Question: Are these water conditions hurting my axies?

I'll look at the pet store and see if they have any sponge filters. I know they sell Prime. I've used it before in the past but recently I guess due to the holidays it has been out of stock along with so many other products since they had all those sales going on.

My husband doesn't get paid until Friday but we always put our pets first before we put us first so he won't mind buying a sponge filter. He knows how important my axies are to me. Especially if I shed a few tears :D
 
ladygodiva35 said:
Update on my axolotl water parameters.

The ammonia levels are still reaching 4.0ppm even after large daily water changes. I've eliminated decorations one by one. Is it still supposed to be reaching that high of a level even with daily water changes?

Today I'm down to a very bare aquarium besides two sad looking axolotls (and of course the filter) wondering what the heck is going on. I tested the water after I conditioned it and it was 0.50 ppm.

The real annoying part is that all my other 5 aquariums all have perfect water parameters with 0 ppm ammonia readings. So I know it can't be my water conditioner giving bad readings.
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Well, if you are down to axolotls, filter and tank, then one of those three has to be the cause.

We know axolotls produce ammonia, but it shouldn't rise that fast.

Is it something INSIDE your filter? Like, a mouse or something?

I can't see it being the tank, but you are running out of causes. Did you buy it new, or is there some chance that a previous owner replaced the sealant with a non-aquarium safe sealant?

Do you have a suitable container to temporarily house your axies? You could see if the ammonia rises when they aren't in the tank (and also get an idea on how fast the ammonia rises with just them.)

Good luck!
 
LSuzuki said:
Well, if you are down to axolotls, filter and tank, then one of those three has to be the cause.

We know axolotls produce ammonia, but it shouldn't rise that fast.

Is it something INSIDE your filter? Like, a mouse or something?

I can't see it being the tank, but you are running out of causes. Did you buy it new, or is there some chance that a previous owner replaced the sealant with a non-aquarium safe sealant?

Do you have a suitable container to temporarily house your axies? You could see if the ammonia rises when they aren't in the tank (and also get an idea on how fast the ammonia rises with just them.)

Good luck!
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Nothing gross is inside the filter besides what should be in there. Sponge, carbon and ceramic beads. I'm going to replace the carbon with another sponge and filter floss on Friday since it was suggested I do that. I'm also doing the research on the sponge filters for an add on.

As for my aquarium I purchased it brand new during the Petco per gallon sale a year ago. Though one of my axolotl caves did break and we used Marineland Silicone Sealant to mend it back together. That was about 5-6 months ago though.

I do have a 30 gallon plastic container I could use to house my axolotls. I just use it to store my seasonal pajamas. Though I'd probably have to hide it in my closet to prevent cat accidents. They like to sleep on top of it and they might think the lid is still on and jump right in to axolotls and cold waters. Should I leave my filter still inside the aquarium or hang it onto the plastic container?

http://www.petsmart.com/fish/adhesi...6-2431002/cat-36-catid-300079?_t=pfm=category
 
I suggest leaving the filter in the tank. Monitor the ammonia in both the tank and the container, and see what happens. :happy:
 
LSuzuki said:
Monitor the ammonia in both the tank and the container, and see what happens. :happy:
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So today I tested my bare aquarium with only the filter running and the ammonia level was once again 4.0 ppm after about 24 hours. Does this mean the filter itself is the problem? Nothing nasty is hiding in there and I keep the tubing decently cleaned yet not over cleaned. In the past month I replaced the sponge media and about 2 months ago I replaced the carbon.

I tested the plastic container that is temporarily holding my axolotls and it was 1.0 ppm.
Should the axolotls themselves be causing that high ammonia? I have them housed right now in a 18 gallon plastic tub. They've been in there 24 hours.

Any suggestions on what actions to take now? I could take out the filter and do another large water change on the aquarium and see what those readings show. But I don't want to kill off any good bacteria unless it will be safe in a bucket of old tank water for 24 hours.
 
I'm not sure how quickly the ammonia should rise in the plastic container with the axolotls in it. I would expect it to rise fairly quickly if they pooped and you weren't able to get it right out. 1 PPM doesn't seem out of line, though, given there is more than one axie in there.

