Question: Cloudy Tank

Hi all,

I'm new to keeping Axolotl's and I'm finding that over the last week or two that my tank has started to become cloudy.

My tank set up is:
Tank size - 60cm x 30cm x 30cm (holds about 60 litres)
Has a fine sand base,
A few plastic plants, and a live plant,
A big stone and an ornamental dinosaur

I've attached a picture as well.

I've been cleaning the filter out every other day and finding alot of gunk and stuff in it. I haven't done a full tank change yet (I've been doing about 10 Litres once a week.) and was wondering if this would help with the situation? Obviously I'd have to leave the water to rest for a few days somewhere before I changed it. I've been feeding Zak and Miri every other day, a little block or two of bloodworms or Daphnia. I'm wondering if this is too often? I tend to look at thier stomachs to see if it's darker or not.

Does anyone have any ideas?

hi
how long has your tank been set up for? How large are your axolotls? I wonder if maybe your filter isn't sufficient, as cleaning that daily suggests maybe it isn't. Like your set up though.

I've had the tank set up since the start of January, the axies are about 5 inches big now.

Whenever I'm feeding them, they seem to be eating everything within the day and are pretty active. I've got a bit of tubing that I used when I do my clean to suck up any waste or anything laying around the bottom so I don't think it's that.

What are your tank levels? When my tanks get a ammonia spike they get cloudy.

Hi Raggamuffin,

I believe the water cloudiness is atrributed to a combination of things.

It could be a bacterial bloom. This normally occurs when there is a greater bioload/nitrogenous wastes being produced, especially in tanks that are not fully cycled yet. Overstocking (too many axies, too small space) is a common cause. As axies grow larger, unfortunately so do their amount of wastes, so that is another factor to consider. Sometimes this would even out as the beneficial bacteria population grows sufficiently to handle the additional load.

It could also be stirred up fine particles of sand or dust that entered from the environment. The filter should eradicate most of it. You would just have to regularly unclog and rinse the filters in clean dechlorinated water. You can just use water from the tank to do so. You want to avoid removing the beneficial bacteria on the filter medium. Also ensure you have a lid to prevent environmental dust from entering the tank.

You would have to test your water parameters more closely. You want to aim for 0 ammonia, nitrites and <60 nitrates. Siphoning up uneaten food and detritus as well as regular 20% water changes will help greatly. If possible you should also consider upgrading to a larger tank in the near future. Your current tank would be too small to house 2 fully grown adult axies. A larger tank will also be easier to manage in terms of water parameters and temperature. It is way more stable.

Do not perform 100% water changes for your main tank. That is way too excessive. As long as you use a good dechlorinator, 20% water change will suffice.

You can also conisder feeding your axies in a separate tub/tank before putting them back into the main tank. Sounds like a hassle but it might be useful in your situation. You can ensure your axies have full bellies but also prevent your main tank water from being fouled.

Cheers.

great names