Ammonia levels and other questions.

[CaluKanKen]

Hello,
Recently I got two axolotl sold to me on Craigslist that I was told I shouldn’t have bought because they were too small, I kept them in Tupperware that I changed the water of everyday with cold treated water, and now they are 4 inches, which was the size I was advised that I would be able to transfer them to the tank from. I’ve had the tank running on a filter for like a few months maybe while I waited for them to grow, initially I fed them frozen blood worms but they weren’t really growing and it worried me so I asked around and was advised to order some axolotl pellets from Craigslist which I got and then they grew like a half inch in basically a week which was good, but now I wanted to transfer them to their tank. I did a fairly huge water change to prepare for them, like 75%, but I guess I shouldn’t have done that because now the little ammonia gauge thingy I bought for them is saying they are at alert rather than okay and I wanted to put them in tonight. Is it okay if I put them in while they are at alert? I treated the water with both API quick start and tetra water safe and my filters substrate stuff is still the same sponge thingy, pellet stuff, and carbon bag that came with my aqua clear filter and that’s been running for quite a while so I’d like to assume that the bacteria should be able to get the ammonia digested soon. I’m also confused where it comes from since there’s no critters in it in the first place. Can I just put them in or should I wait the 4 hours it says on the bag too to see if the ammonia levels go down?

my other questions are related to the filter. When do I know I have to change the medium, and how do you change the medium without like getting rid of the good bacteria and hurting the tank? Another filter related question is about the medium itself, it has three different ones, a sponge, a pellet bag, and a carbon bag. On the filter box it said you didn’t have use all three and can customize what you use for your tank.I’ve been reading around but I’d like to hear some opinions about the best combination for axolotls. I have a Aquaclear 10-30 gal filter that I use, and then I have a soap dish of aquarium gems that further the distribute the water to minimize the current.

 

[EasternRomioi3]

@CaluKanKen

First, hello, thank you giving those lovely axolotls a home. Second, what ammonia gauge do you mean? I haven't seen anything like that before. As for the large water changes, I've been advised to do at least 50% water changes from many people, some saying to do even bigger ones.

Third, WAIT to put them in until the 4 hours transpired. If they have lived in their Tupperware this long, they can wait a few more hours. High ammonia will leave burns on them.

Fourth, change the medium? I am unfamiliar with that term, what kind of filter do you have? If it's a sponge filter, never, you just ring it out once a week or so, don't wash it with any chemicals. The sponge filters hold all that good bacteria that will eat up your ammonia, converting it to nitrites, then a well cycled tank will then eat the nitrites and turn them into nitrates. A water change or a large quantity of plants are required to deal with nitrates. I looked up your filter, I am unfamiliar with Aquaclear, I've only ever used sponge filters. I hope someone who is familiar with them can help you there.

Aquarium gems? How big, like, are they your substrate? Does your tank have a bottom or is it just glass? I have ultra fine sand. You have to be careful with aquarium stones, they're just axolotl killers. Axolotls will eat them and get impacted or worse, they'll choke. Unless aquarium gems aren't those marble sized glass beads that people put in fish tanks. There's a whole wall of them at my aquarium store and I call them axolotl killers. Saw a video of a vet removing one from an axolotl's throat, saving its life.

And be careful if you add both axolotls at the same time, little axolotls will nip at each other. May lose a gill stalk or a hand (which do grow back but like, I imagine it hurts). If you do add them and they are hostile to each other, a simple aquarium divider will work. I've read that when they reach adulthood, around 2 years old, they calm down and you may be able to remove the divider and let them join each other.

Do you have photos of them and your set up?

 

[CaluKanKen]

@CaluKanKen

First, hello, thank you giving those lovely axolotls a home. Second, what ammonia gauge do you mean? I haven't seen anything like that before. As for the large water changes, I've been advised to do at least 50% water changes from many people, some saying to do even bigger ones.

Third, WAIT to put them in until the 4 hours transpired. If they have lived in their Tupperware this long, they can wait a few more hours. High ammonia will leave burns on them.

Fourth, change the medium? I am unfamiliar with that term, what kind of filter do you have? If it's a sponge filter, never, you just ring it out once a week or so, don't wash it with any chemicals. The sponge filters hold all that good bacteria that will eat up your ammonia, converting it to nitrites, then a well cycled tank will then eat the nitrites and turn them into nitrates. A water change or a large quantity of plants are required to deal with nitrates. I looked up your filter, I am unfamiliar with Aquaclear, I've only ever used sponge filters. I hope someone who is familiar with them can help you there.

