Question: Cycling Problems???

[Mot]

Hi,
I've had my two axolotls cycling for a few weeks now, and the ammonia keeps rising to 4 whilst nitrate and nitrite are 0-0.25.

My tank is a 29 gallon and I just don't know what to do.

[debadog]

Originally Posted by Mot

Hi,
I've had my two axolotls cycling for a few weeks now, and the ammonia keeps rising to 4 whilst nitrate and nitrite are 0-0.25.

My tank is a 29 gallon and I just don't know what to do.

It is natural in the cycling process to see spikes of first ammonia, then nitrite, then nitrate, before the tank finishes cycling. Any measure of ammonia and nitrite above 0 is fatally toxic to axolotls which is why the vast majority of people cycle their tanks before they get their pet. But never mind, we'll deal with whats happening now.

As ammonia and nitrite are toxic to your animals and will kill them if left unchecked, you're going to need huge daily water changes until your tank finishes cycling, which usually takes about 6-8 weeks. I'm talking 50% water change daily (another reason why most people cycle before getting their animal). If you do not do this there is a good chance that your axolotls will die, and if they don't they could get sick and will certainly be suffering.

There is nothing you can do now except wait for the cycling to finish and do these large water changes to make sure that the levels do not get too high. You'll know when cycling is finished because your levels will be 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite and (after a water change) 20-40ppm nitrate. If you want to understand whats happening in this process then give this page a read.

The only other thing you can do (which would be kinder in the long run) is to take your axies out and put them in individual small containers (so you can do 100% water changes daily) until the cycling is finished. If you choose to do this you will need to add an ammonia source to your tank to finish the cycle, but this is explained in the sheet I linked.

Good luck with everything, I hope it finishes cycling quickly for you.