Question: Hoping I did everything ok....

Hey. I think I might have messed up but am not sure . I was told by a friend who has raised axolotls that the way I did things was fine, we just now have to wait for a spike (nitrate I think he said). I just want to make sure that I didn't mess this up!!!

Here are the exact steps that I took when setting up the tank. I did this about 2 days ago now. The tank is a 20 gallon long.

1. Put water in the tank. (I didn't have the temperature gauge in at this point but assume the water was at about 72 F)
2. Put the filter in the tank.
3. Put Prime in the tank
4. Two days later (last night) checked the water temp. Saw it was too high so added a fan. Water temp is now safe.
5. Tested the water today, everything is 0.


If I have done anything wrong up to this point, could someone please give me a step-by-step on how to fix it. I am completely new to fish and am working off of what people have told me so far! I am just a concerned mama

First of all, axolotls are NOT fish, please erase that thought from your head and understand that their care is very different from fish.

You have set up your tank OK, but to cycle it you need to grow the beneficial bacteria to convert waste. These bacteria won't grow unless you add some 'food' for them. You need to be adding pure ammonia, fish or axie poop, or dead food of some kind (I used frozen bloodworms). Since your 'readings are all 0' you do not have any kind of cycle yet, and it won't happen by magic if you just leave it.

If you do a search for 'cycling' on the internet you'll come up with loads of descriptions and methods that you can follow.

auntiejude said:

First of all, axolotls are NOT fish, please erase that thought from your head and understand that their care is very different from fish.

You have set up your tank OK, but to cycle it you need to grow the beneficial bacteria to convert waste. These bacteria won't grow unless you add some 'food' for them. You need to be adding pure ammonia, fish or axie poop, or dead food of some kind (I used frozen bloodworms). Since your 'readings are all 0' you do not have any kind of cycle yet, and it won't happen by magic if you just leave it.

If you do a search for 'cycling' on the internet you'll come up with loads of descriptions and methods that you can follow.

Click to expand...

First of all I never said that an axolotl is a fish. (Edit i reread my post. I didn't mean that an axolotl is a fish. I meant that I am new to anything that is aquatic or lives in the water. I have been doing my research like crazy and just want to get help since I am worried that I was told wrong). I never even had that thought. Second, I am on here asking questions because I don't know anything about cycling and I want to make sure I am doing it right. I was told by someone that Prime would start the cycle, which is why I used it. I was just trying to double check that information. I was given a website that I read about cycling and was just trying to double check on some of the info versus what I was told

I will get something to start the cycle. Will I need to crank the heat up like it says in cycling websites?

As I said, you've started off OK. Don't get defensive, you said you were new and didn't know much, and I am trying to help you.

Prime will not start a cycle for you, it's just a dechlorinator and water conditioner. You can get bacteria cycle starters from most LFSs - I use the little pearl balls that you put in the filter.

Put some bacteria starter in your tank.
Add some bacteria food - pure ammonia, fish/axie poop or frozen food (daphnia, bloodworms etc). You need to add a little each day after your water quality check.
Test the water after 24 hours
You will see ammonia rise to start with, then you'll see nitrites rise and ammonia fall, then ammonia disappear, nitrites fall and nitrates rise.
When you get a regular ( 3 consecutive days) reading of ammonia=0 nitrite=0 and nitrate>50 your cycle is established.
Do a large water change to bring down the nitrates and you're ready to add your axie.
Check your water weekly, and change 20-50% of your water depending on how high your nitrates are.
NEVER clean your filter in tap water, the chlorine will kill the good bacteria. Rinse it in the tank water you have removed when you do a water change. You need to do this about every 2-4 weeks.

auntiejude said:

As I said, you've started off OK. Don't get defensive, you said you were new and didn't know much, and I am trying to help you.

Prime will not start a cycle for you, it's just a dechlorinator and water conditioner. You can get bacteria cycle starters from most LFSs - I use the little pearl balls that you put in the filter.

Put some bacteria starter in your tank.
Add some bacteria food - pure ammonia, fish/axie poop or frozen food (daphnia, bloodworms etc). You need to add a little each day after your water quality check.
Test the water after 24 hours
You will see ammonia rise to start with, then you'll see nitrites rise and ammonia fall, then ammonia disappear, nitrites fall and nitrates rise.
When you get a regular ( 3 consecutive days) reading of ammonia=0 nitrite=0 and nitrate>50 your cycle is established.
Do a large water change to bring down the nitrates and you're ready to add your axie.
Check your water weekly, and change 20-50% of your water depending on how high your nitrates are.
NEVER clean your filter in tap water, the chlorine will kill the good bacteria. Rinse it in the tank water you have removed when you do a water change. You need to do this about every 2-4 weeks.

Click to expand...

Thank you. I really do appreciate the help. I was just frustrated because I have been told a bunch of different things and I just want to make my tank the absolute best I can for my little one. Would it be ok if I message you if I have any issues or questions?

Also I was directed to this site. The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community

Now do I need to get my tank that hot during this or is keeping my water temp where it is safe for axolotls ok?

Another question, is Prime just a dechlorinator then? Just to add to tap water before putting new water in the tank when doing water changes?

I need to buy the API water test kit plus a bacteria starter correct? Would you recommend a certain bacteria starter?

No need to raise temps in my opinion. I never have, and my tanks all cycled just fine at axie safe temps. Prime is the product I use to dechlorinate my tap water. It is a great product as long as you use it exactly as directed. Too much can potentially crash the cycle because prime detoxifies ammonia, nitrite, and nitrates, which will starve the good bacteria. I dechlorinate my water and let it sit overnight to bring it to the same temp as my axies tank before doing a water change. I have never used a bacteria starter. Because bacteria need both oxygen and food to survive, I just don't trust that bottled bacteria are in great shape or even alive. This is just my personal opinion on bacteria products, as tons of people use them without an issue. Auntiejude gives wonderful advice. She has given the best condensed version of how to cycle a tank. Personally I use old axie pellets to create an ammonia source, but they are quite messy. Because I don't use bacteria starters, I can't recommend one. I will say amazon is typically the cheapest place to get the API master kit. The best advice I can give you is to be patient. It takes weeks to cycle a tank, and it can be frustrating to wait until the water parameters are just right.

Yes, a full testing kit and a some cycle starter stuff. I don't know what you can get over there, so can't recommend a specific product. I use Pure Aquarium Evolution balls - jeely like marble things that you can put inside the aquarium or filter.

Room temp is fine for bacteria to grow.

And yes, Prime is a dechlorinator and water conditioner with a few added extras, you add it to your fresh water before adding it to your tank.

You can message me, but in all honesty a range of answers is useful, as is a concensus if you're asking for experiences, and I'd recommend asking question of the whole forum and not just one person.

I am in the process of cycling my tank at the moment. At the moment, PH is 7.5, Ammonia is 0.15 and nitrites and nitrates are 0. I am using frozen bloodworm to cycle my tank.

You might have already seen this page on cycling but it is the information I am using to cycle my tank.

Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling