Help! Nitrite too high in new tank!

Hi all! I am new to the site and have just bought my first 2 axies. I have a 2 foot tank with sand, corner filter, slate plates and live elodea plants. My husband keeps african cichlids and put some filter media into my filter to quickly establish bacteria to cycle the tank. Although I wanted to wait longer to get my new friends he insisted the tank was ready to go. Hmm? Currently have no ammonia, 2.0 nitrite and haven't tested nitrates yet. Have done daily 10% water changes to help reduce the nitrites but it keeps going higher. Have cut feeding down to every second day although they are constantly hungry and active as i don't want them to create too much waste. Is my filter not big enough? The live plants are starting to die, should i remove them.? I read that they can cause high nitrite when breaking down. Pleas help, I love my new axies and i don't want them to be stressed or even worse die! I know that i shouldn't have listened to my husband and should have waited longer than 2 weeks for tank to cycle but how do i reduce the nitrite level?

Hi Cathy - Welcome to the forum

I would take the axolotls out of that tank and move them to smaller containers that you can change daily until you get your aquarium sorted out.

Put them in something deep enough they can't flop out of if they get scared.

You need the cycle in the aquarium to complete.

When i remove them, do you mean put them in containers with no filtration and do a water change daily? If so how much water do i change? Could the plants decaying be causing the nitrite to spike so high? Thank you for your help. Sorry if i sound clueless but I get i really have no idea what i am to do at this point.

Yes, if you have decaying plants remove them, they will add to the problem.

I just noticed you are in Australia, there are quite a few posts from people there having a hard time keeping their axolotls cool this time of year.

If you do not have a/c you will have a hard time keeping a smaller container of water cool enough for the axolotls.

Yes I did mean moving them to smaller containers with or without filtration and doing water changes as necessary to keep them clean.

The words "smaller container" being used just because it would be a temporary solution. You could use a large plastic tub or another aquarium.

Since it is hot there the larger the container the better. Just some place where you can get them out of the high nitrite tank until it has finished cycling.

Hi Cynthia, thanks so much for your advice! I have moved the axolotls out of their aquarium into another aquarium for the time being. My husband put and established filter into my tank out of one of his tanks and then i went and bought an aquaclear mini hang on filter for my tank as i didn't think that the box filter was enough, I am now running both filters together until mine is established. In the last 24 hours they are more active and are looking more alert, the nitrite has started to fall in my tank and i am less stressed. It was a rough 24 hours - i was so worried that they might die but now it appears that things are turning around. I won't put them back in the tank until i am sure that it has cycled properly. Thanks again for your help.

Cathy - I am glad they are acting better.

Please let us know if you see a change in the way their gills look over the next few weeks. I have noticed a few people having new tank syndrome then reporting a change in the axolotls gills within a few weeks or so. I would like to keep track of this sort of thing.

Good luck with your new axolotls