New Axolotl owner, unsure if my Axi is sick?

[Axel_Justice]

Hi all

I'm a bit worried about my 4 month old Axi, I got her from a reptile shop yesterday in the UK, they sold me the complete set up, advised me I have to cycle the tank for 2 weeks, adding Prime and Stability formula every day which I did.

Yesterday I took in a sample of water as their policy is they don't sell anything until they've confirmed it's all safe, after 10 minutes they advised the water was perfect, no ammonia, PH was correct etc so we brought her home.

One thing we noticed was the water went a bit cloudy but the shop said that's normal, the filter will clear that over night

She wasn't very active for a few hours, but she perked up in the evening and was very actively exploring and swimming.

We had a bit of a scare last night because she had gone completely still at the bottom of her tank, we gave her a gentle nudge and she didn't move, we nudged her a few more times and eventually she darted off so I assume she was asleep.

This morning, she's been very inactive, I fed her and she has eaten all her blood worms but she's not moving at all, literally all day other than eating she's remained in the exact same spot, the only way I know she's alive is every now and then she'll flick her gills. The tank cloudiness is still there, I messaged the shop and they said to take some of my decorations out and do a 20% water change see if that helps, so I've done that, treated the water, tested it and all the parameters are fine

From 6am this morning until 4pm this afternoon she has not moved, shes just floating just off the surface of the tank, even if I give her as gentle nudge she barely moves.

Any ideas, is she just lazy, is this normal behaviour?

Thank you for the help, I'm just very anxious

Edit: it's 5pm and she has the first time today actually moved, she very quickly swam to the tank surface and went back down. Not sure if that's a positive or not

 

[wolfen]

they are mainly nocturnal so are very sluggish in the daytime, give her some hides for dossing in (large blacked out jars ie.. 330g nescafe size, slate caves etc) the cloudiness is bacteria bloom which the filtration and any items in the tank will deal with (bacteria needs somewhere to settle on/house them). keep an eye on the ammonia levels and also do weekly water changes to keep the nitrates down, make sure the water is dechlorinated before adding to the tank.

 

[wolfen]

what ammonia source did you use to cycle with. two weeks seams to be to fast to be cycled, even when using bacteria culture. Please tell me that they gave you a source of ammonia and didn't just tell you to add water conditioner and nitrifying bacteria.

 

[Axel_Justice]

what ammonia source did you use to cycle with.

Thank you for the reply

As per the reptile shops advice I used Seachem Prime and Stability every day for a week during my two week cycle

They checked the ammonia level before I brought her home and they advised the condition was perfect. I checked it about an hour ago and its still 0

 

[wolfen]

did you add ammonia when cycling the tank, if there was no ammonia added there will be no ammonia found. without a source of ammonia the cycling can't even be started.

 

[Axel_Justice]

did you add ammonia when cycling the tank, if there was no ammonia added there will be no ammonia found. without a source of ammonia the cycling can't even be started.

I'll be honest they never advised me any of that, they literally just sold me a tank, filter, that seachem stuff and told me to go back in two weeks to pick up the Axi, I thought one of those Seachem solutions was the ammonia.

So even though my water parameters are all fine this tank is no good?

 

[Axel_Justice]

did you add ammonia when cycling the tank, if there was no ammonia added there will be no ammonia found. without a source of ammonia the cycling can't even be started.

This was the guide they directed me to Cycle My Aquarium - How To Cycle An Aquarium

This says with the seachem Prime and Stability you don't need ammonia for your cycle (I'm assuming one of them had it)

 

[wolfen]

seachem don't do ammonia, looks like the tank isn't cycled, they should have been specific on cycling a tank, waste > ammonia > nitrite > nitrate > water change, the only thing that rises in a cycled tank is nitrates. the safest way now will be tubing your axie in cold dechlorinated water (change daily, temp no higher than 18°c). and cycling the tank with 4ppm ammonia (dr tims seam to be the most common and easiest sourced source of ammonia), the other way is cycling the tank with the axie in it but this can be more stressful to the axie and that is to have the axie be the source of waste/ammonia and doing daily water change of 50%. always dechlorinate water before adding to axie or tank. any dechlorinater with sodium thiosulfate in it will suffice. keep the water with the axie in cold between 15 and 18, get yourself a freshwater test kit (api is the most commonly used) liquid not strips (strips are ok for quick check but are not very accurate plus you need to be testing ammonia aswell)

