Cycling Trouble

[Phoenix2016]

Hi. At the risk of getting lectured (I deserve it) for not doing things properly, I need to ask for help.

When I got my axie about a month ago my friend who has 2 said that since I was using her filters and stuff I didn’t need to do any cycling. I had apparently not done my research, so I went with that. I think she had the right idea, but mistake #1 I should have been more careful and made absolutely sure first. I didn’t.

Mistake #2 - I swear I am not dumb most of the time, but I do have severe ADHD and miss details a lot because I’m moving too fast. I somehow ended up getting a pond API kit instead of freshwater, and mistake #3, I stupidly took for granted that testing was just dropping the chemicals in the test tubes and measuring right away.

Net effect: water parameters have never actually been what I thought, and D’Art got one of those white balls of fluff (either Columnaris Bacterial or a fungal infection).

I spent a day researching and started treating him for it in a 2 liter tub. He seems very much better, but before I put him back I am trying to make 100% sure the tank is cycled correctly this time.

Well I don’t even know if I am starting correctly. It doesn’t seem like following directions has helped at all, after watching many many YouTubers and reading articles and forums.

I got the right kit and found that nitrates and nitrites were both high, as well as ammonia. I did a 50% water change, added Prime, added QuickStart, and waited a day. Nitrates stayed the same and nitrites went down. So I thought I needed to add ammonia to get the bacteria to start breaking stuff down. Guys, I am really bad at science. It did not work, but now ammonia was way high. So that next day I did about a 95% water change, put my previous filter in (I had tried a sponge filter and liked it but wasn’t sure it was helping the cycling. It is still in there but not running). I added Prime and tested ammonia only and it was still very high- darkest on chart (8?). So I added QuickStart and waited. I tested before bed and ammonia was going down a little but not enough. I tested all parameters just now and Nitrites are 5 (I think??), Nitrates are 5, and ammonia is 4.

But now I’m afraid to mess up.

Should I add QuickStart for bacteria? Or do a partial or full water change? Or will that just start me all over. Should I add something from my betta tank which already has great parameters?

Is D’Art miserable in a tub in the meantime? His water temp is good, full water change with Prime every day, eating but not much, straight tail, frills ok, but he looks a little pale, and occasionally swims a little frantically and then calms down.

Please help and talk to me like a child slow and simple. I don’t want to mess up any more.

 

[wolfen]

get a heater for the tank whilst cycling as it will help the bacteria to both breed and to break down ammonia.
test your ph regularly, if it goes below 7 add enough bicarbonate of soda to bring it up to 7.4 - 7.6.
make sure you have a large enough filter, too small and it wont be able to house enough bacteria.
during cycling do not do a water change until either it has finished cycling or the nitrates are 110ppm or higher.
after a tank is cycled bacteria still need to be fed, the last time being 24hrs before adding the axolotl.
any water that is used for a water change whilst cycling must be dechlorinated before hand, no water conditioner that will detox/lock ammonia should be used as this can affect how the bacteria consume the ammonia.
a air-stone in the water is as important to the filter bacteria as it is to any animal housed in the aquarium.
an axolotl tank is normally cycled using a high amount of ammonia, this is to ensure that the filtration will be able to cope once the axolotl is an adult, this is the equivalent of an over stocked fish tank.
normally once the tank has first started cycling it is dosed with ammonia at 4ppm then left a week running (ie. filter, heater, air etc) whilst the bacteria start to form, after a week check ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/ph levels and then top up to 4ppm again, check 24hrs later then top back up to 4ppm, keep repeating this until after 24hrs both ammonia and nitrites are at 0ppm, then top back up to 4ppm and retest 24hrs later, this is to be done for a couple or days to ensure that the cycling has finished.
use holtfreters or modified for fungus treatment and also prevent re-occurrences.

 

[Axie4Life]

get a heater for the tank whilst cycling as it will help the bacteria to both breed and to break down ammonia.
test your ph regularly, if it goes below 7 add enough bicarbonate of soda to bring it up to 7.4 - 7.6.
make sure you have a large enough filter, too small and it wont be able to house enough bacteria.
during cycling do not do a water change until either it has finished cycling or the nitrates are 110ppm or higher.
after a tank is cycled bacteria still need to be fed, the last time being 24hrs before adding the axolotl.
any water that is used for a water change whilst cycling must be dechlorinated before hand, no water conditioner that will detox/lock ammonia should be used as this can affect how the bacteria consume the ammonia.
a air-stone in the water is as important to the filter bacteria as it is to any animal housed in the aquarium.
an axolotl tank is normally cycled using a high amount of ammonia, this is to ensure that the filtration will be able to cope once the axolotl is an adult, this is the equivalent of an over stocked fish tank.
normally once the tank has first started cycling it is dosed with ammonia at 4ppm then left a week running (ie. filter, heater, air etc) whilst the bacteria start to form, after a week check ammonia/nitrite/nitrate/ph levels and then top up to 4ppm again, check 24hrs later then top back up to 4ppm, keep repeating this until after 24hrs both ammonia and nitrites are at 0ppm, then top back up to 4ppm and retest 24hrs later, this is to be done for a couple or days to ensure that the cycling has finished.
use holtfreters or modified for fungus treatment and also prevent re-occurrences.

