Cycling my tank

A

animal man

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Hi i am just wondering about cycling my new axolotl tank it is 14 g and i am getting one axolotl i have bought this thing called stress zyme i also have a fish tank should i use anything from there to speed up the process and if i can use anything from my fish tank what should i use the fish tank has minnos in it and iv'e had it for about 3 months. one last thing is a PH test kit a must.
if you can help that would be great :D
 
I got a new tank last week, and I did use water from my old tank. (contained +-40 black molly's, 6 corydora's, 2 AXOLOTLS, and some more stuff. I placed about 20-30% of the old water in the new tank, and I washed out the whole filter except for the bioballs. I placed everything in the new tank last night, and everybody seems to like it.

About the PH-kit:

For axolotl owners it is a very important thing to own. I actually have a full testkit, that tests for stuff like: nitrites, nitrates, PH, ammonia etc. Altough I don't use it often because my axies never had any problems.
 
actually on the scale of things I'd prioritise an ammonia test kit before Ph, axolotl's tend to have a larger tolerance for ph than they do other things. And anything you can use from your old tank to kickstart your new tank would be a bonus. I once cycled a tank in less than a week thanks to substrate and hides from another tank!
 
I would suggest that you get the 'API Master Test Kit for Freshwater'. You can buy it for a better price online than shops if you are worried about price. It has five tests: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, low range PH, high range PH. You will need to test your water once a week when your tank is established and at any other times when required. It will provide you with information to balance your water quality so that your axolotl is healthy and happy.
 
I looked it up on amazon and is $18 a good price and does it have instructiond
 
For the API Freshwater Master test kit? Yeah. I usually find it for around $20 and there are instructions included.
 
There are paper instructions and instructions printed on the back of the colour cards. There was a good you tube video explaining how to test. The thing I leant from that video is to take the sample of water from the bottom/middle of the tank where ammonia and other waste has settled. $18 is a fantastic price, out local pet shop charges $55.
 
one more thing i want a sponge filter and there are none a my pet shop so im going to get one off amazon but do i have to replace the sponge and how often and would the filter come with all the cords and every thing needed for it to work
 
Once your tank is cycled, you should be testing the water once a week just to make sure everything is okay.
If you buy a sponge filter, you will also need to buy an air pump to make the filter work.
However if your only have a sponge filter, make sure you get one big enough for your tank and that you clean the poop out as soon as you see it, as sponge filters dont do all types of filtration.
 
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