Hi there,
New axie mom here, I got a axolotl from a friend a week ago and I followed their advice but after some research I think we may be in some trouble.
It is 3 months old and 6” long albino. He’s in a 10 gallon tank, which we’ll rectify shortly. We feed him a block of bloodworms everyday but I’m reading that we should be feeding him something more nutritious and I’d love to learn more about that but right now ammonia is at 1 ppm up from .5 last week. Ph is between 7.4 and 7.8 and nitrate and nitrite are 0. We did not cycle the tank obviously and now I don’t know what to do.
Should I tub him? Cycle the tank? Wait for the new tank and cycle it?
Thanks!
First and foremost, which it seems you have figured out, is that a 10 gallon tank is way too small. Axolotls need a 20 gallon long tank minimum. Water changes on an uncycled 10 gallon will need to be done at least twice a week to keep your ammonia even remotely stable. Bloodworms will also contribute to that ammonia level as they are VERY messy and are difficult to clean up entirely. They pollute the water very quickly. Switching to earthworms will save you a lot of headaches. European nightcrawlers are best, with red wiggler coming in second. You can also feed soft sinking carnivore pellets and repashy grub pie as a treat.
I would definitely tub him in fresh clean water and make sure to do 100 % water changes daily on the tub. You can then proceed to cycle the 10 gallon or just upgrade to a larger tank and start there. Prime by Seachem is an excellent water conditioner that also helps to covert ammonia into ammonium. That can help in pinch, but should never be used in lieu of a water change. You can also get starter bacteria in several forms to help jump start your system. I personally swear by Microbelift Special Blend, but Dr. Tim's One and Only is another good one. Cycling a tank does take time and can be done a couple different ways. I will copy and paste the "fishless" way here from my website for reference:
First, set up your aquarium using de-chlorinated water and let it run for 24 to 48 hours. This will allow you time to make sure all of your equipment is running properly. Test the water for all of the above listed parameters. These will be your starting base-line measurements. After the aquarium has been running for the recommended time period, add a small amount of your ammonia source. After 24 hours, test the water and record new results. Test the water every day or two and monitor the changes. When the ammonia level begins to drop and the nitrite levels begin to rise, add another small amount of ammonia to keep feeding the bacteria. Keep testing the water quality, and when the nitrates begin to rise, dose the tank with the ammonia source again. This should be the last dose required to finish the cycling process.
At this point, you should see a small rise in the ammonia level, a small rise in the nitrite level and a continuation in the rise of the nitrate level. When the ammonia reading drops to zero, the nitrite drops to zero and the nitrate is at a measurable level, the aquarium is considered to be cycled. Before you add any animals to the aquarium, do a 20% water change to lower the level of the nitrates. Different animals tolerate nitrates at different levels, but a safe rule of thumb is to keep your nitrate level below 40-60ppm. Typically, a 20 to 30% water change each week is enough to keep levels in a safe range.
It is important to note that while the tank is now cycled, the bacterial population will need to grow and compensate for your axolotl being added to the aquarium. The water should be tested on at least once per week to monitor water quality and hopefully prevent potential ammonia and nitrite poisoning.
Please let me know if you have any questions and always feel free to send me a direct message anytime too.
