Another floater? Quick reply pls cos i don't want a sick axie

[cynthia]

Andrea - You can also add some of your axolotls poo to the tank that is cycling. This will help it get going too.

My dogs give me grief for looking into fish tanks for too long... it seems they make "everyone" jealous

 

[andrea]

haha i get the wet nose pushed under the elbow and tennis balls dropped in my lap too!! I am using the Tetra test kits and the measurements are in mg/l, at the moment ph is 9 nitrate is 25-50, ammonia .25-.50 and nitrite is off the scale now at 3.3-33!! i have read lots on cycling now but tbh i don't know what to do with a tank that was set up all wrong in the first place... will i still be able to see the peaks/dips in levels etc as in the article so that i can monitor it as the article describes? what am i looking out for first before adding more waste product? also at what point do i clean the filter sponge thing after cycling and at what intervals thereafter? I don't want another mess up like this one again its been quite stressful never having had amphibians before - i can handle losing a guppy or molly lol but not these wonderful creatures.

sorry to keep on but i'd rather know what im doing with your replys than read info and guess.

 

[cynthia]

You are seeing the peaks and dips right now.

Ammonia goes up then as it is broken down into nitrite the ammonia starts to go down and the nitrite goes up. As the nitrite is broken down the nitrate starts to go up.

It looks like your nitrite cycle is underway.

Does your kit have a high range test kit for the ph? 9 is very high.

You can add some axolotl waste it will just help more bacteria get going.

What kind of filter are you using?

 

[andrea]

hi again cynthia, the top of the ph scale on my kit is 10 and i have seen it at 8 so it has changed over the past week or so. The filter i have came with the tank and just has a cylindrical sponge in it that fits over a tube in the casing, i dont know what the sponge is but i know it is a basic filter - maybe its not suitable? Should i change it, if so, will it prolong the cycle? Also to let you know i have natural coloured sand which i was told would be suitable and tbh it has never clouded my water and seems good. i have a couple of live plants, a few rocks oh and a model of the Bismark which was hubby's contribution.

many thanks

 

[andrea]

Just to let u know that my axie is still goin, still eating and has grown an inch/inch and a half! Still in the tub waiting for the tank to fully cycle. Still has this tilting type problem but i think he/she is doing it on purpose because it seems to hold one side of its legs out straight when turning - if u put ur arms out like an aeroplane, inside one goes down and the other one goes up if that makes sense. he/she seems happy enough and has never flipped over and can right itself with no probs so i'm assuming it may just be my lack of experience looking into things too much.

Thanks to all who posted