So, it is the filter or the tank. Can the filter go into the plastic container with the axies? If so, do that (after you do a water change in the plastic container to get the ammonia back down.) And then change most of the water in the tank.

If the ammonia goes back up in the tank, it is the tank. If the ammonia goes back up in the plastic container, it is the filter. Regardless which it is, this is a rather unusual situation.

I keep wondering if this is somehow a false positive. Perhaps something is leaching in from somewhere (where???) that is interfering with the test. Very weird.
 
LSuzuki said:
I'm not sure how quickly the ammonia should rise in the plastic container with the axolotls in it. I would expect it to rise fairly quickly if they pooped and you weren't able to get it right out. 1 PPM doesn't seem out of line, though, given there is more than one axie in there.
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Yes they did poop in there so I figured that added to the higher ammonia in the plastic container. I have the filter running in a plastic container. I took out all the parts and inspected it and nothing gross was hiding in there. It was decently clean. No thick slime coating or anything trapped.

I'm not sure how it could be giving a false reading only in one aquarium though. Given that I have 5 aquariums in total and all the parameters are rather good. In any case I will be picking up that sponge filter along with prime and another API master test kit on Friday. I've used up so much water conditioner that I barely have enough for my other aquariums. Plus I need an ice cream to help the healing process of my aching back. :p
 
I'm grasping at straws here ... perhaps there is something in the sealant of that one tank that gives a false positive with the ammonia test. Likewise, perhaps it is something in that one filter. Regardless, this shouldn't be happening. But it is. :wacko:
 
If you haven't already, I would also take some well-seeded filter media from one of your established tanks and put that into your axie tank filter. In conjuction with this, you might even want to try re-cycling the tank...starting from scratch.
This has me stumped... the ammonia shouldn't be rising that quickly....
 
Bette said:
If you haven't already, I would also take some well-seeded filter media from one of your established tanks and put that into your axie tank filter. In conjuction with this, you might even want to try re-cycling the tank...starting from scratch.
This has me stumped... the ammonia shouldn't be rising that quickly....
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I'll use some very seeded filter media from my crawfish aquarium. He's got a bunch of good stuff inside his filter media. His tank is very well established and has awesome water parameters.
 
Here are the ammonia results for today.

Axies in plastic container: 1.0 ppm
Filter: 0.25 ppm
Tap Water: .50 ppm
Bare Aquarium: 4.0 ppm
And for the heck of it I checked my crawfish tank ammonia and it was 0 ppm

So for sure is the aquarium itself causing such high ammonia. It has to be the sealant probably. This is very frustrating because this is an actual aquarium meant for fish. It's not one of those reptile terrariums.

I have two 40 gallon tanks I could possibly use. But I'd have to do some animal switching.
My husband has his semi-aquatic frogs in a 40 gallon and he doesn't mind switching it out for my axie 20 gallon since he uses a separate container for the frog water. The downside is that aquarium has a sealed crack.

So then I'd have to switch my bearded dragon (he's in a 40 gallon aquarium) into the cracked tank and use the dragon aquarium for the axolotls. My dragon has ceramic tile in his tank but not sure if that is axolotl safe. I was using slate for them. Ugh so much trouble due to a faulty ammonia leeching good for nothing aquarium. And it was bought brand new. I guess I'm never buying aquariums at Petco again.
 
You may want to do more research into the possible aquarium sealant leaching/ammonia thing before switching tanks, etc. I have Aqueon tanks from Petco too, and I've never had a problem. If the tank is manufactured for aquatic life, it should not be leaching anything dangerous like that.
This is what I would try first: drain the tank. Spray with a mixture of either white vinegar & water, or bleach & water. Scrub well! Rinse, rinse, rinse! Clean the filter thoroughly using one of the same solutions & rinse well. Let everything dry for a day or two. Refill the tank and install clean filter with well-seeded media.
Then decide: attempt an axie-in or axie-less cycle. So yes, perhaps start from scratch...
What are your thoughts?
 
