So sad :( starting again

"No Planaria" treatment which I read had been used without problems by other axolotl keepers here (I believe) has wiped out all 5 of my axies.
I am devastated.

My tanks are now sitting empty, I drained them both down yesterday

I have some questions about my tanks.

My aquariums were already cycled by goldfish when I got my axies, the goldfish were put into the pond and my parameters have always been fine, apart from one tank having a slight ammonia spike when I first had them, which was rectified easily.

Now, if I buy more axies I'm going to be starting from scratch and I'm concerned. I am throwing out the old sand substrate, filter foams and the rest of the tank will be thoroughly rinsed before I set it back up with new substrate.
I have ordered a carbon filter sponge with the idea that if anything chemical is left from the treatment, it will be cleared.....do you think this is enough?

So then, both tanks need to be cycled, and I don't really want to stress any new axolotls by putting them through anything I don't need to.Would it be reasonable to cycle for the first couple of months with some hardier fish first, is there any reason why this is not a good idea?

Any tips greatly appreciated.

Thank you

It would be a good idea to remove the old substrate and fiter media as you said and wash the tank thoroughly, check out threads for "fishless cycle", you dont need to use fish to cycle your tank.

I am sorry to hear about your axies
I personally have not used the "no planaria" treatment. Any reason you were trying to get rid of the planaria? I have copepods and hydra in my 2 axie tanks, they don't hurt anything. It is a sign you have a healthy tank sustainable for lots of life! Next time I would just leave them. Now in saying that it is important in keeping the numbers down. I have white clouds in my tanks that help eat a few, I also make sure the tank is kept clean so there is little or no leftovers. This includes fish flakes (for the white clouds), poop and I feed my axies worms so there is no food waste with them. I siphon the surface of my sand every weekend and baster poop out that has not already disintegrated in to dust.

As far the chemicals from the "no planaria" treatment, it sounds like you on the right track. What kind of substrate were you using and what are you planning on using next? I would clean the tank with vinegar with a very thorough rinse after and the carbon insert will help too. I wouldn't worry to much since you are basically starting from scratch.

Cycling you tank with fish should take about 3-5 weeks, the trick is to just leave it and let it spike and then let it start to drop on its own. Once it is on its way down you can start doing small water changes, 10-15 percent every 2-3 days then work your way up to the 20 percent water changes with regular maintenance schedule.

Hope that helps a bit!
Nat

Also I use white clouds to help cycle my tank since they are the fish I use in the end. As long as you start the fish in the tank right away they should slowly adjust to the nitrite levels and hopefully cope well enough to make it through the spike. I also keep my water level down in the tank to start and add about 5-10 percent more fresh de-chlorinated water everyday through the spike to help the fish. By adding water instead of removing the water chemistry and then adding fresh water you still allow the cycle to happen but you give the fish some fresh oxygen. I have never lost a white cloud through cycling.

The pond you mention, is that a small garden pond setup? If it's healthy, one thing you could do is snag material from it that may be rich in Nitrosimonas and Nitrobacter. My parents ran a rock filtration setup with a pump in theirs, if it's similar you could take some of those rocks and put them in the new tank. It's amazing how quickly a tank will cycle with a seed from an established setup. If it doesn't have a filtration setup, but has a pump moving water, you could put some filter floss (poly fiber) in an area with good water movement and breed a bacterial colony to restart your tank.

Another option is the fishless cycle. I wish I had known enough to do it when I got into fish.