New tank

Hi!

I got my first two axies a couple of days ago, and I'm planning on putting them in a bigger tank.

The axies are just a couple of weeks, so they're quite small (aprx. 8-10 cm). I'm currently keeping them in a 40 liters tank, but will be getting a 120 liters tomorrow. The question now is how to cycle it. Unfortunately, my English is not so good, so the "easier" explenation, the better. )

Can I put the axies in the tank while cycling, if i do daily water changes (20-30%) ?

How long will the cycling take?

Hi Sirio,

This article describes cycling in detail:

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

Cycling takes anywhere from one to three months to complete.

As your axolotls are going to be living in this water while it is cycling, you will need to test the water daily for ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels and do daily partial water changes according to your readings. For example, if the reading is low do about a 10-20% partial water change, if the reading is high, do about a 50% partial water change.

Ammonia and Nitrite should read as zero, anything higher is toxic to an axolotl - While the tank is being cycled - daily partial water changes will keep these levels under control.

Axolotls release a lot of ammonia, and until the tank is completly cycled you will have times where the ammonia and nitrite levels 'peak' and therefore you need to be diligent in testing, partial water change daily and remove any debris from the tank (such as axie pooh, left over food etc).

When the ammonia and nitrite levels are a consistant '0' and the nitrate level is 10-60 - this is an indication that cycling is complete.

Spot cleaning after the axies will need to be done every day - whether the tank is cycled or not - axolotls are very messy creatures.

If you have any questions about any of the above, please feel free to ask. Cycling can be difficult to grasp.

Cheers Jacq.

cycling might take a few weeks or a few months, it is possible (but not always recommended) to cycle a tank with axies in it given you do a daily 20% water change and test the water daily. Here is a link that explains cycling http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml .
Good luck.

(Jacq beat me to it lol)

Thank you for answering. I will do a daily water change, and water testing.


By the way, is it normal that the axolotls are gulping air at the surface periodically, or does this indicate that there is too litle oxygen in the water?

Sirio said:

By the way, is it normal that the axolotls are gulping air at the surface periodically, or does this indicate that there is too litle oxygen in the water?

Click to expand...

Could you provide your water parameters? It may be a water quality issue.

If you could post the reading for Ammonia/Nitrite/Nitrate/PH and temp so we can eliminate them as a possible cause...

I have ordered a testing-kit, but haven't received it yet. Probably will tomorrow.

It seems I'm getting a used filter from a friend of mine (been running for about a year in a fish-tank) in stead of the one who followed the new tank. Do I still have to cycle it, or will it be ready to go?

Sirio said:

It seems I'm getting a used filter from a friend of mine (been running for about a year in a fish-tank) in stead of the one who followed the new tank. Do I still have to cycle it, or will it be ready to go?

Click to expand...

Yes you will, although it may not take as long

Sirio said:

By the way, is it normal that the axolotls are gulping air at the surface periodically, or does this indicate that there is too litle oxygen in the water?

Click to expand...

If it's only occasionally then it's perfectly normal.

By the way, If your axies are 8-10cm then they are a lot more than 2 weeks old, more like a few months

You could speed up the cycling by using BioSpira. It's a bit expensive, but it speeds cycling up really fast. You may have some trouble finding it. You can't find it at big chain stores, just local stores.

Hello again!

Today I've been setting up the new tank - and my axies absolutely loves it (and so do I)!!

I think the filter I got from my friend is a tad too strong for this tank, so I turned it so the stream goes on the short-side, but I actually think my axies liked the stream, because they both followed it and fell asleep floating in the "air" for a while.:lol:

Tomorrow I will buy a testing-kit, if the one I ordered still doesn't show up.

This BioSpira, can I add it to the water while the axolotls are in the tank? I can't take them back to the small tank - I think they'd hate me for ever if I did.:lol:

And the gulping for air is just a couple of times during the day (maybe 4-5 times, more or less), so it's nothing to wurry about?

By the way, I added some feeder-fish (4 neon tetra) today, but the axies haven't quite worked out how to catch them yet. Is it ok if I leave them in there for a while?

Did you quarantine the feeder fish for 30 days? That is what is recommended to avoid your axies getting sick.

Hi sirio
Neons are a tropical fish that require warm water , what temp is your tank ?
If you want feeders , I would recommend danios , white clouds or guppies and as terri9967 said , you should quarantine them , just in case the are sick or have disease .

Yes, I'm aware that tetra's are tropical fish, but considering the fact that they're feeder-fish (hence; won't be in the tank for long), I thought it would be ok. I got the tetras from a friend of mine. Don't know how long he've had them, but definately over a month. But anyway; tetra's have been replaced with guppies and earthworms today.

Half of my testing-kit arrived today (of course the ammonia was missing:kill, but here are the readings:

Ph: 6,4
Kh: 0*d
Gh: <3*d
NO2: 0 mg/l
No3: 0 mg/l

Your pH is touch on the low side, also the complete lack of nitrate makes me think the tank hasn't started cycling yet, are these reading from your new tank?
continue with your 20% water changes and continue to take readings. guppies are o.k but have been known to nip (especially if one of your axies has an open wound) so just watch them a bit. the good thing about guppies is that they breed like mad, try to keep a ratio of 1 male to 4 to 5 females and you should soon find they produce fry for the axies.

Yes, these are from the new tank. Is there something I can do to get the Ph up?

Only 2 of the guppies are in the tank (one for each), and the rest is in the old axie-tank for breeding. The axies have allready started the hunt, so I reccon they'll be gone in a minute or two, poor things.

Hi Sirio,

Have a look at www.axolotl.org it has lots of information that will help.

I got given my first axolotl and lots of wrong advice about how to keep it. I had no idea about tank cycling so she lived in the tank while it cycled.

In simple terms, Cycling is your tank building up its own supply of bacteria needed to deal with the ammonia produced by waste products.

Their are many additives to help this process. I would use none of them. The best thing for cycling your tank is patience and time.

Not having a nitrate reading shows that your tank is still cycling it will show a reading when your tank is cycled.

Sirio said:

Half of my testing-kit arrived today (of course the ammonia was missing:kill, but here are the readings:

Ph: 6,4
Kh: 0*d
Gh: <3*d
NO2: 0 mg/l
No3: 0 mg/l

Click to expand...

Hi Sirio,

If I may ask, what sort of test kit are you using? Are you using the dip strips test kit or the liquid test kit?

If you are using the dipstrip test kit, your readings may be false as these kits are notorious for giving woefully inaccurate readings.

If you have dipstrips, I would recommend you replace them with liquid test kits - these are far more accurate.

Sirio said:

Is there something I can do to get the Ph up?

Click to expand...

You can buy some shell grit from a pet store (used by birds to sharpen their beaks). Put the shell grit in a stocking and add stocking to the tank. I would put in a cup at a time, let it sit for a few days, test the water and if there is no difference add another cupful to the stocking.

Another method is to add coral sand to your substrate to raise the PH.

Never use chemical PH uppers and downers to adjust PH, as chemicals can harm your axies.

Sirio said:

but I actually think my axies liked the stream, because they both followed it and fell asleep floating in the "air" for a while.:lol:

Click to expand...

Axolotls do not float when sleeping and do not like a stream of current.

A happy, healthy axolotl spends his time doing as little as possible and sits right down the bottom.

Cheers Jacq.