Using Spring Water In Axie Tank

When I first got my tank set up, the nitrite levels were always very high. Even after letting the tank sit for about a week. The tank is only 5 gallons, as my axie is still small so it shouldn't have taken too long for the tank to cycle. I started using spring water instead of tap water, which helped eliminate the chlorine problem and has also kept nitrate,nitrite, and ammonia levels down.. I was just wondering if there is anyone else that does this? And also wanted to know if it's an effective way of keeping the water safe for my axie!

I also heard that putting an aeration rock helps to keep toxic tank wastes low, is this true as well?

An airstone will help with gas exchange at the surface, but not much.

You really need to read up on cycling - there is no way even a small tank will cycle in a week. It takes several weeks for the good bacteria that process the ammonia and nitrite to become established. Ammonia and nitrite spike before they fall, thats why you have to test the water daily while cycling.

If you can afford bottled water then fine, but in the long term it makes no difference.

The size of the tank does not really affect how long it takes the tank to cycle. The bacteria you need reproduce at a slow rate. It takes 3-6 weeks, unless you have a precycled filter.

One way to reduce nitrate in tanks is to have live plants, but they come with their own set of problems/maintenance requirements, so don't just jump to that solution without reading up on it more. :happy:

I've never hear that aeration removes any of the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate wastes. It will drive off chlorine (but you should be removing the chlorine from the water before a water change anyhow) and drive off dissolved CO2 (raising your pH). It will better oxygenate your water, which may or may not be necessary depending on your tank setup, temp, etc.

Spring water won't hurt, and I'm sure some other people do it too. I would make sure you use a consistent brand to keep the water parameters the same. Don't use distilled or reverse osmosis water unless you are going to add all of the right products to bring up the hardness.

A 5 gal tank it too small for an adult axolotl. I hope you have plans for an upgrade. :happy:

Thank you so much for the advice . Oh really? I've read on a few pages that smaller tanks are faster to cycle, I guess it just depends on the source.. I do believe that they take quite a while though. My veterinarian was the one that told me about the aeration thing, but I could have misunderstood what they said. i planned on getting one anyways to help keep the water properly oxygenated I've never used distilled or reverse osmosis as i have been sticking to the same regular spring water. Also, I am actually getting him a 10 gallon tank this week, because he is growing fast! I've already been planning the new set up

If you can afford it, I would recommend a 20 long rather than a 10. I had my axolotl in a 10 gallon tank growing up and at 5 inches long he was swimming circles in the tank. He's about 9 inches in a 55 gallon now and he's in a different spot all the time.