Is my axie sick?

[Amiracle]

So I moved my axies into a new 4' tank about 6 weeks ago. The tank is and was fully cycled and I have had the axies for about 4 years. I have 2- an albino and a wildtype and I think both are female. Since I have moved them, the wildtype is slower to react and less active than before, and doesn't respnd when I enter the room, which she used to do. The nitrate in the tank is REALLY high too- around 6.0ppm-8.0ppm which I am very worried about, I do a 20% change 3 times a month and they have a filter running at 400 Litres per hour with a spray bar attachment and turned down. Do I need some live plants in the tank? and why is she moping?

 

[seedy]

I would suggest upping the water changes ( start at about 25% every week = 4 x per month to see if it helps ) as it is really the only way to keep nitrate levels under control. As for the moping , does the new tank have the same temp and have you changed things , like lighting?

 

[gr33neyes]

Personally I would carry out more frequent water changes full stop. I take a bucket of water (around 10 litres) out of my 3 foot tank at least every 3 days usually after 2 and replace it with fresh water. Ive had 0 problems with doing this and my axolotls are very active.

 

[oceanblue]

Do you really mean NitrAte? Nitrate is the end product of cycling and only begins to be toxic at levels of about 100ppm. 6 is fine, cannot by any definition be called REALLY high and does not merit going into more frequent water changes. If you are talking Nitrite you do need to start frequent water changes and sort out why the tank is not cycling. I cannot explain the moping, high temperatures are the biggest problem at your side of the world at the moment. I hope it all works out.

 

[Amiracle]

I do mean nitRATE but what i mean was 80ppm, it sometimes fluctuates to 100ppm. This has always been a problem for me. I have had a chiller in the tank the whole time I have had them and have never had a problem before. Isn't changing the water so often when I have a very effective filter a waste of time? I can see weekly changes and agree I have been a bit lax in that respect, but ever 2-3 days seems extreme.

 

[Lisa]

If you use lighting and have no temperature concerns with it and your axies are not stressed with it, live plants will utilise some nitrate. On the other hand, if your tank is better lit now than it was previously, that will stress some axies more than others and generally they like a darker tank. I guess the issue is why your nitrate is so high in the first place. Your tank isn't overstocked, so maybe check under and around everything for any food that may be decaying. I know some people have had problems with food being hidden (especially in sand) and decaying as it isn't removed daily and in a cycled tank that would probably result in high nitrate. Someone correct me if I'm wrong please. Even with a very good filter, uneaten food still needs to be cleaned up if it's not eaten within a few hours. Other than that, weekly water changes of 20% should drop it a bit. Up to 80 is OK though. Good luck.

 

[ianclick]

All cycled tanks will have nitrate present. I agree with ocean blue 100ppm is getting high enough to be a concern but your levels are ok.

It can take a couple of weeks for axies to adjust to a habitat change but they should all get back to whatever their normal routines were.

Good luck