My little axolotl and his big dark belly!

Because I'm simple I'm just going to ask. How do you feed the bacteria? Like putting foods in there to create ammonia for the bacteria to fight against and get more used to kind of thing?
Yella and George are flicking their gills a lot, is that bad? It's like waaaaaay more than usual
 
Thank you! I've now got a smaller container to put them in while I change the bigger one :)
I also have 2 little feeder fish in the tank(I'm planning to get more) they've eaten 5 in the past few days(two in the container while I was out today) does having fish in the tank help the process?

update on Yella!!
I've noticed pebbles with poo in the container so they're passing :D :D :D
 
You feed the bacteria by giving them a source of ammonia. So, either rotting food, or a few drops of plain liquid ammonia, will work. Or having fish or axolotls in the tank. The problem is, ammonia is toxic and will cause burns if there is too much of it. So it is best to cycle the tank without fish or axolotls or other living creatures in it.

Since there isn't water flow in the containers, you will see them flicking their gills more often to move the water and get water with more oxygen near their gills.That is normal. Since they also have lungs, the will take air from the surface too.

Yay on the pebbles passing!
 
LSuzuki said:
The reason for keeping them in a container is that it is easier to keep the water fresh and safe in the container while the tank cycles.

Axolotls excrete ammonia and their poop decays into ammonia and other nasty stuff. Once your tank is cycled, the bacteria can convert the ammonia into nitrite then into nitrate, which isn't as toxic. Have you started reading the links on "the cycle" yet? :happy:

Yes, you can keep them in the tank, but then you have to keep doing big water changes to keep the ammonia low enough to be safe. It is much easier to keep them in a smaller container and do frequent total water changes and just let the tank cycle.

If you cannot keep them in containers safely (like, cats or children that you can't keep away from the containers), then you should keep them in the tank, but you need to be very careful to keep an eye on ammonia and nitrite.

In an ideal world, everyone would cycle their tanks before getting an axolotl (or fish) but very few pet stores tell people that option, much less recommend it.

Meanwhile, the tank ... 1. I suspect some of those rocks are too small for a full-grown axolotl, so keep an eye on that as they grow. You want rocks bigger than their head. 2. If it is 37 L, you will need a bigger tank before they are full-grown. For two axolotls, a 110 L is a good size.
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Sorry I just spotted this!
Yes I've read up on the cycle but I need my water test kit to ensure it's going well.
Also how do you feed the good bacteria so it converts the ammonia? I have two small fish in there, a bunch of plants and the filters I'm using used to be my nans(a few years old) so that helps but what else can I do? Sorry if I'm doubling up on questions
 
LSuzuki said:
You feed the bacteria by giving them a source of ammonia. So, either rotting food, or a few drops of plain liquid ammonia, will work. Or having fish or axolotls in the tank. The problem is, ammonia is toxic and will cause burns if there is too much of it. So it is best to cycle the tank without fish or axolotls or other living creatures in it.

Since there isn't water flow in the containers, you will see them flicking their gills more often to move the water and get water with more oxygen near their gills.That is normal. Since they also have lungs, the will take air from the surface too.

Yay on the pebbles passing!
Click to expand...

So if I put a block of the frozen blood worms I have and leave it till the weekend(till I get my test kit) and keep the axies in the container with lots of water changes?(whenever I see poo)
If I put the fish in the container they will get eaten(lol) but I guess that doesn't matter(I bought them for that(more natural))
Okay, should I put the two little plants I have that aren't rooted in the container?
 

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I didn't put the bloodworms in just because I haven't had a response, I also put the axies back in the tank for the night because there's a risk of the cats we have getting out of their room.
 
If you plan on keeping your axie in the tank, which I am assuming is the plan due to your last post about cats, you need a good water conditioner to detoxify and dechlorinated the water as it cycles. I did a axolotl-in cycle myself. It was much more time consuming and requires 20-25% water changes and treatment with the conditioner daily until the tank cycles. My 26 gallon tank took approximately 3 weeks to cycle. The Freshwater testing kit is imperative! It's definitely more work, however it is do-able. I recommend Seachem Prime for the conditioner. I used that along with Seachem Stability during my cycling process. Some people are skeptical of Stability's ability to encourage good bacterial growth, however I had a great experience with it. You can find tons of posts on this forum about cycling that are incredibly helpful. Good luck! Your tank looks excellent by the way! Happy cycling!
 
I have a conditioner that my nan has always used for her fish, it's a water ager and conditioner and I've used it with every water change, they're just in the tank for the night till I can get more info
 
Glad to hear that Yella has passed some pebbles.
Good luck with cycling your tank and keep us posted.
:happy:
 
OK, given you are deciding to do fish-in cycling (which I am OK with, since it is the safer option for your axolotls given your cats), you are going to need to figure out what levels of ammonia and nitrite are the highest that are safe for your axolotls, so you know when to do water changes.

Here is the annoying thing - you need to allow some ammonia and nitrite to build up, so the bacteria have food to grow and reproduce, but if too much builds up, it will harm you axolotls.

How much ammonia you can let build up depends on the pH of your water, so you will need the test kit to find out.

Keep nitrite under 0.25 ppm. You probably won't see any nitrite yet - you need to get enough of ammonia-eating bacteria growing first before you will start seeing nitrite.

