Axolotl tank cycle need some help and some tips!! please and thank you

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mudkip246

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Is it bad to cycle your tank while your axolotl is in the tank if so what should i do? i keep my axolotl in a 10 gallon tank with no substrate and she has a cave for her to hide in. im a beginner at this. i need some suggestions like what would be a good substrate i'm leaning towards large stones than sand and is the cycling process harmful to a a axolotl?:confused:
 
10 gallons is a bit small, and a volume of water that small can become toxic very quickly. I would advise to cycle without the animal in it, or get a large tank, so the wate quality is not as prone to rapid changes.

How large is the Axolotl?
 
she is 6 inches and unfortunately i dont have an extra tank to put her in im planning on upgrading to a 20 gallon tank. could i put her in a plastic tub for about a week until the cycling is done?
 
Shizeric said:
10 gallons is a bit small, and a volume of water that small can become toxic very quickly. I would advise to cycle without the animal in it, or get a large tank, so the wate quality is not as prone to rapid changes.

How large is the Axolotl?
Click to expand...

she is 6 inches and unfortunately i dont have an extra tank to put her in im planning on upgrading to a 20 gallon tank. could i put her in a plastic tub for about a week until the cycling is done?
 
The cycling can take up to 4-6 weeks, but a plastic tub with fresh water changes would be a good choice until you are sure the ammonia levels are under control.
 
Shizeric said:
The cycling can take up to 4-6 weeks, but a plastic tub with fresh water changes would be a good choice until you are sure the ammonia levels are under control.
Click to expand...

im using a aquarium supplement called nutrafin cycle is that good or i still need to take her out and put her into a plastic tub and continue with the cycle?
 
you don't need to remove the axolotl during the cycling process, you can just do waterchanges to keep the parameters livable.
I have no faith in bacteria in a bottle
If you do remove the axolotl, make sure you add an ammonia source to the tank to keep the bacteria alive
 
carsona246 said:
you don't need to remove the axolotl during the cycling process, you can just do waterchanges to keep the parameters livable.
I have no faith in bacteria in a bottle
If you do remove the axolotl, make sure you add an ammonia source to the tank to keep the bacteria alive
Click to expand...

thank you. im planning to get a master test kit to check out the nitrate and ammonia levels. and do you mean for ammonia source like food and waste? and a 20% water change on a daily basis?
 
I cycled/am cycling with my axolotl in and they're doing fine,for now you can either keep on top of cleaning the tank and 20-30% water changes until you get the test kit,or put her in a tub and add shrimp(frozen is fine) to the tank as the ammonia source or pure ammonia if you have it,then test the water as soon as you get your kit,or you can take a water sample to a fish store(or aquarium) and ask them to test your water for you.
 
yea, if your axolotl is in the tank keep ammonia below .5 ppm's, but if you take it out, try to keep the ammonia at 4 ppm's to speed up the cycling process. Throwing some food, or waste in the tank will put ammonia in there
 
mudkip246 said:
im using a aquarium supplement called nutrafin cycle is that good or i still need to take her out and put her into a plastic tub and continue with the cycle?
Click to expand...

There are a lot of factors when attempting to use these sorts of products including,
1) how old was the bottle on the shelf,
2) water quality has to be monitored as many of them in addition to the bacteria include material to increase bioload to feed the bacteria
3) in most of the nitrifying bacteria thier ability to functon is affected by temperature and oxygen availability.

See for example http://www.caudata.org/forum/297950-post10.html

Ed
 
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