Confusion about cycling.

[Jadey]

I spoke to the petshop once again, and they said i DON'T have to cycle my tank water for 24-48 hours prior to putting an Axolotl in it. Just take it home & plonk it right in the water. But i know that's a load of bull. So this has got me worried that they haven't told me the right way to cycle the water. They said all i need to get the water right is a filter & a senior ph test kit. The ph test kit has, PH down powder, PH up powder, PH indicator solution & a small vile to place the water sample in. The brand is 'Fish essentials ViaPet'. What else do i need??? I read an article on here about cycling & it just confused me more saying i need test kits for ammonia, pH, nitrite and nitrate, and a source of ammonia. I have noooo idea what these are & how i go about doing it all. Please don't start posting nasty comments like i've seen on other forums about junk if you don't know what you're doing don't get one, if that's what you're going to type, sorry dudes but everyone has to start somewhere no need to be rude.

So if anyone could PLEASE help me on this & list the stuff i need to get my water right, and how exactly to do it, it would be greatly appreciated as i don't want to cause any harm to the animal. Also if you could recommend a different brand of test kits, and filter that you have personal experience with & know works properly that would be a bonus :happy: thanks :happy::happy:

 

[Azhael]

It´s actually rather simple. Cycling a tank means creating a colony of bacteria that will take care of the toxic carbon compounds produced inside the tank. This compounds are ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.
Bacteria will metabolize ammonia into nitrites, and then nitrites into nitrates. Both ammonia and nitrites are highly toxic, but nitrates are rather inocuous unless in high concentrations (and you will regulate nitrate levels simply by doing weekly partial water changes).
So, as you see, in order to start you need something that produces ammonia so that the bacteria can feed on it. With no ammonia there is nothing for the bacteria to eat, and there´s no cycling.
The pet-shop did indeed give you bad info. It takes about a month to fully cycle a tank.

The test kits are for you to monitor the levels of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates so that you know how the process is going (otherwise there is no way to tell). You´ll initially get high levels of ammonia which after being metabolized will give you high levels of nitrites. When both ammonia and nitrite levels go down you get nitrates showing up in the tests. When the tank is fully cycled, you should get no ammonia, no nitrites and a moderate amount of nitrates.

It´s very true that we all have to start somewhere, but it´s our responsability to start properly. One always has to get thoroughly informed before acquiring any new animals and have everything ready for it (including in this case a cycled tank). Otherwise if something happens to the animal, it´s your fault for not being ready.

 

[Jadey]

What do you mean by i need something that produces ammonia? What would that be? Sorry if i sound like a ditz but i honestly don't know about this stuff. Aslo, do i need anything else other then the PH test kit? Thanks :happy::happy:

 

[MereB]

What do you mean by i need something that produces ammonia? What would that be? Sorry if i sound like a ditz but i honestly don't know about this stuff. Aslo, do i need anything else other then the PH test kit? Thanks :happy::happy:

You don't sound like a ditz at all. No-one knows everything, especially about things we have never done before, and asking questions from those more experienced is the best way to learn :happy:

There are many sources you could use for your ammonia.
Some of us buy a few small and inexpensive fish such as guppies (only a few though as you are likely to lose one or more anyway). The fish wee and there is your ammonia uneaten food is sucked into the filter and makes even more ammonia. The fish will need to be disposed of (put them in the freezer to kill them humanely), or re-homed once you are done cycling. Some pet shops will accept fish back but not all.
Others put small amounts of crushed up fish food or axie pellets if you have some already. The food rots and produces ammonia.
I've read of one person who used a little pce or raw prawn and changed the prawn every few days. Again as it rots it produces ammonia. My only concern with the prawn is they can carry some bugs that are not good for Axies that also make them a poor food choice for your pet.

OK aside from your pH kit you will need one for ammonia (NH3 & NH4), one for Nitrite (NO2) and one for Nitrate (NO3)
I use the API test kits. They are reliable and readily available pretty much all around the world. the master kit contains all 4 of those tests with a tube for each one and represents the best value for money over buying each test separately.

I hoe that cleared the ammonia source up for you, if not let us know and we will do our best to explain it better

Welcome to the world of Axolotls and please don't be afraid to ask questions or for help if you need it, it is after all the whole point of these forums. To help each other.

Mere.

 

[Jadey]

Thank you so much for that :happy::happy: it cleared alotttt up :happy::happy:

But i have another question haha, how soon can i put my axolotl in the water? Some places i've read say 48 hours is ok, others a week or two, and the pet store said right away.

 

[Azhael]

You can put the animal inside right away if you know what you are doing, but this requires close monitorization of the compound levels, and truth be told, some experience doesn´t hurt.
The best option, without a doubt is to introduce the animal to an already fully cycled tank, which as i said, can take a month or so. I wouldn´t recommend anything else for beginners.

 

[Jadey]

Okiedokie :happy: thanks for that :happy:

 

[Jadey]

Oh also, will i need water ager? To get the chlorine out when i change some of the water?

 

[morphyrichards]

If you already have the axlotl then you should add him/her to your tank. Your axl will excrete into the water... over time these excretions will build up. The chemical that comes from this is called ammonia and is really toxic.

At a much slower rate you will get some 'good bacteria' growing in your tank which will 'eat' the ammonia and convert it into something which is not quite as toxic but still quite toxic called 'nitrite'...

At an even slower rate another type of good bacteria will start growing that eats the nitrite and converts it into pretty much non-toxic but irritating to axie 'nitrate'. (although it can become toxic if you let it get to high levels)

While all this cycling process is going on you have to keep things nice for the axies by changing about a fifth of your tank water every couple of days or so with fresh water.

The process of these two types of bacteria getting established is called cycling and can take a month or so. This is exactly what Azhael has already said and apologies for repeating but it cant hurt to re-emphasise.

Chlorine is added to our tap water to kill bacteria (and other things) and it will kill your good bacteria. Aging is not guaranteed to remove chlorine from water because it's dependant on what method used to add it by your water company. The only safe method is to use water dechlorinator.

After adding dechlorinator it's still worth letting the water age if you can because tap water oten has other dissolved gases in which can sometimes leave the water when it's inside your axi and cause bubbles under it's skin.

 

[Abrahm]

Oh also, will i need water ager? To get the chlorine out when i change some of the water?

Well, yes. Look for something that removes chlorine and chloramine but does not have any additional components such as aloe vera.

If you can, return the kit you bought form the pet store with the pH up, pH down and the pH test kit. These parameters are usually not important and pH up and pH down are strong bases or acids and can be bad for aquatic organisms. The more important test kits to have would be ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in order of importance (ammonia is highest.)

When you cycle now (with the axolotl in the tank) the axie will be the ammonia (nitrogen) source. If you are cycling your tank with an axolotl you do not need another nitrogen source. Nitrogen is found in animal waste in some form.

As mentioned above you will want to do frequent water changes, about 20-25% every few days. Use your ammonia and nitrite test kits to monitor these values before water changes. If ammonia or nitrite results are present than do a water change. Cycling can take from 2-6 weeks depending upon a whole host of factors.