Axy care while cycling

[cheryl]

My dear sweet husband knew i had been researching axolotls so he went and bought me 2 as a surprise gift... i dont have a cycled tank!! They are in a 4ft tank and the pH is good but how do i cycle it with them in there? can i do a 10% water change every day or will it not cycle like that? it is tank water, not town water so it doesnt have any chlorine etc

 

[sharn]

30% water change every day, after around a month leave it for a day or two and then test the water. the bacteria doesnt really use the water as such so as long as you leave the decorations and substrate + filters alone while cycling it will be ok.

tank water is good but be careful of pollutants, been stuff on the news recently about how some tank water is bad for humans- animal feaces etc. youve got a good sized tank and after cycling you can add a couple more if you like!!

 

[alex]

also if you know somebody else with an aqaurium you could ask to have some filter wool from theres which will already have bacteria and it will speed up the cycling process for you.

 

[cheryl]

great. thanks for that. when i take out the water, should i take it from the top or syphon it from the bottom? i used to have a small tank set up so i have put the filter wool from that in there. no idea if it was cycled, because ive only just learnt about all of this but i figured it cant hurt.

how many axy's would the tank house? it is 4ft X 1ft 2in

 

[alex]

hey cheryl id say about 4 axies would be perfect but you could fit 5.

 

[sharn]

i siphon mine from the bottom so i get any debris out too.

4's good but if your up on your tank husbandry you can fit five, ill have five in mine (122x38x40) when my baby grows up will be monitering the water.

 

[cheryl]

One is looking slightly worse for wear- he is floating alot and flying aroudn the tank occaisionally. When he floats he is on his side a bit... im going to check the pH again and see how he goes.

 

[alex]

dont forget to check for ammonia and nitrates too.

 

[cheryl]

i dont have the kits yet... i was going to get all this stuff before i got any axy's

the soonest i can get one is tomorrow afternoon. One axy is fine and the other is on his side.

 

[alex]

ok i think you should put the sick one in the fridge and give salt baths.

 

[sharn]

dont worry about salt baths unless you see any skin problems, not worth stressing him out for nothing aye!

 

[cheryl]

im putting ice blocks in to drop the temp in the tank and i have put the sick one in the fridge. how long can he live there?

 

[alex]

umm what temp is your fridge?. you can leave him in there untill he gets better. his metabolism will slow down so dont expect him to eat a lot.

 

[alex]

and what is the temp of your tank?

 

[sharn]

bottles full of frozen water are a easier way to cool your tank just because you dont have to freeze dechlorinated water and your not adding more and more. make sure you do steady rotations, a higher temp is better than a unstable one!

axies can live in the fridge for up to a month, dont expect him to eat as much in the fridge as it slows down their metabolism. you have to do complete daily water changes for the axie in the fridge, keep enough dechlorinated water in the fridge with him so its the same temp

 

[cheryl]

i guess the fridge is about 6C. The tank is 22. The other axy is sitting on the bottom and looks happy enough... hes not doing anythign weird. The fridge axy is floating on his side in the fridge now

 

[alex]

that fridge temp should be fine. the temp in the tank will stress them.

 

[alex]

is the axie showing any other signs of illness?. any signs of fungus or any weird lumps or bumbs anywhere?. my axie did the say when i accidently put some medication in that was poisen to axies.

 

[kapo]

Also, is the water low enough to cover your axie but enough for his feet to touch the bottom so he doesn't float? (sorry, the one in the fridge?)

 

[cheryl]

he looks normal other than the floating thing.
I will watch the other one and if he seems ill at all i will put him in the fridge too. at the moment he is just sitting on the bottom and looking around occasionally.
i have an idea for cooling the water but im not sure if it will work... can i get a filter that spurts water and run a tube from the output through an eskie full of ice (lots of twists so its in there as long as possible) and then back into the tank? I think it might also possibly work as a cyphon.