Is my new Axie just stressed??

Just be sure to keep an eye on your cycle, so the Ammonia or Nitrites don't spike during your cycle. Read these articles on cycling:

Caudata Culture Articles - Water Quality
Caudata Culture Articles - Cycling

Water quality is important to your Axolotls health, and it will aid in the gills growing back full and healthy.

Can you post the test results for Nitrites and NitrAtes?
 
How long should I fridge him for before the tank is cycled? Does it depend?
 
But everywhere I read, it states that cycling a tank with an axie in it is dangerous and damaging to them ):
 
He can stay in the tank, you just have to make sure that the Ammonia and Nitrites don't get so high that they can negatively affect your Axolotl.

Your performing whats known as a 'fish-in cycle' your using your Axolotl as a source of Ammonia to feed the beneficial bacteria that will colonize your tank.

Read the links above, they will clarify most the things you need to know about the Nitrogen cycle, if you don't get any of it just ask
 
Cycling a tank with an axolotl is unnecessary and potentially cruel, it should not be advised by anyone who considers animal welfare important.
 
Yes, should have said it is safer and kinder to cycle your tank using something like fish food as a source of Ammonia. Instead of potentially putting your Axolotl in harms way
 
I put him in the fridge for the time being in order to avoid anymore harm. I did a 70% water change, added the API water conditioner, and I forgot to mention I added a small live plant as well so that should speed up the process a tad. I'll put him back when I test the parameters again later on, or when I feel like he looks better than he did. The tank has plenty of brine shrimp and bloodworm remains from me trying to feed him yesterday as well.. So maybe that will help. I'm also aware that I have to get him used to the new water before putting him back in, and I have those steps also. If there's anything else I can do to speed this process up for Mudkip, and not risk his health, please let me know. But I'm glad there are forums like this that exist in order for me to learn. :) I attached a photo of the new tank set up.
 

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Fridge isn't needed, but you can put him in a separate container and change the water 100% everyday until your tank is cycled.

You can purchase bottled Ammonia to seed your tank to cycle your tank, bottled Ammonia is highly concentrated so you only need a few drops.
 
Why fridge ? You've been told its unnecessary, if you ask for advice then ignore it its pointless asking.
 
I'm receiving mixed advice here.. So I shouldn't keep him in the tank, but I should keep him in a plastic container outside of the tank until it's cycled?..
 
Okay, and keep him out of the fridge?.. I should try to continue feeding him, correct? How do I keep the water cool?
 
Put it next to your tank, if the ambient temp for the tank is OK the tub will be fine. Keep feeding as usual
 
I'm afraid that the temp of the container will increase too much. Living in Florida makes it difficult to keep the tank cool, let alone a small container. I keep his tank away from windows. Placing him in the fridge for a bit really helped though. He's incredibly pink compared to how he looked before, he even ate a decent amount of brine shrimp, which also helped his color. I ran more tests on the water after doing a change, conditioning it, and letting it sit for over 12 hours just to make sure the ammonia levels weren't getting too high or anything. It's still 0 ppm. He's still just hanging out in his container for now. Do you have any suggestions on how to make the tank even cooler than it is already? I can't get it any lower than 68/69 degrees. I've done the frozen bottle method and that seems to work pretty well and very gradually too, so it's not harmful.. but it doesn't change much.
 
If you change the water in the container 100% every day the water temp should be fine, although if you test the temp and it is high then perhaps change the water twice a day. You can also use a bigger container since a larger body of water will hold its temperature for longer.

Letting water sit won't change the amount of ammonia. Ammonia is produced from the Axolotls waste and degrading food. You will need to give your tank a source of ammonia for the beneficial bacteria to feed off so that the bacteria can convert the ammonia into nitrites and then the nitrites into nitrates. Once you can clearly see through tests that your ammonia is being converted into nitrites and the nitrites into nitrates you know the bacteria has colonised the tank.

21 degrees Celsius is on the high side so purchase a chiller for your tank
 
Okay! I understand so much more now! Thank you!!
He's looking SO much better than he was before. He only likes eating brine shrimp but he's been eating them like a little pig. His filaments are coming back very nicely and gradually and his pink is too. I've been doing 100% water changes once in the morning and before bed with refridgerated, dechlorinated water and that keeps him cool enough. Thank you all so much for the help. :)
 

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I know I posted this forever ago, but I just decided to come back to this thread and thank everyone for their help! I was clearly a very new and anxious axie owner, now that I think about it. :p And my cycle worked out very quickly once I got the hang of the process.

But my axie's now doing great!! It's crazy what a difference only a month or two can make. He's very fat and happy and growing very quickly! He has such a personality, which I didn't really expect. He's a pig when it comes to his brine shrimp, but still hates blood worms, and he's dug up just about every live plant I've purchased. He loves to float, and I've had to rub his tummy a few times here and there to get some air out of him. Hahaha. It actually made me realize how poorly cared for he was at the pet store when I got him, now that I see how big and pink his filaments are growing. ):

But thank you everyone so much. :) Mudkip's a very spoiled axie now, and he's got a large tank with many fun hiding spots lined up for him in the near future.
 

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He looks great! Thank you for the update and I am glad to hear he is doing so well now :).
 
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