High Ammonia - cycled tank

rkarakorn

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Our 20 gallon aquarium with sand that houses one axolotl consistently has the following test results. Ammonia shoots up to .50ppm in a few days time after a 50% water change. Nitrite is always 0 ppm and Nitrate is always 5.0 ppm. We completely cycled the tank with Fritz Zyme live nitrifying bacteria and immediately after introducing our axolotl to the tank there was a very severe algae bloom. The algae was white/gray and very slimy. It was so bad that it would gunk up the filter and the filter would not work properly. We completely cleaned the filter, tank and all decorations a couple of times in an attempt to get rid of the algae. At the time we had live plants and a light for the plants. We even tried temporarily removing the plants and blacking out the tank (put him separate container) for 2 weeks to starve out the algae, once we put the plants back in and turned the lights on the algae came back. So, we no longer have plants and a light. That seems to have taken care of the algae.
However, we can't get control over the ammonia. I thought maybe we removed to much beneficial bacteria from deep cleaning when trying to get rid of the algae. So, we have taken him out of the tank and kept him in a separate container for weeks at a time in an attempt to encourage the tank to build up Nitrates. But the Nitrates never get higher than 5.0 ppm. As soon as we put him back in the tank with a reading of 0 ammonia it only takes a few days for the ammonia to shoot back up to .50 ppm.
We remove left over food within 30 minutes of feeding him and clean poop out immediately upon seeing it. We quit using tap water to do water changes and now only use spring water that is still treated with Ultimate.
We are new to this so I may be missing something very obvious. If anyone has any suggestions it would be greatly appreciated.
 
How did you cycle?

Just the Fritz zyme?

Daily testing and adding ammonia to 4ppm?

fish in cycle?

ghost feeding?

I suspect you are not fully cycled if your nitrate is never about 5ppm - even a heavily planted tank will get higher.

What type of test kit/strips are you using?
 
PS - Spring water does not require any water conditioner so you are potentially temporarily binding the ammonia, nitrite & nitrate which could be causing false results.

I have contacted Hikari to see if Ultimate is amphibian safe i.e. no aloe extracts etc.
 
We started with the Fritz zyme but got stalled so we added some minnows. The Nitrates eventually reached 40 ppm while cycling.
We use an API master test kit.
We use the spring water because it does not have chlorine added but treat it anyway just in case. We will stop treating the spring water if you think there will not be any issues. But we don't start having high readings of ammonia until a few days after a major water change? Do you think that would still cause false results?
If the readings of 5ppm Nitrate are the issue, which is what I suspect, how can I get the Nitrate higher?
We currently do not have him in the tank. He is in a smaller container with 100% daily water changes.
 
I just thought of a detail that I left out that might not be anything. We use a fan to cool the tank but when we do water changes we use ice to cool the water after adding water conditioner to the water and before putting the water in the tank. The new water is warming at room temperate than the water in the tank. I hope that makes sense. Not sure if the ice could throw things off.
 
You are not fully cycled.

the axolotls waste is spiking the ammonia and the bacteria bed isnt enough to handle the waste.

It can take 4-8 plus weeks to fully cycle with heat with nitrifying bacteria supplement.

personally I would tub your axolotl and get some pure ammonia(no scent or surfactant or additives) or ammonium chloride and test your cycle. you should be able to add 4ppm ammonia and it be fully converted to nitrate by 24 hours so 0 ammonia 0 nitrite and all nitrate.
 
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