High ammonia

Has any one any idea how I can reduce the amonia on my tank it's currently 1.2. The pet department suggested I reduce feeding but am not sure how long my axie can go without food he has been having 1 waxworm a day..I would welcome any suggestions

Re: High amonia

Ammonia at that level will kill an axie quite quickly - you need to do a 90% water change ASAP.

Do you understand cycling? And is your tank and filter cycled?

I've been adding fluval cycle each day..The store said not to do a water change..advice is so conflicting. Confused what to do?

Re: High amonia

Don't listen to the stores, they're just trying to make/maximize profits. While we might not have all the answers, any information you get here will come from hobbyist that love our critters and want to share our experiences and what we have learned just because we want to pass on the knowledge and make sure the critters of others are well taken care of.

For ANY kind of fish-in cycling (Axolotl or anything else) you will need to test the water parameters daily (Ammonia, nitrite and nitrate being the most important). When ammonia or nitrites reach .5, do a water change of 25-50% or so. You will see the nitrates at the end of the cycle, and when you don't see any nitrites or ammonia you're set. You will just need to do water changes to clean the tank and lower the nitrates and keep it under 40ppm. The water changes will not affect the cycling at all because the beneficial bacteria lives mainly in the filter media (don't change this unless falling apart, then only about half at a time).

I would also avoid the Fluval cycle. Axolotls are more sensitive to fish and they could be harmed by it, and from my experience bacteria in a bottle is very expensive and either doesn't or barely quicken the cycling of a new tank.

While not all pet store employees are just after your money, it's good to keep in mind that in the end these are just employees at a store, just like anyone at a clothing store. While they could be trying help you out, they might have less experience with animals than you, especially with exotics. It's always best to do some research and compare to what you're being told.

From my experience, cycling bacteria didn't do anything for any of my tanks. They all cycled differently and finished at the different times. The best thing that you can do is to continue to do very frequent water changes and keep the ammonia below .5 and be very patient. It might take a few weeks but it will happen. Make sure you have a good amount of filter media like ceramic media, sponge or filter floss and you don't need to bother with activated charcoal. Live plants could help, but make sure you get low light plants that can tolerate the colder temperatures axolotls like. You do not need fertilizers and only need a light if you don't have any good light near the tank, and you would want just enough for the plants and to give your axolotl plenty of cover and hides (like PVC pipes) so he/she can get out of the light whenever he/she pleases.

My one last bit of advice is to swap to nightcrawlers/earthworms as soon as possible. Mealworms aren't a good diet, but earthworms are the best. You can feed your axolotl a worm similar to his size but it might take a while to get used to eating the worm. You could cut the worms to the width of the axolotl to make them easier to eat. Try to avoid red wrigglers, most axolotls dislike them and it's harder to get them to eat them.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for your advice I am a complete novice. I like to research things before I buy but gained axey as a Christmas gift..I'm getting really paranoid as he nearly died a week after we got him this is the lil critter by the way

Very cute axolotl.

We all start as beginners so there's nothing wrong with that. You're doing good by acknowledging that and looking for advice from some different sources. I hate animals as Christmas gifts for this same reason, unless you've planned it out of course.

"A fish tank? What's that for?" - "I don't know! Let's see what Santa drops in."

Anyways...try to remember to stay calm as much as possible. Coming from experience, a clear head is much better to think through any of these situations. I once came home with my girlfriend from a long day home, leaving our axolotl Atl with a bloating problem, floating around the tank. He had only been like that for about a day, so I figured it would pass. Well when I first looked in the tank my brain said he was dead because of how he was floating and lack of the response to my presence.

I had to keep telling myself I don't know anything yet and washed my hands since I had just come home and went to give him a gentle prod. He was floating about an inch from the water surface and when my finger touched the water, he jerked awake and turned to look at me. I figured he was very tired from trying to swim down that he fell asleep. He passed the air bubble overnight and was back to normal by the next morning.

Your tank looks great, but I would like to say that, if you haven't, I would thoroughly check the decorations for any rough areas. You could do this by rubbing a panty hose on it and seeing if it catches and tears. Some plastic plants can also be rough and/or have a metal wire for support in the middle that could possibly be a concern? I also own a betta fish and things like these could hurt them, and I believe axolotl gills are similarly delicate.

