Question: Can you help a Newb in need?

hi people,
been looking around on the site for a few days now , but i'm getting confused as i keep reading to much stuff, what i'm look ing for is straight answers as i confuse easily.

Right, i have got my tank 60lt's, 1/2-1inch clean sand all over, filled with tapwater and chlorine treatment,and also have a filter running . i'm trying to find out a more 'simple' way of cycling .

1. My friends have told me that i need to leave the tank for a week for some reason so i'm doing that.

2.Have just done tests for:-
Ammonia-2
ph - 8
nitrIte -0
nitrAte -is at 5 for the moment

what level's should i be looking for ?

1. My friends have told me that i need to leave the tank for a week for some reason so i'm doing that.
Yes, personally I'd recommend 2 weeks to be on the safe side. It's so that benificial bacteria can build up.
2.Have just done tests for:-
Ammonia-2 Try and get it near 0.
ph - 8 That's fine, might change so keep an eye on it.
nitrIte -0 That's good.
nitrAte -? at the moment Try and find out.
These reading aren't very good but that wil change once the tank cycles.
what level's should i be looking for ?

nitrate is 5

how do i reduce the ammoniaif the water in the tank is out of the tap?

Ok. Again if you haven't cycled the tank for at least a week, the parameters are going to be all over the place.If you're dechlorinating it via dechlorinating chemicals, make sure you follow the instructions. This is why you cycle the tank, to get all the parameters to a stable state, if it's not any better in a weeks time, ask again and some one else (don't have much experience as I don't usually have problems) might recommend some methods to you.

Ideally, cycling shouldn´t be rushed, a proper cycling may take up to a month or more.
Take a lok at this article, it will probably resolve all your doubts.
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

azhael said:

Ideally, cycling shouldn´t be rushed, a proper cycling may take up to a month or more.
Take a lok at this article, it will probably resolve all your doubts.
http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

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Thanks Azhael, I couldn't find that link.

So... i just leave it for a week and test again? sorry for the Q's

If you add rocks and plastic plants should this affect the cycle atall ?

smileymiley9 said:

So... i just leave it for a week and test again? sorry for the Q's
If you add rocks and plastic plants should this affect the cycle atall ?

Click to expand...

Hi Smiley,

It depends how you are cycling the aquarium. If using dead matter with no living animals in the tank then testing and recording your readings weekly is fine.

If you are cycling while the axolotls are living in the water then you need to be doing daily partial water changes to bring the ammonia levels down to acceptable levels for the axolotls living in this water. Any reading higher than '0' for Ammonia and Nitrite presents a danger to the axolotl's health and needs monitoring.

Cycling is the establishment of beneficial bacteria that breaks Ammonia and Nitrite down to Nitrate. The bacteria will collonise on all surfaces of the tank (the walls, ornaments, rocks, filter, etc) so yes having plastic plants and rocks will be of help as the bacteria will live on these surfaces. The more surfaces you have, the more bacteria you will have to break down the wastes.

smileymiley9 said:

Have just done tests for:-
Ammonia-2
ph - 8
nitrIte -0
nitrAte -is at 5 for the moment
what level's should i be looking for?

Click to expand...

Your Ammonia reading is quite high, if you have axolotls in the water you will need to do a partial water change to bring it down. I would recommend a 50% partial water change. Test the water tomorrow and if the reading is still high, do another 50% partial water change. If the reading is lower, then revert to daily 20% water changes.

Cycling with live animals is a balancing act. The bacteria needs to feed on the Ammonia wastes released by the axolotl so having ammonia in the tank is necessary for the cycle to happen but on the other hand the ammonia must be kept to a very low level for the sake of the animals in the water.

Cycling can take one to three months to complete.

At the end of the cycle the Ammonia and Nitrite must read at a constant '0' and the Nitrate should be between 10-60. When cycle is complete, partial water changes need only be done once a week or so.

The good news is your pH is perfect if it is 8. :happy:

Cheers Jacq.

Thanks jacq, is real wood ok to put in? Its been soaking for a few days now!?
and my water smells funny?(like chlorine)

will this tank be big enough for two lotl's? 57 x 30 x 35cm 45cm high

smileymiley9 said:

Thanks jacq, is real wood ok to put in? Its been soaking for a few days now!?
and my water smells funny?(like chlorine)

will this tank be big enough for two lotl's? 57 x 30 x 35cm 45cm high

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Hello again,

It depends on what sort of wood it is. What sort is it?

smileymiley9 said:

Have just done tests for:-
Ammonia-2
ph - 8
nitrIte -0
nitrAte -is at 5 for the moment

Click to expand...

Did the reading for Ammonia come from testing the tap water?

It may be that your tap water has chloramine in it. If so, you will need a dechlorinator that treats the water for both chlorine and chloramine. More detailed information can be found here.

When doing a partial water change, remember to add the dechlorinator to the bucket of water before you pour this water into the tank - never add the treatment directly into the tank!

Those tank dimensions are a little unusual...

As a guide, it's recommended to give the axolotls 18 inches floor space each. Your tank size sounds nice for one, for two it may get crampted. Bear in mind axolotls can grow any size from 7-14 inches and they grow up very quickly.

Right the pet place says the wood is safe for all aquariams.so i'll give that a try in a few days

just tested the tap water for ammonia it says..0ppm..thats agood thing...right?

How quickly do they grow from about 4inches in size?
So if i bought one axy will it be ok if i put another in the tank after a few months!? after i got a bigger tank that is! say 120ltrs.

ahh the 45cm must be the lid included!

As with fish, it's best to quaratine a new axy separate from your original one (separate tank). With fish its a week, think i've read 30 days for axolotls.

optimist said:

As with fish, it's best to quaratine a new axy separate from your original one (separate tank). With fish its a week, think i've read 30 days for axolotls.

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It's one month for both fish and axolotls.

Jay.