Aquarium gems? How big, like, are they your substrate? Does your tank have a bottom or is it just glass? I have ultra fine sand. You have to be careful with aquarium stones, they're just axolotl killers. Axolotls will eat them and get impacted or worse, they'll choke. Unless aquarium gems aren't those marble sized glass beads that people put in fish tanks. There's a whole wall of them at my aquarium store and I call them axolotl killers. Saw a video of a vet removing one from an axolotl's throat, saving its life.

And be careful if you add both axolotls at the same time, little axolotls will nip at each other. May lose a gill stalk or a hand (which do grow back but like, I imagine it hurts). If you do add them and they are hostile to each other, a simple aquarium divider will work. I've read that when they reach adulthood, around 2 years old, they calm down and you may be able to remove the divider and let them join each other.

Do you have photos of them and your set up?

My ammonia alert is called Seachem ammonia alert, it’s a little hang on thing that constantly monitors the waters ammonia parameters, I don’t have the aquarium gems in the tank, and I doubt theyd even want to mess with them from where they are because they a dispersing the current and up off the ground, I do have some aquarium gems in the floor of the aquarium but they are about twice the size of both the axolotls heads so I doubt they’d want to try and eat them, and they aren’t completely covering the floor, it’s like 10 of them, also they wouldn’t even fit in their mouth. I use no substrate cause I figure they won’t mind do to them never having been exposed to any in the first place. It’s actually turned back to yellow now and I tested the water quality with a test strip and everything is still within its proper parameters. Like I said my medium that I’m using is a carbon bag, A sponge, and these ceramic pellet things in a little bag. All of came with the filter but I’m assuming you mean I won’t ever have to change them, just maintain them.

 

[EasternRomioi3]

Oh ok, as long as your axolotls can't shove the gems in their mouths.

As for your filter medium, on those, you may have to change them, that is not a sponge filter. I have 0 experience with any filter other than a true sponge filter so ignore my statements on that. The only other animals in my house that have filters are the reptiles and they don't survive off their water, my turtles would walk down the stairs if I let them. Those filters are strong and my dad replaces their charcoal insert every month, but again, those are specifically for reptiles, big ones.

Do you have an API Fresh Water Master test kit? That thing is the most useful purchase I did for my axolotl. It tests all the water quality and is super accurate.

 

[CaluKanKen]

Oh ok, as long as your axolotls can't shove the gems in their mouths.

As for your filter medium, on those, you may have to change them, that is not a sponge filter. I have 0 experience with any filter other than a true sponge filter so ignore my statements on that. The only other animals in my house that have filters are the reptiles and they don't survive off their water, my turtles would walk down the stairs if I let them. Those filters are strong and my dad replaces their charcoal insert every month, but again, those are specifically for reptiles, big ones.

Do you have an API Fresh Water Master test kit? That thing is the most useful purchase I did for my axolotl. It tests all the water quality and is super accurate.

Honestly I was tempted to get one at first just because I’d seen people liked them but I have methods to test every parameter of water already. I use a test strip kit that tests hardness, nitrate, nitrite, ph, and carbonate levels and I use my seachem gage to tell me the ammonia levels. I may just buy the individual test for ammonia levels though since I’d like to know if I’ve treated my ammonia levels when I notice the change right away. waiting 4 hours made me nervous lol, even if that wasn’t how long it took the gage to return to yellow.

 

[EasternRomioi3]

That's fine, so long as you have something good and reliable and, most importantly, you're comfortable using it. I know what you mean about the waiting and the nervousness, I've gone many nights since June without sleep over my axolotl. Mainly related to the massive heatwave we had here and then her fungus. I'm very worn out from it all. Don't let yourself become too rundown that you can't care for your axolotls.

 

[Calgarycoppers]

Did you actually cycle the tank?

Ammonia alert is actually really inaccurate.

You should have an API Freshwater master test kit.

Cycling requires feeding ammonia to the tank and adding beneficial bacteria to build up the colony to a level that can handle your axolotls waste.

Ammonia and Nitrite are toxic at any level and cycling allows them to be broken down into less harmful Nitrates. nitrates are removed by regular water changes.

 

[Calgarycoppers]

As for the size if you have bare bottom 4" is totally fine
Sand they should be 5-6".