Being told I dont need to cycle a tank for an axolotl

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ClockworkParrot

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I am back with more questions. My chiller and filter came in the mail today and I am planning to start my tank cycling tomorrow or Thursday. I have been talking with a breeder who is telling me that its ok to keep them in an uncycled tank but I am unsure how to do so since the baby in the color that I want is ready to go now. I am just worried about doing more harm than good with the little guy if I do get him now. I have a 40 gallon breeder tank and am planning in keeping it in a plastic fish safe critter keeper inside the tank until it is big enough to wander freely and so I can monitor its poops and food intake.
 
Baby lotls are more sensitive to water quality. If you really want to get the lotl now put him in a small tub with 100% water changes whilst you cycle the big tank.
 
hayleykahnita said:
Baby lotls are more sensitive to water quality. If you really want to get the lotl now put him in a small tub with 100% water changes whilst you cycle the big tank.
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I was thinking about that, but I am very new aquariums and water changes so I dont know the safest way to perform a 100% water change. I am confident in learning it all I just dont want to harm it. That and my room is a good 78-80 degrees which is why I bought the chiller and why I wanted to sink some critter keepers into the tank so they could be nice and cold.
 
It's easier to have two tubs, fill the new one up with treated water and gently scoop the axolotl (net or hand) and put it in the new tub. Chuck out the old water and rinse it and wipe it down.

You could use a fan to blow across the water to cool it down.
 
The best I have right now is a place under my ac vent and near my ceiling fan. What exactly should be added to the tubs until they can go into the cycled tank?
 
Just an average water dechlorinator.


You'll need to be adding an ammonia source to your main tank don't forget!
 
If the axolotls you are getting are just little juveniles they probably wont even be big enough to feed your tank if it is cycled. A cycled tank still needs a certain amount of ammonia to feed it and keep it cycling. So I believe with that tank it would be okay to put them in right away because your cycle will probably crash anyway with the lack of ammonia.
 
I am picking up some ammonia and dechlorinator tomorrow morning at the pet shop.

@Bdyoung: I didnt realize that ... How would I prevent the cycle from crashing? I am planning on getting 3 all together but this guy is ready now or else I have to wait til the next batch is ready.

So would it be better just to keep doing water changes on the main tank so they stay cold and is it safe to feed a tiny amount of ammonia in the tank with them inside to make sure it doesnt crash since the tank is large?
 
You could take Hayley's advice and cycle the main tank and then have them in a separate container. Once cycled you could put them in the main tank and then if need be add in more ammonia to keep the beneficial bacteria fed. When I use to breed my axolotls more often I would keep the little ones in big tanks so I wouldn't have to worry about buying more tanks and more filters. I did once a week water changes and never once saw ammonia. You could also cycle the tank with the axolotls. By that I mean you can put them in the main tank right away and let your tank run as normal and as they start getting bigger you should start seeing ammonia rising. You'll have to start doing water changes to keep the ammonia at a manageable level that allows the bacteria to be fed and not harm the axolotls. It's just a little more stressful since you are dealing with live animals.
 
I work from home so I have the time to do whatever needs to be done to keep them healthy and happy. I just wanted to keep them in the main tank because that would be the coldest place for them since my house gets so warm. I didnt realize my tank size would be a problem with keeping the cycle from crashing with little axolotls. It seems that if I get them now or later I will still have harder time keeping it from crashing because of their size ... Is there a guide on a safe way to cycle the tank with them inside it until they are big enough to feed the bacteria themselves?
 
Well when i say the cycle would crash it wouldn't be a dramatic increase in ammonia like most crashes. Your cycle would just stop and when they got bigger you would notice your ammonia wasn't going away like it use to. I've seen it a few times where people will put a beta in a 40g tank and then wait for it to "cycle" and when they think it has cycled they go out and buy a bunch of fish and put it in the tank and all of a sudden their ammonia is crazy high. Because the beta only put out "x" ammonia and all of the fish put out "y" ammonia and "x" doesn't equal "y". (and you thought you'd never use math again :p) Honestly I would do the latter and put them in the main tank right away. Once you start noticing you need to cycle the tank you could take them out and put them in some containers and dose your tank up to 4ppm and actually increase the temperature to speed up the time it'll take to cycle.
 
Bdyoung said:
Well when i say the cycle would crash it wouldn't be a dramatic increase in ammonia like most crashes. Your cycle would just stop and when they got bigger you would notice your ammonia wasn't going away like it use to. I've seen it a few times where people will put a beta in a 40g tank and then wait for it to "cycle" and when they think it has cycled they go out and buy a bunch of fish and put it in the tank and all of a sudden their ammonia is crazy high. Because the beta only put out "x" ammonia and all of the fish put out "y" ammonia and "x" doesn't equal "y". (and you thought you'd never use math again :p) Honestly I would do the latter and put them in the main tank right away. Once you start noticing you need to cycle the tank you could take them out and put them in some containers and dose your tank up to 4ppm and actually increase the temperature to speed up the time it'll take to cycle.
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Curse you math xD.
I understand what you mean now (Bare with me I am new to fish tanks but am very eager to learn it all!) If I put them in right away what do I need to add to the tank to keep it safe and healthy for them? Would it just be dechlorinator and perform weekly water changes until I see the ammonia start to rise as they get bigger?
 
Yep just do normal water changes to keep it fresh and once you start noticing that you are getting high amounts of ammonia 1-2ppm+ they should be at the stage where they will keep the cycle going.
 
Ok I can handle that. Is once a week enough of a water change and about what percentage of the water should I change each time?
 
Once a week is good keeps the water from going stale. There's not really an exact amount. I'd say about 20ish percent or so.
 
one option to cycle your tank is with some feeder fish
guppies, danios, something small and cheap
do regular water changes, 50% every few day s should be fine to start your cycle
Once the tank is ready you can either take the fish out and give them away or if the axolotls are big enough just leave them in there and they will get eaten very quickly
A good cycle takes 3 to 6 weeks to get running, that should be sufficient quarantine time as well to ensure theyre not carrying diseases to harm your lotls
 
mackinthebox said:
one option to cycle your tank is with some feeder fish
guppies, danios, something small and cheap
do regular water changes, 50% every few day s should be fine to start your cycle
Once the tank is ready you can either take the fish out and give them away or if the axolotls are big enough just leave them in there and they will get eaten very quickly
A good cycle takes 3 to 6 weeks to get running, that should be sufficient quarantine time as well to ensure theyre not carrying diseases to harm your lotls
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I thought about that, but my fear is keeping the lotls out of the tank for that long since the tank and chiller will have the only sufficiently cold water for them. Even with a fan I dont I think I can keep the tubs cold enough to prevent them from getting stressed.
I thought about keeping them in there since the critter keepers have lids with slots which will let water in but keep the fish and lotls separate but that wouldnt prevent any diseases the fish could be carrying.
 
Bdyoung said:
Once a week is good keeps the water from going stale. There's not really an exact amount. I'd say about 20ish percent or so.
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I doubt 20% once a week would be enough in a tank that is cycling. I would prefer at least twice a week and 50% each time, as a minimum.
 
Is there are way to tell at this point when it needs to be changed or do I just need to change it twice a week until they can support the cycle?
 
ClockworkParrot said:
Is there are way to tell at this point when it needs to be changed or do I just need to change it twice a week until they can support the cycle?
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a test kit will tell you for sure, test for ammonia and change it before it get to 1ppm
 
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