Health Check

[Fadeity]

Yet another axolotl question! I'm a huge worrywart if you can't tell, and even after all the research I've done I still have such a nervous stomach over my new baby.

Currently I'm cycling the tank with the axie in (not the way I would have preferred) and am monitoring levels like a hawk. Today's results:
Ammonia: 1 ppm (yesterday .75~1ppm, color was hard to tell)
pH: 7.5
Nitrates: .5
Nitrite: 20
(These readings are the best I could see, my eyes aren't too sharp.)

The ammonia spike could be due to quite a bit of poop that I have since spot cleaned and the tank is crystal. I held off on feeding the past 2 days to eliminate waste and get the levels down. Today my axie hid in her hide for most of the day, and now that it is night she is swimming frantically left and right, up, trying to get to the filter, but not really gulping for air. Her tail seemed a bit curled until she swam, and now it is straight. Her gills seem fine.

I have been doing daily water changes, would doing twice daily changes help? As I type this she is still swimming around, her tail and gills still look fine. Could it be extra energy from sleeping all day? She is about 4-5 months old, if it's just a "kid" thing. Thank you.

 

[keiko]

Did you get the nitrite and nitrate mixed up? If the nitrites really are 20 then they are really really high. Ammonia and nitrite need to both be under 0.5 ppm. Nitrate needs to be under 40 ppm. Looks like you need to do bigger water changes or smaller ones more often.

Have you thought about keeping your axie in a separate container while the tank is cycling. Then you wouldn't have to worry as much and you could do daily 100 % water changes to keep her water perfect.

Often swimming frantically left and right indicates that there's something wrong with the water and she's trying to get out of there.

 

[Fadeity]

Today's readings:
Ammonia: 1.0
pH: 7.5
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 20
I just did a 50% water change and cleaned the tank very thoroughly. I keep finding white mucus-y looking balls. Is my axie sick?

 

[keiko]

Could you get a picture of the mucus-y looking balls?

The ammonia is still high. It needs to be under 0.5.

 

[Fadeity]

The muscus balls have stopped. It seems to have been a one-time thing. They were small pure-white balls.

Here is a photo of the ammonia reading. It seems to be too neon...? Maybe that's why I'm having trouble reading it.

 

[keiko]

I'd say that's about 1, but just a picture will look different than it really is plus all computer screens are different so it's pretty much just a guess. If you're having trouble telling what it is then you can do a 50% water change and test it again to see what it is then. So if you do the water change and test it again and get a result of 0.5 then you'll know that this color means that ammonia is 1 and remember that next time.
But whatever it is it's too high and you should do a water change to bring it down to under 0.5.

Edit: Also if you have trouble telling which color it is then you can take two pieces of white paper and cover the other colors while comparing it to them one at a time.

 

[Fadeity]

That's a neat trick, I will try that. I've done a 50% water change today and yesterday, and I always test before I change. Axolotl seems healthy still, gills aren't forward and tail is very straight and she has an appetite. I'm still going to keep all of this in mind, though. Thank you.

 

[Fadeity]

Well... I figured out why my ammonia readings are where they are. I just tested my tap water and the reading appears to be 1.0! What do I do?