honeydew
Member
Hi everyone!
In advance, I wanna apologize as there's probably going to be some stupid questions in here. I appreciate any and all advice or criticisms.
Backstory:
I've wanted a pet axolotl for a while, and a small pet shop near where I live began selling some babies of them a little while back. I had done some basic research, but most of it was to find out what I needed for supplies so I would know how much money to save up before purchasing one of them.
A few days ago, I went into the shop to see only one was left. The workers told me they got them from someone whose axolotls had babies, and so they weren't going to carry them again any time soon. Since nowhere else around here carries them, I sort of panicked and bought the last baby along with a 10-gallon tank (planning on upgrading to 20 when they grow a bit,) some frozen bloodworms, a small artificial log and some water dechlorinating fluid. The pet-store worker informed me I wouldn't need any form of filter and that the axolotls didn't need any special care. Obviously, I did a ton of research on here once I brought my baby home and I know that's false. I have a sponge filter coming in today, and also just used a water test kit for the first time.
ANYWAY, here's where I'm looking for advice on what I should do. In the past 3 days I have been waiting for the filter, I've done ~30% water changes daily as well as cleaned up any leftover worms. However, because of a lack of information, my tank was not properly cycled before I added my axolotl.
I got my test kit in today and the readings are as follows:
ph: 7.5
Ammonia: somewhere below .25ppm
Nitrite: somewhere around .25ppm
Nitrate: a little above 0ppm
My axolotl has been acting normally and eating whenever I feed them. The tank has some live plants (Java fern, Anubias, 4 marimo and some floating plant that came with my baby) and I've been keeping the tank cool with a fan and some damp towels around the tank.
The reason I was motivated to post this is because the water looks cloudier than usual today. I can still see everything, but not nearly as clearly as the past few days. I did the usual water change, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. Could this be a bacterial bloom, and if so, should I tub my baby until the tank cycles?
Here's a picture of Peepo for reference- he's a little smaller than my thumb right now and also albino so it's hard to get a good photo, sorry!
Thanks so much if you bothered reading any of that, and I'd love help from some more experienced caregivers!
In advance, I wanna apologize as there's probably going to be some stupid questions in here. I appreciate any and all advice or criticisms.
Backstory:
I've wanted a pet axolotl for a while, and a small pet shop near where I live began selling some babies of them a little while back. I had done some basic research, but most of it was to find out what I needed for supplies so I would know how much money to save up before purchasing one of them.
A few days ago, I went into the shop to see only one was left. The workers told me they got them from someone whose axolotls had babies, and so they weren't going to carry them again any time soon. Since nowhere else around here carries them, I sort of panicked and bought the last baby along with a 10-gallon tank (planning on upgrading to 20 when they grow a bit,) some frozen bloodworms, a small artificial log and some water dechlorinating fluid. The pet-store worker informed me I wouldn't need any form of filter and that the axolotls didn't need any special care. Obviously, I did a ton of research on here once I brought my baby home and I know that's false. I have a sponge filter coming in today, and also just used a water test kit for the first time.
ANYWAY, here's where I'm looking for advice on what I should do. In the past 3 days I have been waiting for the filter, I've done ~30% water changes daily as well as cleaned up any leftover worms. However, because of a lack of information, my tank was not properly cycled before I added my axolotl.
I got my test kit in today and the readings are as follows:
ph: 7.5
Ammonia: somewhere below .25ppm
Nitrite: somewhere around .25ppm
Nitrate: a little above 0ppm
My axolotl has been acting normally and eating whenever I feed them. The tank has some live plants (Java fern, Anubias, 4 marimo and some floating plant that came with my baby) and I've been keeping the tank cool with a fan and some damp towels around the tank.
The reason I was motivated to post this is because the water looks cloudier than usual today. I can still see everything, but not nearly as clearly as the past few days. I did the usual water change, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference. Could this be a bacterial bloom, and if so, should I tub my baby until the tank cycles?
Here's a picture of Peepo for reference- he's a little smaller than my thumb right now and also albino so it's hard to get a good photo, sorry!
Thanks so much if you bothered reading any of that, and I'd love help from some more experienced caregivers!