I've never used products that are supposed to add the right bacteria. Many people say they don't work and some people say they worked great for them. I suspect it depends how old the product is, among other things - bacteria are alive and need to eat, and perhaps they starve in the bottle. There has been some debate as to whether these products are safe, but the concerns were mostly that some fish-safe products aren't axolotl safe, and there is no way to tell if the ingredients have changed from when it was known to be safe.

Bottom line: Unless money is no objection, if I were you, I would make sure that every other bit of equipment you need is purchases before thinking about buying a bacteria -containing product, and if you do buy one, go with a reputable product such as Seachem Prime.

Meanwhile, do you have the other equipment needed to clean your tank, like a siphon and something like a turkey baster to get chunks of poop out?

Given you have cats, you will need to keep a lid on the tank, but one of the ways to keep the water cool enough is to use "evaporative cooling", like, a fan blowing across the water. People in your situation usually get a mesh cover, so they can put a fan on top blowing down at the water while keeping cats out.

However, before going to get a mesh cover, find out what size your tank really is. I think you might need a larger tank, and in the long run, you would be better off getting it now. (Or if you have pet stores there that have periodic sales, getting it at the next sale.)
 
Donna001 said:
Glad to hear that Yella has passed some pebbles.
Good luck with cycling your tank and keep us posted.
:happy:
Click to expand...

Thank you so much! This site is sooooo great! Everyone on here genuinely cares, it's amazing!
 
LSuzuki said:
OK, given you are deciding to do fish-in cycling (which I am OK with, since it is the safer option for your axolotls given your cats), you are going to need to figure out what levels of ammonia and nitrite are the highest that are safe for your axolotls, so you know when to do water changes.

Here is the annoying thing - you need to allow some ammonia and nitrite to build up, so the bacteria have food to grow and reproduce, but if too much builds up, it will harm you axolotls.

How much ammonia you can let build up depends on the pH of your water, so you will need the test kit to find out.

Keep nitrite under 0.25 ppm. You probably won't see any nitrite yet - you need to get enough of ammonia-eating bacteria growing first before you will start seeing nitrite.

I've never used products that are supposed to add the right bacteria. Many people say they don't work and some people say they worked great for them. I suspect it depends how old the product is, among other things - bacteria are alive and need to eat, and perhaps they starve in the bottle. There has been some debate as to whether these products are safe, but the concerns were mostly that some fish-safe products aren't axolotl safe, and there is no way to tell if the ingredients have changed from when it was known to be safe.

Bottom line: Unless money is no objection, if I were you, I would make sure that every other bit of equipment you need is purchases before thinking about buying a bacteria -containing product, and if you do buy one, go with a reputable product such as Seachem Prime.

Meanwhile, do you have the other equipment needed to clean your tank, like a siphon and something like a turkey baster to get chunks of poop out?

Given you have cats, you will need to keep a lid on the tank, but one of the ways to keep the water cool enough is to use "evaporative cooling", like, a fan blowing across the water. People in your situation usually get a mesh cover, so they can put a fan on top blowing down at the water while keeping cats out.

However, before going to get a mesh cover, find out what size your tank really is. I think you might need a larger tank, and in the long run, you would be better off getting it now. (Or if you have pet stores there that have periodic sales, getting it at the next sale.)
Click to expand...

How would I do that without the test kit? Should I just keep doing water changes till it arrives? I have a siphon that I've been using to get everything off the sand, I try and get as much out of the water as I can, sometimes if there's still too many "bits" in the water I put more water in and re-siphon.

The cats are actually in their own room but they sometimes get the door open and I wouldn't want that to happen with my babies in a container. Can I just measure the tank with a tape measure(the top of it)? I'm getting a little fan for the tank as soon as I can :) I'm going to try and find a bigger tank for sure :D
 
Measure the length, width, and height of your tank, and then it is easy to find out the volume ... If you don't know the math off-hand, google "aquarium sizes" and match the dimension to a tank. Or post it here. :)

Where are you planning to keep your aquarium? They are pretty heavy. 1 kg per liter, plus weight of tank ans sand and rocks etc.

I suggest finding a source of used aquarium equipment to find a sturdy aquarium stand and larger aquarium. It is a lot cheaper that way, and a sturdy stand is better than regular furniture for supporting a heavy tank.

Keep doing water changes (always with a water conditioner, of course) until your test kit arrives.

Cats are wonderful, but they are very inquisitive about interesting, possibly edible, moving things. And very good at escaping their rooms. :happy:
 
LSuzuki said:
Measure the length, width, and height of your tank, and then it is easy to find out the volume ... If you don't know the math off-hand, google "aquarium sizes" and match the dimension to a tank. Or post it here. :)

Where are you planning to keep your aquarium? They are pretty heavy. 1 kg per liter, plus weight of tank ans sand and rocks etc.

I suggest finding a source of used aquarium equipment to find a sturdy aquarium stand and larger aquarium. It is a lot cheaper that way, and a sturdy stand is better than regular furniture for supporting a heavy tank.

Keep doing water changes (always with a water conditioner, of course) until your test kit arrives.

Cats are wonderful, but they are very inquisitive about interesting, possibly edible, moving things. And very good at escaping their rooms. :happy:
Click to expand...

I'm hoping to get a stand and all! It'll be in the lounge room :) thank you!
 
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