Yes, that should work. Something that worked for me was buying some cheap fish, and tossing them into the tank to start the nitrogen cycle. You could also probably buy some plants and/or some used filter media from your local fish store, that already have some good bacteria. you could also take some stuff out of a fish tank (if you have one) and do the same thing. The Beginner's Guide to the Nitrogen Cycle for Aquariums

 

[Phoenix2016]

Yes, that should work. Something that worked for me was buying some cheap fish, and tossing them into the tank to start the nitrogen cycle. You could also probably buy some plants and/or some used filter media from your local fish store, that already have some good bacteria. you could also take some stuff out of a fish tank (if you have one) and do the same thing. The Beginner's Guide to the Nitrogen Cycle for Aquariums

Oooh putting other fish in sounds like a great idea.

 

[DoNotDisturb]

NOOOO!! Do not think of putting other fish in, you can just drop in fish flakes in there, which will break down into ammonia. This is a cheaper, easier way to cycle your tank, and it will not risk the life of other fish, either. You should just sprinkle about 2 pinch's worth of flakes, which will dissolve and break down into ammonia. Remember the stress signs of your axolotl, curled gills are the most common. If you see curled gills, you can check out some trusted websites you know to calm down your axolotl, but the most likely reason of your axolotl's stress are bad water parameters. Test strips are an easy, fast way to check the water parameters, and make sure that your axolotl is in the right water. You can find out the correct water parameters on the internet, but the most common reason of bad water parameters is the water hardness. If you have any questions, just ask me, I can help. Remember: curled gills equals stress. Stress is caused normally by bad water parameters, but can also be caused by not enough substrate, tank too small, etc. You cannot rush cycling. The quick start will certainly speed up the process, or at least you can be sure that your tank is good after the 2 weeks, but it would be cruel and unethical to not wait enough time. 13 days might be enough, especially if you have quick start. I did that, and it worked for me, and it probably lead to a safer environment, which will be faster as well. While tubbing your axolotl will certainly keep him alive for an indefinite period of time, he will not be very happy, so just cycle your tank for 14 days with quick start, 12 days at the very least.

 

[wolfen]

Oooh putting other fish in sounds like a great idea.

unfortunately to get the ammonia high enough you would either need about fifty guppies/platys/mollys or about ten medium sized goldfish, although your axolotl will eat the guppies etc. the goldfish will on the other hand be more likely to nip your axie so will need to go somewhere once the tank is cycled ie pond. also bare in mind that the fish wont be in the best condition after having to tolerate high/toxic water levels.
using bottled bacteria will help increase the bacteria levels in the tank and therefore filter speeding up the cycling process.
stop adding bottled bacteria if the water goes cloudy and just continue cycling, once a colony is established in the filter any cloudiness will subside.

 

[DoNotDisturb]

Hi. At the risk of getting lectured (I deserve it) for not doing things properly, I need to ask for help.

When I got my axie about a month ago my friend who has 2 said that since I was using her filters and stuff I didn’t need to do any cycling. I had apparently not done my research, so I went with that. I think she had the right idea, but mistake #1 I should have been more careful and made absolutely sure first. I didn’t.

Mistake #2 - I swear I am not dumb most of the time, but I do have severe ADHD and miss details a lot because I’m moving too fast. I somehow ended up getting a pond API kit instead of freshwater, and mistake #3, I stupidly took for granted that testing was just dropping the chemicals in the test tubes and measuring right away.

Net effect: water parameters have never actually been what I thought, and D’Art got one of those white balls of fluff (either Columnaris Bacterial or a fungal infection).

I spent a day researching and started treating him for it in a 2 liter tub. He seems very much better, but before I put him back I am trying to make 100% sure the tank is cycled correctly this time.

Well I don’t even know if I am starting correctly. It doesn’t seem like following directions has helped at all, after watching many many YouTubers and reading articles and forums.

I got the right kit and found that nitrates and nitrites were both high, as well as ammonia. I did a 50% water change, added Prime, added QuickStart, and waited a day. Nitrates stayed the same and nitrites went down. So I thought I needed to add ammonia to get the bacteria to start breaking stuff down. Guys, I am really bad at science. It did not work, but now ammonia was way high. So that next day I did about a 95% water change, put my previous filter in (I had tried a sponge filter and liked it but wasn’t sure it was helping the cycling. It is still in there but not running). I added Prime and tested ammonia only and it was still very high- darkest on chart (8?). So I added QuickStart and waited. I tested before bed and ammonia was going down a little but not enough. I tested all parameters just now and Nitrites are 5 (I think??), Nitrates are 5, and ammonia is 4.

But now I’m afraid to mess up.

Should I add QuickStart for bacteria? Or do a partial or full water change? Or will that just start me all over. Should I add something from my betta tank which already has great parameters?

Is D’Art miserable in a tub in the meantime? His water temp is good, full water change with Prime every day, eating but not much, straight tail, frills ok, but he looks a little pale, and occasionally swims a little frantically and then calms down.

Please help and talk to me like a child slow and simple. I don’t want to mess up any more.View attachment 92556View attachment 92555

best to check your water parameters first. Make sure you even have the right water or your axolotl will die, even in the tub. You said you did not research before you bought the axolotl so you obviously may not have the right water parameters, as the chances of you having the right gh, ph, kh, alkalinity, etc. are very slim.

 

[wolfen]

a point that donotdisturb did raise was checking your kh gh, if you can get liquid drop tests and test the tap water, don't use strip test as they aren't accurate enough.
the ideal kh is 3° - 8°, the ideal gh is 7° - 14° if it is tested with strips then 1° is 17.9.
the reason I suggest testing is because you mentioned him being pale and although it can be nothing it is best to test anyway.