Bette said:
You may want to do more research into the possible aquarium sealant leaching/ammonia thing before switching tanks, etc. I have Aqueon tanks from Petco too, and I've never had a problem. If the tank is manufactured for aquatic life, it should not be leaching anything dangerous like that.
This is what I would try first: drain the tank. Spray with a mixture of either white vinegar & water, or bleach & water. Scrub well! Rinse, rinse, rinse! Clean the filter thoroughly using one of the same solutions & rinse well. Let everything dry for a day or two. Refill the tank and install clean filter with well-seeded media.
Then decide: attempt an axie-in or axie-less cycle. So yes, perhaps start from scratch...
What are your thoughts?
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I'd hate to upgrade to a larger tank since a 20 gallon is my limit physically. I'm only 4'11 and 87lbs. I'll try the solution of bleach and water. How much bleach would I need to add? Also, when I put the fresh water back into the day if it's still showing signs of high ammonia what would I need to do?
 
ladygodiva35 said:
I'd hate to upgrade to a larger tank since a 20 gallon is my limit physically. I'm only 4'11 and 87lbs. I'll try the solution of bleach and water. How much bleach would I need to add? Also, when I put the fresh water back into the day if it's still showing signs of high ammonia what would I need to do?
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You can mix about a teaspoon or so of bleach in a gallon of water. That should be enough.
As far as what to do if the ammonia is still off the charts, I'm really not sure. I wish I had the answer.
If you do the "fish-less" cycle, you will have high ammonia. But that is ok because your axies will not be in the tank. I say give it another chance and start from scratch.
I really hope this works for you!:happy:
 
Bette said:
You can mix about a teaspoon or so of bleach in a gallon of water. That should be enough.
As far as what to do if the ammonia is still off the charts, I'm really not sure. I wish I had the answer.
If you do the "fish-less" cycle, you will have high ammonia. But that is ok because your axies will not be in the tank. I say give it another chance and start from scratch.
I really hope this works for you!:happy:
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Thanks for all the help. I'll talk it over with my husband and see what is best for the axolotls. It's starting to make more sense to find them a new home with someone who already has an established aquarium with axolotl experience. I wish re-cycling didn't have to take so long and there is no guarantee the bleach solution will work. But what is best for the animals will always come first even if it breaks my heart. :)
 
Well, a 20 gal aquarium usually doesn't cost too much. And we've eliminated the filter as the cause, right? So perhaps just a new aquarium and put the current filter in?

But it would be interesting to know what occurs with your current aquarium after the thorough cleaning. Of course, satisfying my curiosity would make more work for you ... :happy:

Do you know the manufacturer? Perhaps they had a bad batch and you can get a replacement.
 
LSuzuki said:
Well, a 20 gal aquarium usually doesn't cost too much. And we've eliminated the filter as the cause, right? So perhaps just a new aquarium and put the current filter in?

But it would be interesting to know what occurs with your current aquarium after the thorough cleaning. Of course, satisfying my curiosity would make more work for you ... :happy:

Do you know the manufacturer? Perhaps they had a bad batch and you can get a replacement.
Click to expand...

It's an aqueon aquarium I believe. I'll probably refill the aquarium tomorrow and then re-test it cause I'm very curious also. lol

The filter wasn't the cause so thankfully that has been ruled out. :)
 
Today I tested my bare aquarium after bleaching it a few days ago.
The ammonia in the tank is 1.0 ppm and the axolotl plastic container is 4.0 ppm.
I'm gonna put everything back into the aquarium and then test once more in 24 hours.
 
After putting everything back into my aquarium including the axies the ammonia result was once again 4.0 ppm.

I've decided to re-home my axolotls since I think they will be better off with an already established aquarium. It just seems everything I've done the past few weeks has been for nothing. The ammonia never got better. :(
 
How incredibly frustrating. I'm sorry to hear that there was no improvement. Perhaps if you would give it more time after having just introduced seeded media. But I totally understand if you want to re-home them at this point.
I just can't get over how quick the ammonia spikes.... especially since you had the tank setup for such a length of time.
 
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