Can anybody help me try to figure out what is going on with my tank water!?

[Alkylhalide]

Okay so background.
I cycled my tank for 4weeks with guppies, ammonia nitrite were 0 and nitrate was 5 when I added my axies in.
I knew because of the axolotls waste that it would not be "fully" cycled yet so I have been doing daily water changes for almost 2weeks, probably about 10-15% daily, testing the water every 4 days.
The ammonia(as far as I could see) only spiked to .25 about a week ago and has been 0 ever since.
Nitrite went up to 1ppm so I just kept doing what I was doing(figuring my tank was just cycling) and nitrate had gone up to 40ppm, I still wasnt to worried. Oh and my pH has always been about 7.6, it never tests anything higher or any lower.
Now for the past three days, Ammonia is 0 nitrite has been 5ppm, and nitrate was at 40-60ppm! This confused me enough, anyways I removed my axies yesterday because after doing two 20% water changes a day for two days the nitrite did not budge!

Now if that didnt confuse me enough why my readings are so wonkers, I tested this afternoon, my pH is about 6.4-6.6 (but my tap water is 7.6) Ammonia is 0, nitrite is still the same(I dont know maybe it went down a tiny bit?) and nitrate is down to 5-10ppm

I know my tank isnt cycled, but why are my readings all over the place like this?I am trying to think if there is something in the tank doing this, but I dont know. The only thing new is I started seeing some algae growing on the glass, but I moved my tank(it was getting a lot of sun) and the tank light is on less per day for that.

It is a 10gallon tank that I have two juveniles in. This will not be their permanent tank but its all I have till I finish school(I am trying to get a cheap 20long for them though if I can, thought their permanent home I want it to be at least a 40 or a 55(Mind you I am going to eventually add 2 new friends) but thats far in the future since I need a job first!
Its been cycling for almost 6weeks
I feed them frozen bloodworms in a feeding jar, I use a turkey baster to clean all the leftovers. I have a moss ball and some other plant in my tank and a couple hides.
Sand for substrate.
I use nutrafin ChloroXChange for dechlorinator.

Sighhh! This is stressing me out because I have read so many articles on cycling tanks and high readings and such and nothing explains what is going on here. Im a complete aquarium noob so this is all so new to me, but at the same time I understand the chemistry and the "cycling process" and to me I cant wrap my head on what is going on.

Any opinions would be so appreciated! Should I just keep doing 20% water changes daily till it goes down? Will it ever go down.
PS the test does work, I tested my tap water and I also tested the water my baby axies are in and nitrite is 0 in both

 

[Alkylhalide]

So i went and bought a 25gallon tank today, the guy also gave me a huge bag of water from his filter and told me to add it to my 10gallon and the rest in the 25gallon. I have a huge night ahead of me now because i dont know where to put the 25gallon yet! And plus i need to wash it out since it was (very) used
I havent decided if im going to keep the 10gallon going and the 25(dont know where to put all these tanks there is also a 30gallon cycling as well here for community fish) but ill figure something out. I think a 25gallon should be okay for at least another year?

Wish me luck! I hope this dirty water helps

 

[wandering]

There are two types of bacteria in your filter. The first lot convert the ammonia from your axolotls to nitrite. You seem to have a big enough culture of them now because they are getting rid of it as quickly as your axolotls produce it. The second type convert nitrite to nitrate. You do not have enough of them, but they will eventually be enough as they will reproduce because they have a large food supply. You must have some because you are getting readings for nitrate. This is normal. It just takes time for them to multiply, and they can't start to multiply until there is a supply of nitrite, so there is always a lag. If you had no axolotls in the tank you could just feed in the ammonia and leave the colonies to grow and the tank would cycle faster. If you have axolotls in there you must do water changes to protect your axolotls, and this will reduce the ammonia and nitrite available to the bacteria; so levels in your tank are changing all the time which may sometimes starve the bacteria and affect the reproduction rate. That's why smaller, more frequent water changes are best.
Hope that is helpful

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[Alkylhalide]

Yes it did thank you! Thats what the guy said at the aquarium said(in a way) he told me nitrite is the hardest part of the cycle because you have ammonia converting to nitrite faster then nitrite can turn to nitrate. Anyways he told me just to add some of the gross water to the tank and wait a week and it should help finish the cycle. And im going to try to set up my 25gallon tonight as well. Im going to be up all night i think.

What is your opinion on sponge filters and how well they work? I am going to put a sponge filter in my 25gallon but i also have a over the side(i dont know what they are called) as well for it. It just does not have any filter media yet. Should i have both going? In my head i think yes. But ive heard some people say sponge filter is fine.

Thank you! I needed help wrapping my head around what was going on wit the water it didnt make sense in my head but now it does and i feel stupid. I just tought it was odd to have no ammonia and high nitrite. But it makes sense now

 

[wandering]

Lol. Hope you've had some sleep!
30 (!) Years ago I kept fish and there were no forums, just the LFS. Naturally they sold me a shop full of chemicals but didn't explain cycling. My poor fish! Six years ago I got back into aquatics and its all changed. So much knowledge. Only thing I buy now is the dechlorinator and test kits. And my fish and axies are just fine! We all have to learn.
Looks like you're almost there.....

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[wandering]

I am using internal power filters on my fish tanks. Only just got some sponge filters primed for the axies ( been keeping them without filters for 5 months). I was raising some juveniles but only got my keepers now so setting up a permanent tank with sponge filters. Only downside, I think, is that you still have to syphon the poop, (power filters suck it in so you only have to squeeze out the sponge into you outgoing water to get rid of it).

Guess you need someone else's opinion on the sponge filters.
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[CJ1981]

I am using internal power filters on my fish tanks. Only just got some sponge filters primed for the axies ( been keeping them without filters for 5 months). I was raising some juveniles but only got my keepers now so setting up a permanent tank with sponge filters. Only downside, I think, is that you still have to syphon the poop, (power filters suck it in so you only have to squeeze out the sponge into you outgoing water to get rid of it).

Guess you need someone else's opinion on the sponge filters.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

It looks like you are on track, the only thing I would note is that even with a 'power filter' ideally you should still try and siphon the poop rather than just rely on the filter to suck it up (or your Axies eating it).

Is it me or are Axolotl owners obsessed by poop? I have not had so many conversations about poop in my life ever until I joined this forum

 

[Mortimer]

Is it me or are Axolotl owners obsessed by poop? I have not had so many conversations about poop in my life ever until I joined this forum

Ha! We should start a new poo thread and see what happens.

 

[Alkylhalide]

I know poop takes over your life with axies >.< Like I was worried with my babies because I started to notice them eating their poop!

 

[snuggly time]

If i'm not quick enough mine eats his poop too. You can't be there to get it all the time so don't worry. I guess it saves you a job until the next time!

 

[Alkylhalide]

Mine poop to much and then go crazy around in the water just so the poop breaksninto tiny particles justfor me to try to clean! Arent they so nice? If im lucky i get whole poop. I think mine poop like twice a day at least so no worry about them eating it and me having nothing to clean!

Update. Its been 6days since my axies have been out of the tank and probably 3daysnsince i last tested(life has been hectic) and these are my results yay! Im goin to test for the next 3days to make sure it stays like this but i think i have a cycled tank.
Is it normal that my water looks dirty though? Should i siphon out all the dirt and grossness before i re-introduce my axies in it? Siphon then test the next day to make sure everything is still okay?