Question: Keeping ammonia levels down in cycling tank that already has axolotl in?

Hi! Sorry if this question is not in the right section; I'm new to the site!

I got a baby golden albino axolotl a few weeks ago, and it was on sort of short notice, and I hadn't noticed the emphasis on tank-cycling before introducing the axolotl... However, I've been doing very frequent partial (half) water changes and daily spot maintenance, and the pH and ammonia levels had been very steady and safe for a while. This third week, I noticed the tank water getting a bit cloudy and checked the water quality, which indicated what I assume to be an algael bloom and slight spike in ammonia and pH. My axolotl was acting fine, but her gills were a little curled, so I went out and bought a moss ball, did a water change of about half the tank, scrubbed and rinsed decorations and media and I also bought some new filter bio-bag things, but after reading I opted to just rinse the hell out of the one I've had in the past few weeks with the tank water I was changing and a bit of the new water (un-chlorinated spring water) to get some of the gunk out but still keep the good bacteria. Axolotl is back in and happy, but ammonia levels were still a bit high when I checked about an hour after the cleaning extravaganza.
If it matters, I feed my axolotl daily and she poos every few days, which I usually clean up within a day or two (but always gets cleaned in my weekly water change). I feed her live red worms and always make sure any solid, uneaten chunks are removed, and any smaller pieces get removed later...

My questions are:
Should I replace filter bags with new, clean filters anytime soon, or just do the rinse?
Will the moss ball be enough to suck up nitrates?
How long will my tank take to be fully cycled if I am doing this weekly?
Can I use a chemical ammonia reducer (the ones that come in a bottle at the pet store)?
What else can I do to keep the water clear and ammonia/nitrate/pH low?
Am I the worst owner ever for not cycling the tank beforehand, or is this easy to work through?

Hi! Welcome to Caudata

Regarding filters- you're right, don't wash it with anything but dechlorinated water. You shouldn't replace any of the filter media until you have a solid, well-established cycle, else all the good bacteria you've worked so hard to build up will die. Keep on doing what you're doing!

The moss ball won't, unfortunately. As you have probably figured out by now, axolotls are messy creatures! Water changes to get the nitrates out are forever essential.

Every tank is different. One of mine took 2 months. Another took 3. Some peoples' tanks only take 2 weeks. Maybe ask around and see if you have any aquarium/fish friends that you can nab some established filter media from?

What do you mean by 'doing this weekly'? The scrubbing & rinsing?

I don't really recommend it, as it's not a common thing done and it may have fish-safe but not amphibian-safe chemicals.

Keeping the water clear during an algae bloom isn't easy; good news is that it's not going to last forever. Do water changes, siphon gunk off from the tank floor, and dim the lights. That should speed up the fixing of the algae problem. The only way to keep ammonia and nitrites down besides water changes is having an established cycle. Nitrates can be taken out by plants and water changes, but don't rely on plants- they only make a tiny dent. pH shouldn't change too much. The addition of rock will make the pH go up, or water changes, depending on the pH of your tap water. Either way, axolotls aren't too picky on what the pH is as long as it's steady and 7 or above.

You are very, very far away from being the worst owner ever! The fact that you know about the cycle and water parameters puts you miles ahead of many aquarists. Axolotls are a lot tougher than what some make them out to be, yours will live.

A couple of questions, too-
What's the tank size? Parameters are a lot less stable in smaller tanks, so that's the reason I'm asking.
Do you mind giving me the exact pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate numbers? I might be able to give more specific advice.
What's her name? This question's just for my curiousity, lol

Hope this helps!

Hi! Thanks!

Unfortunately I don't know anyone who can keep anything beyond goldfish, so I'm stuck with starting from scratch D:

And I actually meant doing the whole water change/tank clean/filter rinse haha, but I haven't used any sort of cleaner on anything, I just use a little scrub thing and the old tank water I'm changing because sometimes the outside of her hide and plant are kinda..slimy...like there's algae on it. But if that's not necessary then I'll stop !

I've been using only bottled spring water (no chlorine and not distilled) for all water changes/original water and the pH has always been around 7.4, which the breeder said is fine. Now it's at 7.6, and my ammonia level is 1.0ppm :nono: The tests I'm using don't tell me the nitrite levels... Sorry :E

My tank is 10 gallons because my axolotl is still only a few inches long...

And she doesn't have a name yet! I'm very indecisive, I also don't know if she is actually a she. I've been telling everyone I know a different name and using a different pronoun for her. She's just the Ambiguous Salamander for now.

Thanks so much for your reply, btw!

I am in the process of cycling my tank and have been adding seachem prime every day or 2 days. Seachem prime binds the harmful ammonia, nitrites and nitrates and you can douse your aquarium with 1 full dose every 1.00 ppm. In tank cycling can work but you need to check your parameters every 1 or 2 days to make sure you are adding the right amount of Prime.