A Few Questions For a First-Timer

[sloane]

Hello everyone! Just picked me up a sweet little Axolotl, her/his name is Cotopaxi. I've been reading over the site for awhile but I still want to ask some things, if thats okay haha.

1. Being its summer in Oregon, my house is staying around 72 F about so the tank stays around 70F, is that too warm? He doesn't look stressed, he sits every once in awhile but he moves around a lot. Is that healthy or should I keep trying to cool it down? I've been putting little ziploc baggies of ice in to cool it slowly to 68F, s that a good method to keep it cool?

2. Also in the process of cycling the tank, the people I got him from gave me this SafeStart and then StressCoat/StressZyme stuff that I did before I put him in the tank. Now I'm just wondering if I should just spot clean every other day and let the bacteria settle in or should I be doing the 20% water changes every day too?

3. Lastly, I've been feeding Coto twice a day with frozen brine shrimp BUT is he old enough to eat little worms now? And is twice a day enough/too much? He's about as long as my finger, so like a couple months old? They didn't tell me when I got him.

[Aimee]

Howdy, sloane and congrats on your new axie!

I would say that the frozen baggies are fine...just make sure you fill them with dechlorinated water in case of leakage. I use the same method with my guy. 70 degrees is in the higher spectrum of their temp range but is probably nothing to worry about. Anything higher may be a problem though so the baggies are probably a good idea.

As far as chemicals to jump start the cycling process, I personally don't care for them much. Though I've only ever tried them once (with little success). Others more experienced than me can probably tell you much more. I would just say to make sure you check your water parameters every day (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate) to ensure water quality. Spot cleaning is a good idea.

I would say feeding him well once a day would be fine. As he gets older and larger, feedings can be given less frequently (every other day, 3 times a week, etc). Mine is full grown and I feed him 2-3 times per week. Brine shrimp is great and many would argue that worms should be a staple if possible. If you can't find worms small enough, cut them into pieces as long as the width of his head. You could also try frozen bloodworms and salamander pellets. I would think both of those would be small enough for your little guy.

Hope this helped some! Others on this site can give you much more info. There are some great people here Good luck with your new friend!

[Jadore axolotl]

Hey sloane,
I agree with what Aimee said but wanted to point out one thing that wasn't in your questions. You have your axie on gravel. This can be very dangerous if your axie ingests it and can cause impaction. You should change this to a sand substrate (childrens play sand or pool filter sand) or keep a bare bottom tank.
This thread shows clearly what could happen: Vets! Please help! we think axolotl swallowed gravel!

[click]

Hi Sloane have a look at these sites Caudata Culture & the Axolotl site

[midnight12]

Hi,
I agree with everyone but, what 'jadore axolotl' said about gravel. I have gravel at the bottom of my tank and then large rocks on top, so he/she can hold onto the bottom of the tank .Also sand is a nightmare to clean, hope this helped because it stopped my axie eating gravel!

[Jadore axolotl]

midnight12 sand is a lot easier to clean as all you have to do is siphon the dirt off of the top of it. With gravel there are a lot or crevices for dirt to settle etc and with big stones alot of dirt gets trapped between them so how may I ask is sand a nightmare to clean?
Also referring to the link I gave in my last post gravel will inevitably lead to impaction and a sick axie.

[sloane]

Okay thanks guys! I'll definitely change the gravel to sand ASAP. Are you sure those river rocks aren't big enough? Its not really gravel, they're large pebbles. What do you think?

[Jadore axolotl]

I don't think they look big enough not to be swallowed and cause impaction in that photo. Your axie will grow quickly and soon those stones wont seem so big. I would change them.

[sloane]

Okay will do! Also another question (I have poured over everything on the sites haha I just need a little more convincing I think), so I know I'm in the process of cycling my tank but it got really clear all of a sudden the past few days after being clouded for awhile, is that good sign or a bad?? I've been doing 20% water changes and stuff but should the water look really clear or should it be a little cloudy or what?

[Greg31]

From what I know, how clear the water is doesnt really much in terms of cycling. It just means your filter is doing its not. Of course its a good thing to see a clean looking filter, but in terms of cycling, you cant see bacteria

[Eva]

Did you change to sand? If so, it could be that the sand has settled.

-Eva

[sloane]

I think it si just my filter now that I'm watching it and I hadn't cleaned it immediately after I got Coto.

And no, I did some more research and decided to just leave the bottom bare. I know it can be stressful sometimes but I replaced it with bigger safer hidey-holes and fake plants and he seems to be enjoying it. Its also way easier to clean up!

[Johnny O. Farnen]

Sand is better, however in this case, it looks to me like the gravel is to large for this axolotl to swallow...

[sloane]

Just wanted to give some updates and some pics!

He had a bite of worm the first time today. I've been feeding him frozen brine shrimp which he likes but he's been getting to skinny. That piece of worm bulked him up fast haha. Also got rid of substrate just for cleanliess sake, he doesn't seem to mind the glass. And his tank looks cloudy ugh, I've been doing 20% changes every week I guess his tank is just cycling??

[Paul]

hi
when you clean things, you do clean your filter n stuff in the syphoned off tank water dont you?
you know not to rinse things especialy your filter sponge in tap water?
you probably know this but just making sure.

[sloane]

Yep! I take some of the tank water and kind of just scrub the filter with itself though I haven't been doing that very often just like twice I think this month.

[Paul]

do you know anyone who has an established fish tank with an external filter?
i put my new sponges inside a canister filter for 48hrs, bingo fully cycled new sponge.

[sloane]

Man, I wish I did but I don't. Will it clear up eventually you think once it slowly cycles?

[Paul]

well its got 2 choices LoL sorry kiddin
it will more than likely clear up in time, im new to axolotl's myself, just not to tropical fish keeping, i have piranha's & snakeheads which their tanks took a lot of cycling being very large fish to start with, i cycled my filter before adding fish, it took 5 weeks but i did take the ammonia level up to 8ppm, now my filter will handle anything.
had problems with small tanks myself in the past sometimes you get algae blooms, sometimes water just goes bad, putting "remedies" in from pet shops rarely work.
i just dont know what params axies can take, cos for cycling a tank for fish you dont do any water changes untill its gone thru the whole process, then do a 90% WC unless params get really bad n your fish are gasping at the top.
had 1 tank's water turn into soup in 48 hrs, found out later it was the ambi pur air freshener 10ft away squirtin crapola into it.
anyway good luck with your tank n axies.

[Melissalotl]

Ugh, ambi pur is as toxic as fly spray. Please don't use them regardless. Keep them away from you , your children, your house and pets. They will be banned one day mark my words. It's called essential oils (not in the water) and cleaning people. Deal with it.

(sorry these things are a massive pet hate of mine- they're POISON)