Disintegrating skin

[limnologist]

Hi, I've kept and bred axolotls for the past 15 years. I have never had a problem like this before. I just recently bought this baby, it is a white albino that is only 2 inches long. It refuses to eat its tail is shrinking, and it has what looks like pimples all over its body. I know that it is not white spot. I put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours and gave it a salt bath but now its gills has turned white and its skin is disintegrating. Can anyone help me with this

 

[HayleyK]

What are your parameters and temperature? What are you keeping him in and how often are you changing water? Salt baths are irritating and only done on fungus, why are you salt bathing?

Its really hard to help without a visual, do you mind uploading a picture?

 

[limnologist]

What are your parameters and temperature? What are you keeping him in and how often are you changing water? Salt baths are irritating and only done on fungus, why are you salt bathing?

Its really hard to help without a visual, do you mind uploading a picture?

Everything is in order water wise, temp is 68, water changes every week. Its beginning to look like fungus. I have kept many aquariums and am used to salt bathing fish, this is the first axolotl that has gotten sick on me. I will try to get a picture.

 

[Sweetie]

Perhaps a tea bath would help to soothe the skin. (Indian almond leaves would not be indicated here, in case you do need to continue salt bathing for fungus.) Or even something like Prime with added aloe vera, to help restore what sounds like his slime coat shedding. But a pic would certainly help with the diagnosis. And could you give us exact readings of nitrites, nitrates and ammonia?

 

[Elise]

Or even something like Prime with added aloe vera, to help restore what sounds like his slime coat shedding.

The legitimacy of adding aloe to aquariums is often questioned as aloe is primarily used as a moisturizer.

Whichever benefits aloe may have for the slime coat, they are mostly speculation. There just hasn't been any studies with amphibians yet.
If you're planning on using aloe during treatment, it should be noted that there is some evidence that shows aloe can cause skin irritation in other species such as mice and humans.

 

[Velice]

I've always heard aloe regenerates the slime coat through irritating the skin and causing more to be produced. I can see how it might complicate things.

 

[Sweetie]

Thanks for those views on aloe vera. I haven't personally used products which include it. I have seen posts from people who use the Prime with added aloe vera and report good results with it. However, I have seen other posts that question its efficacy, and also a post from Auntie Jude where she speculated it may have caused a slime problem in her tank, from memory (though I may have got this wrong). So it's always good to hear from people with actual experience using the product.