As you can see I love to ramble on. Enjoy your new companion and don't hesitate to ask for advice. This forum has never steered me wrong, and if you are unsure about some advice wait a bit and someone will most likely chime and let you know if it's bad.

Oh no I got that afterwards my daughter delivered him in a tiny tank..but I am learning fast by looking up as much info as I can..At er the white floating episode..Once again thank you..x

Cacique has given all wonderful info and advice.

Regarding the pet store employees, I have to agree, and that is coming from someone who used to be a pet store employee about 20 years ago. Now when you go into smaller more specialized aquarium stores that deal regularly with more exotic creatures like this as a specialty sometimes they are more knowledgeable and give very good advice, although not always, and can vary from employee to employee, so it is always good to double check the information you are given before you apply it. But chain stores and stores that just teach their employees basic information often do not give full and correct information. There are of course that employee now and then who are very knowledgeable about their specialties and go to work in those stores just because they love that field so much, so they may know a lot more than typical employees of those stores.

To give an example, I used to work at Petsmart and I loved it. I was an employee in the animal department and took care of the fish, reptiles, amphibians and birds. I learned most of my preliminary fish knowledge by taking their little "fish course" certification for which I got a little fish sticker badge thing to put on my name tag certifying me as an "expert". Lol looking back now with all I know about fish, I realize that much of what we were taught was just plain wrong and propaganda to get people to buy things. We were told to tell people to cycle their tank by setting it up and adding some bottled bacteria and then letting it run for at least a week before adding fish. The truth to that is that without adding any fish or ammonia source this is not cycling your tank at all you are just pouring a bottle of bacteria in the tank which will then die with nothing to feed on. Luckily, one of my other coworkers was an experienced fish keeper and knew how to correctly cycle an aquarium and taught me what I needed to know the correct way.

Another more recent example is when I started looking for my first axolotls. I had heard of a local aquarium store that seemed very knowledgeable about their fish and their tanks all seem very healthy with many beautiful well cared for healthy looking fish. I had heard that they carried axolotls and so I went in to ask if they still had any. I was told that the last time they ordered them they sold very slowly and he was left with several, which he then told me had ended up metamorphosing into tiger salamanders. Now if you have looked into what axolotls are, they are related to tiger salamanders but they are not actual tiger salamanders. So the man that I spoke to, which I believe was the owner of the store, obviously got them in as a test run and does not really know a whole lot about axolotls.I guess my point with that is that even if the aquarium store looks very knowledgeable about most of their critters they may not know whole lot about the more exotic non fish animals that they carry.

So yeah, sorry to go on and on, this turned out longer than I had anticipated, but I just wanted to second what they said about pet store employees not always knowing what they're talking about, although there are the exceptions who take care in learning the correct information before they start giving information to their customers.

Ok I am an experienced fish keeper both fresh and saltwater. I do know how to properly cycle a tank, but I am new to axolotyls. I purchased a small batch of eggs. I did cycle a 10 gallon tank for them using fish and seeded the tank with a seasoned, planted piece of driftwood from my 20 gal tank. I had to move my babies into the 10 gallon tank earlier than I planned to. I was having axie pile ups and could not clean without possibly injuring them. I did the research and expected it to take about 2 months for them to reach 2 inches and 25 to a 10 gallon tank for that size. I was also told to only fill it half way. Well my smallest axolotyl is 2 inches but most are 3 inches and 1 is 4(will be 2 months next week). I am having ammonia issues as I do not think the filter was completely cycled. I was just starting pellets but have returned to all live foods and feeding each axolotyl individually ( black worms and purchased earthworms for the large ones) all 9 of them. Removing poo/debris asap, daily water changes ( I am leaving just enough water to cover the axolotyls). I am using a exoterra canister filter for turtles( with spray bar) and have an air bubbler cycling 5 gallons of water and using prime during water changes. I am concerned for my babies and I am down to 2 options that I can think of. Brack down the filter and completely clean or add an ammonia remover that I know will disrupt the cycle. Please advise need to know symptoms of ammonia stress in axolotls so I know what to watch for besides tesing the water daily. I tested it twice today.

