Tank cycling.

[axoltlmad123]

Okay I have never cycled a tank In my life it's just not something my family do. Am I doing it right. It has been 24 hours and the levels are very high already. The ph is in the high range at 8.2. The ammonia is 1.25ppm.the nitrite is 0ppm. The nitrate is 40ppm ! what do I do? Oh. And I added Api stress coat with aloe Vera. And Api quick start because I red on another thread that this person swears by it being brilliant . I tested the water with Api master testing kit.oh and last but definitely not least the axolotls are currently living in tubs having daily water changes.any tips for getting this done really quick ?? Or as quick as possible.

 

[Skudo09]

I am quite surprised you have nitrate showing up so soon... It seems way too early for nitrate to appear and no nitrite given it has only been 24 hours? Cycling is not a fast process and takes weeks to establish. You will need to be patient. However you can speed the process up if you can add some seeded material from an already established tank such as filter media or substrate.

 

[axoltlmad123]

I am suprised to. From everything I have red the nitrate shouldn't be high like it is.and I know it isn't a quick process. It's just killing me seeing harleys look so bad.

 

[Zobug]

I'd be inclined to think that that was a mistake of some sort... Because, like Skudo has already said, that seems way, way too fast for nitrates to be established. Have you tried redoing the test?

 

[MattBurnett95]

Although I have found no published research it is my experience that Axolotls skin is commonly irritated by Aloe Vera. Can lead to disease and a stressed little creature. I tend to avoid conditioners containing any..

 

[ChristineB]

In the U.S. there is a certain amount of nitrates allowed in our drinking water; maybe test your water before adding it to the tank to see if that's it. Insufficiently treated tap water that has chloramine in it will also read as having ammonia. And I second having read that aloe vera is an axolotl irritant. Hope your cycle is coming along!