Murky water and water temps... =\

Hey guys! This forum is great... especially for people like me who are new to owning axies.. well one axie!
At the pet shop I was given a heater to warm the water up... it was set to 22C but now the temp is 27C... Is this too hot for my axie? I have turned the heater off in hope that I can bring the water temp back down to bout 20-22C.
Also, over night my axies water has got a bit murky... just wondering why this is and how it can be prevented?
Thanks =D

Axolotls prefer cool water. Under 20C is optimal.

The water is probably murky if you haven't cycled your tank. Read http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml for more information on cycling.

Putting an axolotl in an uncycled tank without proper knowlege of the nitrogen cycle can be very dangerous. Ammonia can build up quite quickly to toxic levels.

Hello... thanks for your reply... I have had the filter on since before the axolotl has been put into the water and it's still a little cloudy... im confused as to what i should do..

How long have you had your tank and how long after did you add your axie? Also, how often do you do waterchanges ? Do you have water test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate?

If you can get a fan, or pedestal fan (they're easy to adjust height and angle) put it on a low setting and aim it towards the top of the tank water surface (this can also help cool it) You can also use frozen bottles of dechlorinated water floating in the tank to bring temp down - but not sure how easy that would be for you at college. Don't drop icecubes in tank water, because of fluctuating temp. which can stress your axie.

Hello,
I took the heater out and the water temp has come down slowly over the last day, it is now at 24C.

I bought the tank and the axie at the same time. The axie was just in the bag of water from the pet shop for a couple of hours while i set up the tank. After i finished the tank... I added water slowly (a litre at a time, as i had to add stress coat and stress zyme to the water) and then i put the filter in, the axie was put into the tank about 15/20 minutes later. Thanks =D

You need to cycle the tank and if you are leaving the axie in there you will need test kits for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. You will prolly need to test every few days and do partial water changes a few times a week to keep the ammonia levels down to safe levels.
Alternatively you could leave your axie in a separate container and do daily water changes till your tank is cycled.
I reccommend the second option as that is what I did and ive never tried to do it the other way but other people have and it worked for them. Whichever will be the most do-able, go with it.

Your tank is probably in the early days of cycling. How many days have you owned him/her? And did you read the above article link that Joan posted.

Very important that you get the test kits mentioned above to test the water regularly. If you can't them at this stage, then you shud take a sample of your tank water in every few days to the petshop to get tested for ammonia, nitrites and nitrates (get them to give you the figures and post them here if ur unsure). Cycling can take between 4-8weeks.

One other thing, unless the petshop is knowledgeable about axies, then I wud take everything they say with a pinch of salt. Don't be tempted to buy something or some chemical because they say it will help your tank or axie. If in doubt ask here.

ive had the axie for 5 days now... my tank water has cleared up alot now as well. =D which is good because i can actually see my axie now. my cousin has some and she said that in the first few days their tank water went green, maybe its just a normal process that occurs when an axie is put in to a new tank.

It's the start of cycling, although our tanks never went green. You have to be careful and monitor your water parameters thru using the above tests mentioned. If you don't your axie will get sick and/or ammonia burns. If you don't have the tests for the 3 things ammonia/nitrite and nitrate you HAVE to test your water regularly by taking samples to the petshop for them to test. If the ammonia and nitrite is too high you have to do waterchanges to bring it down to safe levels for your axie.

Hence reason it is so important to either buy the tests yourself or take regular samples to petshop; otherwise why bother having an axie if you don't intend looking after it properly from the start -\
* this includes monitoring the water parameters during cycling for your axie's wellbeing,
* keeping it at a cooler temp than 24deg cel. - 18degree is good, lower even better, they prefer colder temps.,
* they also like/need places in their tank to hide; esp. during the day or if they are in a high traffic area).

How often and how much are you changing the water (once a week more or less often)? Also, do you clean up any uneaten food or poo (buy a turkey baster this works great for spotcleaning).

The pet shop told me that the tank needs a 20% water change every week... but I haven't cleaned it yet as the axie as only been in the tank since last wednesday afternoon.
I have also been cleaning up any left over axie "waste" which i find in the tank.

Alyssa, it will need 20% weekly changes after cycling. YOU MUST MONITOR AMMONIA LEVELS! If you don't monitor them while your tank is cycling, you can kill your axolotl.

The green is probably algae. Try a 20% water change AT LEAST twice a week. Testing is CRUCIAL if you are leaving your axie in the tank during cycling. My first axie died of ammonia burns and my tank had been cycled but something upset the balance. It is a very real danger. If you cant test, take the axie out, put it in a container and change the container water daily.

I'm going to go to the pet shop and ask them about testing for ammonia levels probably today so ill let you know how it all goes. thanks.