Help! How can I adjust Ph???

Hi,

I've done some water quality tests and found that my:
Ph= 6
Ammonia= 2
Nitrite=2
Nitrate =5

I am on tank water, and have been told that it is "soft" water. How will I be able to increase the PH to a healthy level (Preferably without buying extra chemicals)

By doing 20% water changes (once or twice a day) will this bring the rest of the results for Ammonia,Nitrite, Nitrate back into healthy levels?

I have just cleaned the filter sponge in my itnernal filter (it is an AquaOne 101F Maxi Series - Is this decent enough for my tank?) it was fairly grotty -

I cleaned it in water from my tank so that I didn't kill off the good bacteria, and I filtered out the waste and gunk from it and put the water (minus the gunk) back into the tank - Was this the right thing to do?

My axie isn't eating, and mostly doesn't move at all, has fungi growing on him - I've been giving him salt baths and cycling the water in the tank 20% (once or sometimes twice daily)

Is there anything else I can do to bring the water quality back into safe levels and help my axie recover?

Keep up with the regular water changes. Not once or twice a day though. Do 25% changes once a week. Maybe keep your axie in a tub or hospital tank for the time being if it is ill. Keep it separate until the water conditions are corrected. You may want to get some chemicals to help out a bit. It might be worth the investment (in case it happens again).

How big is the tank?
The axolotl?
Did you cycle the tank before you put the axolotl in it?

I'm assuming from your readings are that you didn't cycle your tank. Read the following; http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>Quoting Michael on Saturday 25 November 2006 - 20:31 (#POST112397):</font>

I have just cleaned the filter sponge in my itnernal filter (it is an AquaOne 101F Maxi Series - Is this decent enough for my tank?) it was fairly grotty -<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

While your tank is cycling you shouldn't clean your filter at all. But once cycled then cleaning filter in tankwater is the right thing to do, just leave the filter alone till your tank is cycled as it hasn't really had time to establish properly and could muck things up.

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>Quoting Michael on Saturday 25 November 2006 - 20:31 (#POST112397):</font>

I am on tank water, and have been told that it is "soft" water. How will I be able to increase the PH to a healthy level (Preferably without buying extra chemicals)
<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>
If you can get a hold of some bird grit you could put it in your filter in a stocking or something and it should help bring the pH up a bit.

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>Quoting Michael on Saturday 25 November 2006 - 20:31 (#POST112397):</font>

By doing 20% water changes (once or twice a day) will this bring the rest of the results for Ammonia,Nitrite, Nitrate back into healthy levels? <!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

Do 20% waterchanges daily if you have your axie in the tank, esp. with those ammonia/nitrite levels.

What is your tank temp? He might be stressed which is why he isn't eating and doesn't help having the fungus. If your tank is above 20deg, you really need to try and cool it down. Try using fan/s blowing across the surface or use bottles of frozen water rotated before they completely melt so the temps don't fluctuate and cause more stress.

If you are able to, it might be an idea to put your axie in a plastic tub/container and do 100% daily water changes (keep two containers of water, so you can just swap him from one to other and change water easily). Let your tank cycle.

Continue with twice daily saltbaths. If you can't keep your axie water temp below 20deg cel. then it may pay for you to put your axie in the fridge but continue with the 2x daily saltbaths (fridge shud be no less than 5deg cel.)

Also, what food are you offering him?

I didn't cycle my tank before I put them in it - Just took the advice of the pet store/s ( I went to 3 seperate stores and asked them about what I needed to do - None of them mentioned anything about it)

I have the Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate levels decreased alot;

Ammonia = 1
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 5-10
Ph still 6 or below - I will get some stuff to increase the Ph to a good level tomorrow

I will move the axie into a temporary tank tomorrow as well, I have 3 other empty fish tanks that I can use for that.

The tank that the axie is in is 60cm x 30cm. There is only one in there and he is a fairly small one, about 16cm

My gf has a cat, so I can't leave the fan blowing on the water, because I like to keep the glass lid on it, just in case the cat gets curious and wants to get my axie.

I have been freezing bottles of water and letting them float around the tank to keep it fairly cool - still need to get a thermometer.

I've been trying to feed him beef heart in cube form, but he doesn't like them. I told the guy at yet another pet store and he gave me some worms, but they turned out to be mealworms, axie won't eat them either, and I'm going to be taking them back for a please explain, because I've read that mealworms are not a good food for axies because they can't digest the hard exoskeleton properly.

okay, Tested the tank again tonight and the
Ammmonia - Spiked back to around 2
Nitrite - I've got Artoo in a temporary tank and will transfer him to the other spare tank with 100% water change every day while I finish cycling my tank properly.

Do I need to have some other live animals in the tank to cycle it? Like feeder fish or something?

I'll try and increase the Ph in the temp tanks to the safe levels as well & hopefully he will feel alot better

sometimes calcium materials like shells and corals can up the ph if your water is natural more acidic than nutral/ things like almond leaves (leaves some shrimp people use) can lower the ph, also other plant material and leaves have been known to lower ph.

I would be careful especially with anything that comes in a bottle to modify ph, things can get messed up if not careful.Hope everything balances out.

As AnnMarie indicated you can increase the hardness and pH of the tank through the addition of a calicum carbonate containing item. However whole sea shells are typically of limited use as they react with other items in the water and lose thier ability to buffer the water. Some people have good luck using oyster shell bird grit (as it is broken up in the filter). If you are going to purchase a buffer from a pet store then you want to get one of the better ones and do not use items like pH up or down as these do not stabalize the pH.

With respect to the question about needing fish please review the following article http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml


Ed

<blockquote><hr size=0><!-quote-!><font size=1>Quoting Michael on Monday 27 November 2006 - 13:45 (#POST112620):</font>

've been trying to feed him beef heart in cube form, but he doesn't like them. I told the guy at yet another pet store and he gave me some worms, but they turned out to be mealworms, axie won't eat them either, and I'm going to be taking them back for a please explain, because I've read that mealworms are not a good food for axies because they can't digest the hard exoskeleton properly.<!-/quote-!><hr size=0></blockquote>

Earthworms if you can get them. Do you have a baitshop or something similar where you can purchase worms. Ask at some landscaping/garden places that sell compost as well as they may be able to put you onto wormfarm where you can order them in. Then you can set up your own wormfarm, they're quite easy, and cheap!

As for beef cubes. They won't eat lumps/cubes, but try them on strips (worm thin strips). You shud be able to pick up 1/4-1/2 sheep/ox heart from your local butcher or meat department in supermarket (also very cheap). Chop off fat and tendons. I cut them in cubes and put them in freezer. Then semidefrost a couple when they're needed and cut in very thin slices then each slice in wormlike strips (inch long). Raw meat shud be fed occasionally. And as it's dead meat you probably have to give it a bit of a wriggle to try and interest them. If it's too long or two chunky/wide they will generally spit them out.

hey all,

I tried everything could, and last night transferred Artoo into a temporary tank while the main one finished cycling, but he died last night. He was looking really healthy and happy to be in his new tank though, and I was thinking that he was going to be alright, so I'm not sure why he died. Might have been the shock of going into different water conditions or something, I'm not exactly sure.

I'm not sure if it was just because my axolotls were so young, but they're really hard to look after & I don't know if I will ever keep them again, or any other marine critters.

Thanks for all the help and advice you've all given me.

-Michael

Micheal, sorry to hear that Artoo died.

Thanks Wendy