I feel like a bad owner

[axolotle42]

Hi!
So I bought an axolotl about a month ago. I did try to research as much as I could but I was miss informed i think and rushed into it a bit (I got one maybe 3 months after finding out about them). I did not cycle my tank as I thought this just meant having it running for about a week (which I did). I bought my supplies from a diffrent store to where I got my axie and although I tried to search stuff I did not know how complicated it could be and they did not inform me of this and sold me stuff that isnt really adequate to permanently keep and axolotl in (12 ½ gallon tank,cartridge filter which I thought was ok when I researched) and never mentioned cycling it. They only sold me a nitrite test and a ph one aswell. I bought my axie from a pet shop who didnt seem to be keeping them in the best conditions (they had 3 adults in small tank) and I got a juvenile lucy from them who I fell in love with right away and wanted to make sure they were not kept in the same conditions as the others.They did not know the age of my axie either just that they were a juvenile as they dont breed them themselves.
My axolotl seems to be doing well and my parameters are
ammonia 0.25ppm
nitrite 0.25ppm
nitrate 35ppm
ph8
I had a bit of an ammonia spike so have been doing frequent water changes which has helped
I'm going to upgrade to a 20 gallon long near Christmas time when they are bigger.
Anyways I just wanted to get others opinions on this as I just feel like I'm a bad owner who just thought they were cute so bought one? I'm usually very informed about pets and also tell others to research but I obviously just didnt research well enough though I am committed to making sure they are kept well and understand if I cant I need to get rid of them and I dont want them to suffer
thoughts?

 

[AMurry24537]

Hi!
So I bought an axolotl about a month ago. I did try to research as much as I could but I was miss informed i think and rushed into it a bit (I got one maybe 3 months after finding out about them). I did not cycle my tank as I thought this just meant having it running for about a week (which I did). I bought my supplies from a diffrent store to where I got my axie and although I tried to search stuff I did not know how complicated it could be and they did not inform me of this and sold me stuff that isnt really adequate to permanently keep and axolotl in (12 ½ gallon tank,cartridge filter which I thought was ok when I researched) and never mentioned cycling it. They only sold me a nitrite test and a ph one aswell. I bought my axie from a pet shop who didnt seem to be keeping them in the best conditions (they had 3 adults in small tank) and I got a juvenile lucy from them who I fell in love with right away and wanted to make sure they were not kept in the same conditions as the others.They did not know the age of my axie either just that they were a juvenile as they dont breed them themselves.
My axolotl seems to be doing well and my parameters are
ammonia 0.25ppm
nitrite 0.25ppm
nitrate 35ppm
ph8
I had a bit of an ammonia spike so have been doing frequent water changes which has helped
I'm going to upgrade to a 20 gallon long near Christmas time when they are bigger.
Anyways I just wanted to get others opinions on this as I just feel like I'm a bad owner who just thought they were cute so bought one? I'm usually very informed about pets and also tell others to research but I obviously just didnt research well enough though I am committed to making sure they are kept well and understand if I cant I need to get rid of them and I dont want them to suffer
thoughts?

Ideal parameters are ammonia and nitrites at 0 (both of these are very toxic) and nitrates less than 40, ph at about 7.4, and temperature must be below 70 degrees F. Until your tank is cycled, you will want to do frequent partial water changes and treat the water with SeaChem Prime. Minimum tank size for an axolotl is a 20 gallon long aquarium and an additional 10 gallons per axolotl. Again, this is minimum.

Buying any animal without thorough research is obviously not ideal, but at least you seem committed to rectifying the situation. Many of the threads on here should be able to answer most of your questions, but feel free to ask more

 

[axolotle42]

I did genuinely think that I had the correct information and am usually very thorough with animals and as you said I definitely want to correct everything! My ammonia and nitrite are 0ppm now the only thing I am struggling with now is my ph but I bought something to hopefully bring it down. Any advice if this doesnt work?
He is only 8cm at the moment so the tank should be ok for a few months? he doesnt seem stressed or anything and he has hides and everything.
Also I was thinking of getting a moss ball for them are these ok to he put in with axolotls?
thank you !

 

[AMurry24537]

I did genuinely think that I had the correct information and am usually very thorough with animals and as you said I definitely want to correct everything! My ammonia and nitrite are 0ppm now the only thing I am struggling with now is my ph but I bought something to hopefully bring it down. Any advice if this doesnt work?
He is only 8cm at the moment so the tank should be ok for a few months? he doesnt seem stressed or anything and he has hides and everything.
Also I was thinking of getting a moss ball for them are these ok to he put in with axolotls?
thank you !

I personally use SeaChem Regulator to bring down the ph of my tap water and I really like it! They also sell some other products that can be used to correct the ph to an exact level, but Regulator has been perfect for me.

At that size, yes, it should be okay for a little bit, but I would recommend upgrading to a 20 long sooner rather than later. More space is rarely a bad thing.

Moss balls are great for axolotls! They help keep the nitrate levels down a bit and also provide some amusement for axolotls, who sometimes like to push them around.