Between a rock and a hard place.

[Gailgirl]

So, I just received my darling little axolotl juvies in the mail from Twisterfisher, and they are doing so well!

However...

I have been trying to cycle my 30 gal tank for a few weeks, and it isn't budging. Dosed it with about 3 ppm pure ammonia, no surfectants, and added lots of aquarium gravel from a goldfish tank. I have a Fluval 206 on it, with lots of biomedia. I have a chiller, but am not running it so the bacteria will grow. The only change I've seen is some cloudy looking gel/wispy looking things growing on my Java moss and floating, but they're definitely not wormlike or anything, just filmy bits. The ammonia levels have not changed, and the pH rose slightly after I dosed it, but has settled back to 7.8.

The axolotls are in 5 gal rubbermaid tubs, with hides, that I'm doing daily water changes on. My concern is the water in the tubs is about 74 degrees, which is the coolest I can keep it here in Florida, which is why I bought a chiller.

Would it be better to do a big water change now, and cycle the aquarium with the axies in it, doing daily water changes so they get nice cold water while staying on top of the parameters, which will take longer to cycle. Or should I leave them as they are, in 74 degree clean clean water and hopefully have a cycled tank sooner? I am so torn, I keep going back and forth on it.

 

[Gailgirl]

Any suggestions?

 

[Mortimer]

Can you move the tubs somewhere that might be a little cooler? Or place some fans near the tubs?

What are your water parameters now? Ammonia/nitrite/nitrate?

My gut feeling is that it would be better to keep them in the tubs and focus on a way to get the temp down just a few degrees. I use computer fans (which drop it about 5 degrees). If you do it this way, the tank can cycle quicker without being interrupted, and you won't have to worry about the series of spikes harming your little ones.

(I tried to cycle my first tank with my adult axie in there....I won't do that again. I ended up taking him out and letting it complete it's thing without potentially affecting him. It took months rather than weeks bc I kept crashing the cycle.)


Sharon

 

[Jacquie]

Another option would be to turn on the tank chiller, and float the axolotl's tub/s on the surface of the tanks chilled water. This will keep the axolotl/s nice and cool, and you can also float a couple of bottles of dechlorinated water in the tank as well to use for water changes, in order to keep the temperature consistent for the axolotls living in the tubs.

I'm currently looking after a juvenile axolotl (belongs to another member) and this is the method I used during our very hot Summer (averaged 36-42 Celcius, daily) to keep him safe (by safe, I mean separate from my own axolotls who are twice his size, and I'm sure would absolutely have loved him to join them in the tank...) and above all, cool.

It may take a little ingenuity on your part to keep the tubs lodged firmly in place to prevent the tub from capsizing (tipping the axolotls into the tank).

But this brings me to ask how many axolotls do you have? If you have more than two, this idea probably isn't going to be feasible.

If the coolest you can keep them is 74f (too high) then the axolotls would be far better off in the cool tank, with daily partial water changes.

If you opt to cycle the tank by the 'fishless method', you may wish to take the plants out of the tank while it's cycling. Their presence may be the reason your cycle is not "budging", as they will be competing with the bacteria for the ammonia (food), and they're likely winning.

If you choose to cycle the tank with the axolotls, then the plants will be of some help for lowering the ammonia levels, but bear in mind, that they may prevent the cycle from happening (not so helpful...). Some aquarists use heavily planted tanks in lieu of cycling an aquarium - to great effect! If you don't have many plants, it may be best to take them out until the tank has cycled, so they don't slow it down (or prevent it from happening at all).

 

[Mortimer]

I like Jacquie's idea. I tried to do that in my tank when it was cycling (for the same reason), but I got too paranoid that the two little tubs would tip over (especially at night, when they're more active). I did it for a while, but the tubs would move around a bit and it seemed to be stressing them out.

But it's still probably better than them overheating. :/

 

[Gailgirl]

I just did an 80% water change, bringing the ammonia down to .25 ppm, kicked the chiller on (it will take 12 hrs to make a 10 degree change, so that shouldn't be too fast, right?), set up my divider, and after the water has a sec to settle, will move the juvies in.