AbrahamAxolotl
New member
- Joined
- Aug 22, 2014
- Messages
- 45
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
- Location
- West Chester, PA
- Country
- United States
I got my first axolotl the end of July. I didn't know what cycling was or how important it was until August. I also didn't know that I would be needing a chiller to keep the temps in the right spot. I got a SunSun 3 stage canister filter 265GPH. Bottom stage has nothing in it. Middle Stage is half full with biomax. Top stage has filter floss. I know it is a cheap filter. I think it cost 49 dollars or something, and because it is cheap as soon as I take out about 7 gallons it'll start sucking up air into the hose and therefore I need to turn off the filter to do DAILY water changes. I have a 40g tank and try to change 50-80% of the water daily to keep the ammonia under 1ppm.
The chiller I have is an Active Aquachiller. It was the cheapest option at 300.00. It clicks on when the temp reaches THREE degrees above what it is set. For example - currently it is set at 62F so when the water reaches 65F it clicks on. Depending on how hot my house is the chiller has to click on 2-3 times in 12 hours.
I have had this chiller/filter set up since August. I still do not have a cycle! Yes, I know that lower temps decrease the bacteria growth. But four MONTHS and NO cycle?
I want to know if it is a mechanical issue. If maybe SunSun filters are not good enough for axolotl care. Or if Active AquaChiller is not a good brand chiller - perhaps something internally in the filter like the metal used in the piping or something - and that is killing the bacteria. Or maybe I should increase the amount of biomax in my filter.
Is chlorine maybe getting into my tank somehow? I use Prime to dechlorinate the water and to make sure if the ammonia rises too much between water changes it wont hurt my axolotl. Maybe the API test tubes aren't dry enough before I test the water and the chlorine is getting in that way and killing the bacteria? Should I rinse everything in dechlorinated water before putting it in the tank, including my hands if I washed them recently?
I am thinking of getting a new filter if I get enough for xmas, because lately I noticed the motor in mine seems to have slowed or something and the water outflow is reduced, probably because I need to cut the power to it daily (there is no on/off switch so I literally need to pull the plug). So the other part of this post is - what is the best, yet most inexpensive filter option, preferably with 1/2 inch tubing so that I can still connect it to the chiller I have.
I'd really like to get a cycle before the end of January. Between full time school, and job it's getting very difficult to keep up with daily water changes. And I would also like to get a second axolotl but that would be highly irresponsible and dangerous to the animal if I go forth with that before cycling a tank in which I can barely keep up with the ammonia levels as is.
Please help me. I'm beginning to think something is seriously wrong with my setup.
The chiller I have is an Active Aquachiller. It was the cheapest option at 300.00. It clicks on when the temp reaches THREE degrees above what it is set. For example - currently it is set at 62F so when the water reaches 65F it clicks on. Depending on how hot my house is the chiller has to click on 2-3 times in 12 hours.
I have had this chiller/filter set up since August. I still do not have a cycle! Yes, I know that lower temps decrease the bacteria growth. But four MONTHS and NO cycle?
I want to know if it is a mechanical issue. If maybe SunSun filters are not good enough for axolotl care. Or if Active AquaChiller is not a good brand chiller - perhaps something internally in the filter like the metal used in the piping or something - and that is killing the bacteria. Or maybe I should increase the amount of biomax in my filter.
Is chlorine maybe getting into my tank somehow? I use Prime to dechlorinate the water and to make sure if the ammonia rises too much between water changes it wont hurt my axolotl. Maybe the API test tubes aren't dry enough before I test the water and the chlorine is getting in that way and killing the bacteria? Should I rinse everything in dechlorinated water before putting it in the tank, including my hands if I washed them recently?
I am thinking of getting a new filter if I get enough for xmas, because lately I noticed the motor in mine seems to have slowed or something and the water outflow is reduced, probably because I need to cut the power to it daily (there is no on/off switch so I literally need to pull the plug). So the other part of this post is - what is the best, yet most inexpensive filter option, preferably with 1/2 inch tubing so that I can still connect it to the chiller I have.
I'd really like to get a cycle before the end of January. Between full time school, and job it's getting very difficult to keep up with daily water changes. And I would also like to get a second axolotl but that would be highly irresponsible and dangerous to the animal if I go forth with that before cycling a tank in which I can barely keep up with the ammonia levels as is.
Please help me. I'm beginning to think something is seriously wrong with my setup.