Setting up my tank

wolfsong442 · Jan 24, 2013

So, I just got the sand for my tank. I haven't cycled it yet, but my axolotls are tiny and i have test drops to monitor the water quality. I'm not sure about water changes. Is 20% water changes every day too much for two tiny axolotls (about 3 inches each) in a 20 gallon long tank?

Also I have some tetra safestart that i got from the aquarium store a few months ago. Can I add that to the water right before I add my axolotls? And I use reptisafe to get ride of chlorine and chloramine their water, and I'll probably use it on the tank so I can add the babies right away since they've been in their little tupperware boxes so long.

Just looking for some advice. Thanks guys.

Stangchang · Jan 24, 2013

Its better to have your tank cycled before you put the axolotls in but it is possible to cycle the tank with them in

wolfsong442 · Jan 24, 2013

I don't really have much of a choice at this point. I would have had it cycled, but i had to wait so long for my sand (22 days >>) that i'm just anxious to get them out of their tiny little containers into the tank.

Plus, the tank is huge for the size that they are.

I just want to know if safestart is okay to put in the tank immediately before i put the axolotls in, or if i should wait a day or so before i put them in. I already put reptisafe in the water, so the chlorine and chloramines should already be gone.

FX1C · Jan 24, 2013

You could have started the cycle without sand just with floating plants & decorations hides in place & then just add the sand after rinsing it well (final rinse with old aquarium water) waiting for it to settle for a day - I had to do it that way & found it didn't affect the cycling at all.

Perhaps you could obtain some beneficial bacteria from another established aquarium... Or buy one of the QuickStart Bacteria products you add to seed in the good bacterias - there's a few brands that have been recommended on other threads.

<3 >o_o< <3

kiathepooch · Jan 24, 2013

You can add the safestart but it may not help,you're going to have to do a fish in cycle,so keep a close eye on ammonia/nitrite/nitrate daily and do water changes to keep the levels low.

Sent from my YP-GI1 using Tapatalk 2

wolfsong442 · Jan 24, 2013

Nikki71 said:
You could have started the cycle without sand just with floating plants & decorations hides in place & then just add the sand after rinsing it well (final rinse with old aquarium water) waiting for it to settle for a day - I had to do it that way & found it didn't affect the cycling at all.

Perhaps you could obtain some beneficial bacteria from another established aquarium... Or buy one of the QuickStart Bacteria products you add to seed in the good bacterias - there's a few brands that have been recommended on other threads.

<3 >o_o< <3

If I had started the cycle without the sand, wouldn't I have had to empty out all the water to put the sand in, and then had to cycle it completely over again once I put the sand in? I'm not too clear on that. D:

And I'll put the safe start in and then the axies. I'll also put some of the water that they're in now in the tank. What's the best way to get them acclimated to the temperature of the tank? I think the water they're in is just slightly warmer than the water in the tank for some reason and the tank's been sitting for at least three hours.

Thanks Kia! I think I'll try 20% water changes daily for a while to see if that helps.

FX1C · Jan 24, 2013

Definitely test the water regularly!

Adding sand to an aquarium is easy if your sand is well rinsed & wet when added - I filled a large measure jug with a handle 3/4 full with the wet sand slowly lower it into the water & pour it out when it's at the bottom, there was some mess made & I had to rinse the filter wool (only- rest of media left) a couple of times over a couple of days (in removed aquarium water) but it was effective & didn't affect the cycle.

Looking forward to seeing pics of them in their new home - just take your time adding them & acclimatizing them to the new temp - perhaps suspend them in a container semi submerged for 30mins - have a thermometer in the container to gauge temp. If its only a degree or two I don't think it's going to stress them.

<3 >o_o< <3

Kaysie · Jan 24, 2013

Beneficial bacteria do not live in the water. They live on surfaces in the tank: the walls, the filter, decorations, substrate, etc.

wolfsong442 · Jan 24, 2013

Here is a picture of them.

The leucistic is in one of the hides right now. I hope he comes out sometime. The golden albino is sitting on top of another. I'm a little anxious and hoping they'll be okay. I floated them in the water for about twenty minutes before I put them in so they could acclimate to the temperature change.

And thanks, Kaysie. I didn't know that. I'm sorryyy.

FX1C · Jan 24, 2013

Is that sand really deep at the back??
Hard to tell from pic - but it's not advisable to have too deep substrate as it can create ?? Gas bubbles ?? Which aren't good for the tank or occupants.

Cute axies by the way

<3 >o_o< <3

wolfsong442 · Jan 24, 2013

Yeah. It kinda bunched up in the back at first because I had the filter there and i realized that they might not like having the filter right in front of the hide so I moved the filter, but I don't think I got the sand smoothed down properly.

I'm not sure how to fix it now.

Thanks. I'm sure they appreciate it XD

Kaysie · Jan 24, 2013

Shallow sand is best because anaerobic hydrogen sulfide bubbles can build up.

wolfsong442 · Jan 24, 2013

Oh no!

Should I take them out and try and get some of the sand out? I thought it was shallow enough.

FX1C · Jan 24, 2013

Kaysie said:
Shallow sand is best because anaerobic hydrogen sulfide bubbles can build up.

I knew you'd fill in my ??'s with your knowledgable cleverness

<3 >o_o< <3

Kaysie · Jan 25, 2013

There's no need to pull them out. Just scoop up the sand. I'd use a bowl: put it under water, fill it full of sand, and carefully lift it out. You'll remove a bunch of sand, shouldn't kick up too much dust (especially if you rinsed well!), and most of the water will stay in the tank.

You're going for a depth of less than an inch, all the way around. Personally, I always used just a very thin layer, less than half an inch.

Search

Search

Setting up my tank

wolfsong442

Member

Stangchang

New member

wolfsong442

Member

FX1C

Active member

kiathepooch

Member

wolfsong442

Member

FX1C

Active member

Kaysie

Site Contributor

wolfsong442

Member

FX1C

Active member

wolfsong442

Member

Kaysie

Site Contributor

wolfsong442

Member

FX1C

Active member

Kaysie

Site Contributor

Settings Notifications

Options