbit and Duckweed, Val., Anachris and 3 different types of Anubias. Neither Koizyme nor MelaFix has had any adverse effects on any of that Life.
Whether or not it is "Helpful" in the Fight against the Dreaded White-spot Fungus or not: I do not know. However, common sense says that the minimization of "Bad" disease causing Bacteria such as Psuedomonas and Aeromonas can only be Beneficial during times of stress.


MelaFix aka Tea Tree Oil
The Oil of Tea Trees has long been known to have healing properties. However, note the plural: Tea TreeS. Currently, there are over 170 known species of Tea Trees and after other misidentified "Tea" Trees are identified correctly into the Melaleuca Genus--it is expected to grow to over 200 known species. Not all Tea Trees, or their Oils, are created equal. Some have EXternal benefits and some also have INternal benefits.
Tea Tree Oils are currently offered as "Essential" or "Volatile" Oils which simply means that they evaporate without leaving a residue. MelaFix is made from the Melaleuca cajaputi and M. leucadendron Tea Trees. These Trees are grown in Indonesia and are harvested mainly in Vietnam for Oil production . It is specifically designed for use in the Aquarium/Pond, and is gentle enough for Reef tanks. It does not harm invertebrates or other beneficial bacteria. It did initially appear to work with an A. granulatus, and Snakemastermyke claims it has worked with his A. javanicus. However, Snakemastermyke claims to have gone to Melafix AND Salt--indicating that the MelaFix, like Salt, has limited value. Another person claims that the use of MelaFix harms the Beneficial Bacteria of the environment-- a claim for which I can find no support. My own tests indicate that this is not correct, the Manufacturer: Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., claims its incorrect and I have not managed to find any claim, any where on the internet--including various Aquatic Forums--to support that claim. Everything I have found indicates that MelaFix does not harm the Beneficial Bacteria, plants or other life in an Aquarium environment. And My tests indicate that any Increases in Ammonia Levels are NOT directly related to the use of MelaFix.
In short, MelaFix Does seem to have some possible benefits against the White Spot Fungus--Short-term. Yet, without Proper Husbandry--it is Not a cure-all. At Best, it will just buy You some time to get up to date on Acrochordus Husbandry and that's all. Its benefit appears to be Iffy and similar to the use of Salt: Short-term.
Considering that we are dealing with aquatic animals---My suggestion is to simply stick with the pond/aquarium safe version of MelaFix made by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. They make a "PondCare MelaFix" (5%) and an Aquarium safe version just called "MelaFix" (1%). You may want to purchase both in order to keep the math simple: PondCare (5%) for direct application onto the wound, and Triple the dosage of the Aquarium MelaFix to add to the water. Otherwise, the PondCare is strong enough for direct application to the wound(s), but the ratio for the water would be 3ml/10gallons (at TRIPLE the Label Dosage). (MelaFix Technical Reference Sheet)

PimaFix
PimaFix, aka West Indian Bay Oil-Pimenta racemosa is another Product offered by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. that "has been designed to work synergistically with MelaFix. Using PimaFix and MelaFix together provides the added benefit of quick tissue regeneration and wound healing."
The use of PimaFix and MelaFix combined with an Overall "Homebrew" of ingredients was used on an A. granulatus. Initially, it stopped the progression of the White-spot Fungus, dried up the "Bubbles" of Clear Liquid--and Ultimately, looked very promising. However, the end result was that the A. granulatus died, as A. granulatus seem to do, so I can only assume that one or more aspects of my Husbandry for that animal was incorrect.
At this point, I have Not used PimaFix on A. arafurae or javanicus, but I assume it would be beneficial.
Keep in mind that the skin of A. granulatus is Very Permeable and the use of these Products could have caused some type of poisoning. I'm certainly not saying they did, I'm saying: I Don't Know. With the "Gentleness" of these products its hard to tell if there was an adverse effect. However, just keep in mind that: Because of skin permeability: treating A. granulatus is probably a very different ball-game than treating A. arafurae or javanicus.

Stress Coat
is another Product offered by Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and basically it "Contains Aloe Vera, nature's liquid bandage, to prevent the loss of essential electrolytes and protect damaged tissue against disease-causing organisms. Helps heal torn fins and skin wounds."
Aloe Vera has long been hailed for its Healing Properties and my basic opinion is that the use of Stress Coat--Might Help, Probably won't Hurt.

Note:
For My A. javanicus' I am currently not using any of these Products: Not for Routine Maintenance, Not for "Treatment". I have learned a lot about Acrochordus over the last couple of years, and what I have learned mainly is: There is No "Cure-in-a-Bottle". Its all about the Husbandry. In addition to that: If You don't really understand Acrochordus species and their lifestyle--You are just waiting on the inevitable disaster to strike.



 

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