 

[Axel_Justice]

seachem don't do ammonia, looks like the tank isn't cycled, they should have been specific on cycling a tank, waste > ammonia > nitrite > nitrate > water change, the only thing that rises in a cycled tank is nitrates. the safest way now will be tubing your axie in cold dechlorinated water (change daily, temp no higher than 18°c). and cycling the tank with 4ppm ammonia (dr tims seam to be the most common and easiest sourced source of ammonia), the other way is cycling the tank with the axie in it but this can be more stressful to the axie and that is to have the axie be the source of waste/ammonia and doing daily water change of 50%. always dechlorinate water before adding to axie or tank. any dechlorinater with sodium thiosulfate in it will suffice. keep the water with the axie in cold between 15 and 18, get yourself a freshwater test kit (api is the most commonly used) liquid not strips (strips are ok for quick check but are not very accurate plus you need to be testing ammonia aswell)

Well I am livid, i'll be calling them tomorrow, thank you mate, so place her in a sizeable container, dechlorninate the water first before putting in and restart my cycle. I'll start it now

 

[wolfen]

Well I am livid, i'll be calling them tomorrow, thank you mate, so place her in a sizeable container, dechlorninate the water first before putting in and restart my cycle. I'll start it now

make sure to change the tubbed water daily, some suggest having two tubs so one is cleaned whilst the other is used, plus it is just a case of transfering the axie rather struggling trying to do the water change and as a added bonus if the fresh one is prepared a few hours before you can get the temperature the same and reduce the stress of tranfering

 

[wolfen]

oh I have just read the how to cycle a tank that you linked to and it is a crock of crap, seachem prime claims to lock up ammonia, nitrite and nitrates (there is some that say it does and some that say it is just snake oil) it does not introduce a form of ammonia which is needed for food for the bacteria, nitrifying bacteria is just that nothing more, at least they were on the right track for the fish less cycle (although this is a bit messy and is easier with frozen prawns), and the cycle with goldfish but that can add parasites and diseases into the tank not to mention what you do with the fish afterwards.

 

[Axel_Justice]

oh I have just read the how to cycle a tank that you linked to and it is a crock of crap, seachem prime claims to lock up ammonia, nitrite and nitrates (there is some that say it does and some that say it is just snake oil) it does not introduce a form of ammonia which is needed for food for the bacteria, nitrifying bacteria is just that nothing more, at least they were on the right track for the fish less cycle (although this is a bit messy and is easier with frozen prawns), and the cycle with goldfish but that can add parasites and diseases into the tank not to mention what you do with the fish afterwards.

So tubbing and that Dr Timms stuff is still my best option then?

 

[wolfen]

So tubbing and that Dr Timms stuff is still my best option then?

yep. cycling takes a long time. but worth it in the end

 

[Axel_Justice]

yep. cycling takes a long time. but worth it in the end

I do have one last question if that's OK, you've been really helpful.

Why does a tank need a bacterial colony but a tub doesn't?

 

[axolotl nerd]

I do have one last question if that's OK, you've been really helpful.

Why does a tank need a bacterial colony but a tub doesn't?

a tub is a small container used for temporarily housing axolotls. the water should be changed 100% daily to prevent buildup of harmful substances such as ammonia. a tank, however, is a permanent or semi permanent living area, and 100% daily water changes are not easy or recommended, ergo the need for ”good “ bacteria

 

[Axel_Justice]

a tub is a small container used for temporarily housing axolotls. the water should be changed 100% daily to prevent buildup of harmful substances such as ammonia. a tank, however, is a permanent or semi permanent living area, and 100% daily water changes are not easy or recommended, ergo the need for ”good “ bacteria

Ah ok that makes sense thank you! She oddly enough seems to have perked up a lot more since bring tubbed, unsure if that means anything. Bit annoyed that it seems like the reptile shop has given me some very bad information. Going to restart the cycle and get it right this time!

 

[axolotl nerd]

Ah ok that makes sense thank you! She oddly enough seems to have perked up a lot more since bring tubbed, unsure if that means anything. Bit annoyed that it seems like the reptile shop has given me some very bad information. Going to restart the cycle and get it right this time!

sometimes activity or new surroundings will cause a perk in interest
yeah, pet stores are notorious for that :/
good luck!