Cleaning established tank

[jodi]

Hi,
I was wondering if someone might be able to give me some advice regarding the cleaning of an established axoltyl tank?
I have been changing and testing the water and thats all good but should I be emptying and cleaning the entire tank and ornaments occasionly as well?
My concern would be that I would be losing all the good bacteria.
Thanks :happy:

 

[MRIGUY]

Hi Jodi,

Once established, your tank needs never be taken down and cleaned unless there is some sort of problem. For regular cleaning you should be fine with removal of uneaten food via suction, partial water changes, and glass cleaning. The beneficial bacteria live on every surface. Unless you drain the tank, replace the substrate and wipe the glass you will not remove them in significant numbers. Any ornaments or plastic plants can be rinsed with cold tap water to remove surface dirt. The bacteria will stay put.

You did not mention your substrate......

If bare bottom, the removal of uneaten food is a snap with a bulb syringe.
If sand, same thing but an occasional stirring is good is the sand is over 1" deep
If gravel, a gravel vac is great but gravel is also not recommended for axies as they can ingest it and that can lead to impaction.

So clean away, you should be fine.

 

[jodi]

Thank you for help.

I do have gravel, however I brought the larger size as I was aware that axies can sometimes ingest it.

I also have a gravel vac which I have just used and the tank looks great (however I added in a new treatment I borught to treat my male axie as he has a couple of white spots and the treatment contains a dye and now my water is green! - which is worrying me a little)

Thank you again.

 

[Saspotato]

How big is the gravel you use? If it is small enough to fit in your axie's mouth I would remove it and replace it with sand or a bare floor.

Also, what do the white spots look like? Are they cottony or slimy? Generally salt baths are a better treatment than medicines. If you plan to use medicines though, use a tub rather than put the medicine in your tank as it can kill off all the bacteria that your tank needs to reduce ammonia.

 

[Jennewt]

When giving treatments, it's best to do it in a separate container, rather than the entire tank. Some medicines will kill off your beneficial bacteria.

I have several newt tanks that have been running for 5+ years (since my last house move) without ever completely emptying them, and I think this is best. If you keep up with daily/weekly cleaning AND if the tank is amply-sized for the animals, then there is no need to ever completely empty.

 

[Daniel]

Do the cleaning as MRIGUY said, this will do fine!

What size is the gravel you have in the tank? Axolotls can swallow almost everything up to the size of their mouth when it is stretched - and that is a whole lot of things.

Concerning your treatment: What did you get at the store, is there any name on it or the description of ingredients? Make sure that it does not contain any malachite green for this is not recommended for amphibians!

 

[jodi]

Okey dokey, I will try and answer all the questions

As I was concerned about the treatment I replaced about three quarters of my tank 2 nights later. Its still a little green but I am going to replace more water again tomorrow as I think it may have contained that nasty malachite green (dont worry bottle has long been disposed of!)

The gravel is a larger size, it was recommended when the axies were brought (I would say that they are slightly bigger than pebble size). I think I will replace it with sand though now - I just want them to be heathly and happy.

Can I ask another 2 questions please

1. How do I go about the salt baths for my guys spots? How much and what particular salt do I use? (I will use a seperate container as advised).

AND!

2. I really want to get rid of the treatment I used, how often can I keep replacing the water, is once a week okay until the green colour goes away? Can it be more often - twice a week?

Thank you all for you help it is much appreciated.

 

[Levo]

Okey dokey, I will try and answer all the questions

As I was concerned about the treatment I replaced about three quarters of my tank 2 nights later. Its still a little green but I am going to replace more water again tomorrow as I think it may have contained that nasty malachite green (dont worry bottle has long been disposed of!)

The gravel is a larger size, it was recommended when the axies were brought (I would say that they are slightly bigger than pebble size). I think I will replace it with sand though now - I just want them to be heathly and happy.

Can I ask another 2 questions please

1. How do I go about the salt baths for my guys spots? How much and what particular salt do I use? (I will use a seperate container as advised).

AND!

2. I really want to get rid of the treatment I used, how often can I keep replacing the water, is once a week okay until the green colour goes away? Can it be more often - twice a week?

Thank you all for you help it is much appreciated.

I haven't got a filter in my tank and I have to change my water once a day, so you can do it more about 20% each time.

 

[sheila robinson]

Hi
I am fairly new to this and I am so thankfull for the info received. I took the advice given and stripped my tank as Moreton has/had a bacterial infection. I cleaned everything and ditched the gravel. I have a few 'boulders'and flat rocks, a few plastic plants and it is so easy to clean. I can clearly see what food is being spat out and remove it. As I had been adding 1 teas salt morning and night for 2 days I added 4 teas of salt to catch up. In my 60litre tank I will have 8 teas of salt which has been added gradually. Moreton will have a 2 hour anibiotic bath every day for 7 days. I do this in 2 liters of water in a 4litre ice cream container. Today is the first day he has been interested in me and I have seen him doing laps. I will be REALLY excited when his little toes grow back

 

[swamped]

other substrates are easier to clean

I personally think flakes of shale and slate make fabulous floors, they provide grips for plants and axolotls, and they're much easier to clean than gravel; just wipe them off periodically.

 

[jodi]

Last Sunday I got some really nice stones (lack of better word) from Bunnings (hardware and basically everything else store here!) that can be used for decorative paving and ponds and fountains as someone suggested that to me.
The tank looks really nice actually and I think they are liking the smoothness and coolness of the stones.

 

[Kal El]

Jodi,

The best way to remove the treatment (green dye) from your tank without having to do frequent water changes is to add an activated carbon cartridge to your filter. If you don't have a filter, you can always fill up a stocking (women's apparel) containing the activated carbon and this will just as be as effective.

Regarding the salt baths, this link should assist you: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/salt.shtml
Or alternatively, you can read up on other threads that concern salt baths.

Jay.