Can axies live and be healthy without a filter?

Nikkiwhiskers · Jan 28, 2021

Hello everyone,
So the power was out for a few days and the bio bag in my filter needs to be changed stat, but I'll have to wait a week or so for my next paycheck (teenager here) in order to buy another pack of bio bags and wait for the shipment meaning my filter is a no-go for a while. My cycle probably crashed as well. Malakai is tubbed for now with daily water changes and added Prime. He is in a really big flat-ish storage container with a ton of floor space. I'm just wondering if a filter is absolutely needed? Is there a way I can ensure Malakai survives (healthily) without one? He seems to like the tub better than his actual tank, so what do I do about that, keep him tubbed? Ammonia spikes faster in his tank but rarely surfaces like that in the tub since it gets changed every day. Malakai seems fine. Sometimes he gets uninterested in food after he snaps and misses but he will still eat. He is also exploring the tub right now. Any advice would be great.

Hecklad · Jan 28, 2021

Never kept axolotls but do have a lot of fish. If your ammonia has been spiking in the tank then you never had a complete cycle. Filters facilitate the nitrogen cycle but do not control it. Until the cycle is stable you'll need do regular water changes.
If you can, once you get your paycheck I strongly suggest getting in contact with your local fish stores and seeing if any of them carry Fritz turbostart and adding that to your tank. It will completely cycle it within 2 days.
I also recommend getting as many plants in the tank as you can. They will help to absorb nutrients.

One last thing is, personally I never throw out or change my filter cartridges. If they are filthy they get the water hose on jet setting to clean them out. If they aren't totally nasty then I recommend siphoning some water out of the tank into a bucket or container, and scrub and flush out as much gunk as you can in the old tank water. This will keep any bacteria still alive and doing their job.

When you have a power outage, instead of removing the cartridge, just remove the water that has been sitting in the filter, siphon debris from the tank, give the cartridge a rinse, and put it back together and you should have no issue.

Nikkiwhiskers · Jan 28, 2021

Hecklad said:
Never kept axolotls but do have a lot of fish. If your ammonia has been spiking in the tank then you never had a complete cycle. Filters facilitate the nitrogen cycle but do not control it. Until the cycle is stable you'll need do regular water changes.
If you can, once you get your paycheck I strongly suggest getting in contact with your local fish stores and seeing if any of them carry Fritz turbostart and adding that to your tank. It will completely cycle it within 2 days.
I also recommend getting as many plants in the tank as you can. They will help to absorb nutrients.

One last thing is, personally I never throw out or change my filter cartridges. If they are filthy they get the water hose on jet setting to clean them out. If they aren't totally nasty then I recommend siphoning some water out of the tank into a bucket or container, and scrub and flush out as much gunk as you can in the old tank water. This will keep any bacteria still alive and doing their job.

When you have a power outage, instead of removing the cartridge, just remove the water that has been sitting in the filter, siphon debris from the tank, give the cartridge a rinse, and put it back together and you should have no issue.

Thank you!

JM29 · Feb 4, 2021