If the ammonia remove is a chemical I would not recommend it, axolotls are far more sensitive than fish. Am I right in that you have 25 axolotls, 2-4 inches in length in a 10 gallon tank? If so that is too over crowded. If I am right in that then I am afraid the ammonia won't change until you place them in a bigger tank or separate them into several.

I would continue to do as many water changes as you need and could and look for a bigger tank or a few tanks to put them in. I would cycle them with pure ammonia and if you have one a heater to make things go as quick as possible. If you can't find any tanks I believe big plastic storage containers will work. I believe I read that Sterilite brand is food safe. Adding more water to the tank should help too. Is there any reason why you are keeping the water so low?

Hopefully someone will come and give you more advice on things like the signs of ammonia stress on axolotls. I hope my advice can help you. While I don't have the experience in aquarium keeping you do, but I've had my axolotl for a while longer.

No I only have 9 axolotyls in a 10 gallon tank do have a larger tank that needs to be leak tested and cycled.Planning on testing it for leaks tomorrow.

I was told to by a breeder that when they produced back legs I could put them in the 10 gallon but only to fill it half way. I moved them dec 24 the largest was 2 inches all had back legs. Today the largest is 4 inches they are getting big quicker than I expected from all the infomation, questions and research that was done prior to purchasing the eggs.

Could you look at my pic of my axie as someone commented he maybe an andersoni/ hybrid as his back feet are webbed..what are the implications of this if he is..what am I going to end up with

It is highly improbable it is a hybrid. Axolotls sometimes have webbed feet. Care is pretty much identical, so unless it morphs, ramifications would be none, except that many consider it unethical to breed hybrids and spread them throughout the hobby.

babyc69 hope you do not mind that I am also having ammonia issues and did not want to overload with another post about the same subject.

Ok I have just removed debris from thier tank, cleaned the filter and increased the water level in the 10 gallon tank. I have 9 not quite 2 month old axolotyls. Largest is 4 inches smallest is 2 inches. I will be running a test in 1 hour from now. If there is anything else I should be doing or something I have done wrong please let me know.

Ok did the test ammonia 0 nitrites0 nitrates0 ph 7. Hardness 150 kh 40. My water doenot have much of a buffering capacity. I may have to recycle the tank now but at least I know my axies are safe and will test again tomorrow.

Interesting thread concerning axolotls that look like andersoni hybrids ... http://www.caudata.org/forum/f1173-...-spp-etc/100643-andersoni-axolotl-hybrid.html

Nancy Haggerty said:

No I only have 9 axolotyls in a 10 gallon tank do have a larger tank that needs to be leak tested and cycled.Planning on testing it for leaks tomorrow.

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Nine Axies is way too many to have in such a small tank.. I would even say that it is hardly big enough for one Lotl to grow and thrive; although, ideally, you would want about 10 gallons of tank space per Axolotl. Remember, floor area of the aquarium is more important than the amount of water.

Also, it is much easier to maintain low levels of ammonia, nitrates, nitrites. etc. I would highly recommend a larger tank for the critters. It would make your life (and their's) much easier..

I have one Axie in a 20 gallon long tank and it is very easy to maintain water quality with water changes about every week.

Ace said:

Nine Axies is way too many to have in such a small tank.. I would even say that it is hardly big enough for one Lotl to grow and thrive; although, ideally, you would want about 10 gallons of tank space per Axolotl. Remember, floor area of the aquarium is more important than the amount of water.

Also, it is much easier to maintain low levels of ammonia, nitrates, nitrites. etc. I would highly recommend a larger tank for the critters. It would make your life (and their's) much easier..

I have one Axie in a 20 gallon long tank and it is very easy to maintain water quality with water changes about every week.

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Good advice, but if you keep reading, you will see that she has 9 juvenile axies that are growing faster than expected in a 10 gallon, and she already has another big tank that she is setting up for them. :happy:

LSuzuki said:

Good advice, but if you keep reading, you will see that she has 9 juvenile axies that are growing faster than expected in a 10 gallon, and she already has another big tank that she is setting up for them. :happy:

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Ahh, gotcha. Sorry I got a little lost in translation there. Thanks for clarifying. :happy: