PNWsawyer
New member
The skin shedding seems more apt to have been caused by the acidity of your water than high nitrates. As plant food, (fertilizer) nitrates tend to cause issues with promoting the growth of bacteria, lesser-fungi, (molds) and algaes ON your critter which provokes the immune reaction to manifest itself. Of course what is growing where is typically impossible to tell without taking skin samples for culture or observation. Salt kills many of these things with enough exposure X concentration without causing much more than discomfort for your 'lotl, this is why the salt bath is a good first go to for treatments.
If the acidity is your actual underlying culprit, then a salt bath will only aid treatment of the symptomatic infections outlined above. You may kill these infections with the salt bath, but this will not accelerate the healing process for skin damaged by acids. This must happen over time in ideal water conditions in order to minimize risk of another infection. Acid exposure can be thought of much like a burn, burns tend to have a ridiculously high risk of infection. The vomiting may be caused by this acid coming into contact with your lil 'lotls insides via the mouth. I doubt any of us would be keen on eating with that going on in your insides, eat some skunk cabbage if you wanna feel what I'm talking about hehe.
Anyways, the absolute easiest way to maintain a pH above 7, with 7.4-7.6 being your ideal, is going to be small doses of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) pre-dissolved and added to your tank, check the pH and alkalinity about an hour after each addition. Pick up the API GH and KH tests as well so you can confirm your concentrations. Baking soda raises alkalinity, a misleading term for your waters ability to buffer acids, or keeping acids from swinging your pH. I keep my 'lotls water from 4-8 dKH and 140-180 ppm GH.
If the acidity is your actual underlying culprit, then a salt bath will only aid treatment of the symptomatic infections outlined above. You may kill these infections with the salt bath, but this will not accelerate the healing process for skin damaged by acids. This must happen over time in ideal water conditions in order to minimize risk of another infection. Acid exposure can be thought of much like a burn, burns tend to have a ridiculously high risk of infection. The vomiting may be caused by this acid coming into contact with your lil 'lotls insides via the mouth. I doubt any of us would be keen on eating with that going on in your insides, eat some skunk cabbage if you wanna feel what I'm talking about hehe.
Anyways, the absolute easiest way to maintain a pH above 7, with 7.4-7.6 being your ideal, is going to be small doses of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) pre-dissolved and added to your tank, check the pH and alkalinity about an hour after each addition. Pick up the API GH and KH tests as well so you can confirm your concentrations. Baking soda raises alkalinity, a misleading term for your waters ability to buffer acids, or keeping acids from swinging your pH. I keep my 'lotls water from 4-8 dKH and 140-180 ppm GH.
