Axies + pleco = good or bad?

Hello all. First of all I'd like everyone to know how helpful this site has been and especially this forum. Its nice to see folks with so much enthusiasm for their pets! I've never owned an axie before but am planning on getting one this week. I just have a few questions I'd like cleared up before bringing one home with me. First of all, I've heard that they can be quite messy little fellows and was wondering if adding a pleco to his tank would be beneficial. I know that it can be dangerous to stick axies and fish together, but would a pleco find an axies gills enticing? Also, if this is not a good idea, I've seen commercial producs that you can put in your aquarium to clean your plastic plants and other decor...are these products safe for amphibians? I was going to put him in a 10 gallon (38 L) tank with a canister filter that I already have. However, my canister filter is for a 20 gallon tank. Will this create too much water flow? Will too much water flow eventually be fatal to my axie? And finally, will dechlorinator or other products to reduce ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, etc be detrimental to my axie?
Sorry for the long post with so many questions. And I also apologize if all of these questions have all been answered. Any input} yall could provide would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

Aimee - A pleco will not clean up after an axolotl, only you and a turkey baster can do that

Mixing species can become a heated topic here. I would advise not mixing fish and axolotls. Plecos are sharp and could damage your axolotls mouth when it tries to eat the pleco (and it will eventually try).

You do not want to add cleaning mixtures to an amphibians tank. Again.... the cleaning is your job, no fish or magic product is going to assist you.

Do not use products to alter nitrite, nitrate or ammonia.

Do use a good quality dechlorinator, like Stress Coat.

You need to cycle your tank before you buy an axolotl. Tank cycling takes 30 + days. Here is an article on tank cycling to start you off http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml
If you do a web search on tank cycling you will find tons of articles.

You should also check out caudata's sister site
http://www.axolotl.org/ it is a great place to start.

A canister filter on a 10 gallon tank sounds like "too much power" to me. Axolotls do not like current. Current will cause stress that leads to illness and disease.

Alrighty and thank you. I have a larger tank all ready for him and was planning on setting up the 10 gallon for when I went back to school so I could take him with me.
I've been keeping fish for a few years so I know how to test my water and such (axies are new to me. I'm excited!). Since commercial products may prove harmful for the little guy, what can I do if I find traces of ammonia or nitrite or if nitrate or pH are too high? Will weekly water changes be enough to prevent this from happening?
Thanks again for your input! I will get an undergravel filter for my smaller tank instead of my original idea. Guess I was just trying to get away with being cheap hehehe.

The best fix in that situation is to do a water change. A pH of up to 8 is still acceptable.

Once your tank is cycled, it will remain pretty stable, and you'll do a 10% weekly water change to remove builtup nitrates (the end product of the cycling process), unless you have live plants, which will remove the nitrates for you.

I don't suggest the undergravel filter. They're pretty useless. All the poo will collect under the filter, and you will have to dismantle it to remove it. I suggest an overhang or a small internal, with the outflow baffled.

What are the appropriate levels for nitrate, nitrite and amonnia? I know this is a silly question but please help

ammonia = 0, nitrites = 0, nitrates = anything lower than 40 i think...

is it a requirement to test consistantly for these?

Its usually best to test your water once a week...twice a week at the least. regular water changes are usually enough to maintain desired levels.

I've just recently taken up the hobby as well. Aren't axies just wonderful?!

Hehehe sorry all. Not too sure what I was thinking. When I said "Its usually best to test your water once a week...twice a week at the least," I meant to say that testing your water once a week is best...tho at the very least you should test your water every OTHER week.

Although if you like to test your water twice a week, more power to ya

I guess I was so excited to answer someone else's question for a change I wasn't thinking straight. Please forgive me if I caused any confusion.