Novice Axolotl owner - help with high nitrite levels

[AEG]

Hi! I was hoping for some guidance. We have a new axolotl (young and quite small still - named Ganon by my Zelda loving son!) in a 56L tank. Had the tank 2 weeks before we got him, and used Seachem Prime & Stability as per their instructions to get the water ready. Axolotl arrived on 21st December and seems happy, is feeding well etc (although I'm a total novice so I guess could be missing things?)... Last few days I'm getting high nitrite readings - I think between 1 and 2... I tried using double dose of Prime for couple of days but didn't seem to do anything. Did a 50% water change yesterday and level did drop a bit as you'd expect but still I think just over 1... Added more Prime and will keep adding more Stability every day for a week. I'm keeping tank as clean as I can with turkey baster. Do I need to do anything else? More frequent water changes? Haven't touched the filter, it's been in place since we got the tank. Not sure how worried I should be (given that Ganon seems basically fine?) - do I just need to be patient and let things stabilise or is more drastic action needed... Would appreciate any advice.
Thank you!

 

[AMurry24537]

It sounds like the tank is probably still cycling (mine took two months to fully cycle when I was using ammonia). Axolotls produce a ton of waste. Others probably have better advice for how to solve this problem, but frequent water changes are going to be very necessary for sure.

As for other potential causes, make sure to clean up any extra food or waste asap and add some plants that don't need substrate, such as marimo moss balls.

Out of curiosity, what kind of substrate do you have? Everyone should know to never EVER use gravel with axolotls, but are you using sand or some version of bare-bottom? Sand can trap packets of air, water, or ammonia and cause problems. I personally would recommend a bare-bottom tank.

 

[AEG]

It sounds like the tank is probably still cycling (mine took two months to fully cycle when I was using ammonia). Axolotls produce a ton of waste. Others probably have better advice for how to solve this problem, but frequent water changes are going to be very necessary for sure.

As for other potential causes, make sure to clean up any extra food or waste asap and add some plants that don't need substrate, such as marimo moss balls.

Out of curiosity, what kind of substrate do you have? Everyone should know to never EVER use gravel with axolotls, but are you using sand or some version of bare-bottom? Sand can trap packets of air, water, or ammonia and cause problems. I personally would recommend a bare-bottom tank.

Thank you - I will keep going with partial water changes every day for now...
We have a sand substrate, but a fairly thin layer - also have a couple of live plants which are weighted to keep them anchored. Am trying to clean up food & waste etc regularly with a baster - the water looks nice and clear.

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Ammonia and nitrite at any level is highly toxic and can leave chemical burns so be sure you are watching your axo.

I never recommend in tank cycling for this reason.

 

[AEG]

Ammonia and nitrite at any level is highly toxic and can leave chemical burns so be sure you are watching your axo.

I never recommend in tank cycling for this reason.

Thanks for the reply. I was following some (maybe not great) advice whereby the tank could be cycled quite quickly using the Seachem Prime & Stability products I mentioned - I had done that before introducing our axolotl to the tank but seems like that did not quite work as well as I had hoped... Hadn't really intended for in-tank cycling but I guess that's now what I'm stuck with. I will keep a close eye on things and continue to make regular water changes until things settle. In terms of the axolotl is there anything in particular I need to be watching for? He seems happy - is fairly active and eating well, appears healthy as far as I can see. Would be helpful to know of any particular warning signs to look for? Thanks!

 

[AMurry24537]

Thanks for the reply. I was following some (maybe not great) advice whereby the tank could be cycled quite quickly using the Seachem Prime & Stability products I mentioned - I had done that before introducing our axolotl to the tank but seems like that did not quite work as well as I had hoped... Hadn't really intended for in-tank cycling but I guess that's now what I'm stuck with. I will keep a close eye on things and continue to make regular water changes until things settle. In terms of the axolotl is there anything in particular I need to be watching for? He seems happy - is fairly active and eating well, appears healthy as far as I can see. Would be helpful to know of any particular warning signs to look for? Thanks!

The most common things to look out for in axolotl health are as follows:

1. Red or oddly colored patches on an axolotl could be signs of ammonia burn. You may encounter this with your cycling problem

2. White fungus on their body, especially gills.

3. A curled tail. This is hard to describe; I would suggest looking up pictures. It's not just when their tail is bent because of their muscles, it's when the very end (the fleshy edges, not the muscle) is kind of curled up or folded over. This is a big sign on water quality stress.

 

[Mbnavy98]

Thanks for the reply. I was following some (maybe not great) advice whereby the tank could be cycled quite quickly using the Seachem Prime & Stability products I mentioned - I had done that before introducing our axolotl to the tank but seems like that did not quite work as well as I had hoped... Hadn't really intended for in-tank cycling but I guess that's now what I'm stuck with. I will keep a close eye on things and continue to make regular water changes until things settle. In terms of the axolotl is there anything in particular I need to be watching for? He seems happy - is fairly active and eating well, appears healthy as far as I can see. Would be helpful to know of any particular warning signs to look for? Thanks!

Look online for a pre seeded sponge filter. Or if know anyone with established fish tank or anything ask them for some filter media and put in yours. It will Jumpstart cycle