Cycle Crash

[wolfen]

make sure the salt is dissolved into the water before adding.

 

[Pebble6852]

1 teaspoon per 3 litre water = approx 2 g/l salt.
it is fine being slightly over or under.

Quick update, I did the water change but before I did I tested levels. Good news ammonia was nearly at 0 and it hasn’t even been 24 hours. Weird news, the nitrates have risen which means that my test is actually working but also means that I still have no idea what happened and how they went from 100+ to 20 and now 40. I just finished making his new filter, unfortunately they didn’t have the floss so I was wondering if the sponge was enough? If not I can try to find floss or order it. I attached a picture of the setup I hope it looks good! I got as much bio ring in each bag as I could.

 

[wolfen]

looking at the image it is sponge that you are missing as the white material (like cotton) is floss, it doesn't need to be tightly packed as it gets coated fast so can get blocked if too tight, make sure when running that the bio-media is submerged.

 

[Pebble6852]

looking at the image it is sponge that you are missing as the white material (like cotton) is floss, it doesn't need to be tightly packed as it gets coated fast so can get blocked if too tight, make sure when running that the bio-media is submerged.

Ohh okay do I need sponge too then or is this ok for now? And should I remove some I didn’t pack it down too much just filled up the space. And the bio media is all submerged it’s in the filter now and the old ones are in the tank and I squeezed them out a little

 

[wolfen]

it would be a good idea to replace some with sponge eventually as floss clogs faster than sponge which means the media will need cleaning/rinsing more often.

 

[Pebble6852]

it would be a good idea to replace some with sponge eventually as floss clogs faster than sponge which means the media will need cleaning/rinsing more often.

Ahhh okay it was called “filter pad” so I thought that was sponge lol. Also I have leftover bio rings would it be better to replace the area under the rings with more loose rings instead of floss

 

[wolfen]

placing the bio rings into the lower area under the bagged rings would be a good idea as it is the bio rings which the bacteria will colonise which will convert/consume the ammonia and nitrites.

 

[Pebble6852]

placing the bio rings into the lower area under the bagged rings would be a good idea as it is the bio rings which the bacteria will colonise which will convert/consume the ammonia and nitrites.

I replaced the floss with more rings. There’s a couple in the bags that are slightly out at the top but I couldn’t compress it anymore so I just left it. I also tested his water and it was .5 ammonia, and I checked it 6 hours early so it looks like it will start hitting zero soon! Nitrites are still around 5 though. The only thing I’m confused about is my nitrates. My test has started reading higher again like around 80 instead of 20 but should I trust it? And since it is reading so high should I do another water change again soon it’s very odd I have no idea why it would read so low three times in a row like that. As for his fungus I have had him in with the salt but I can’t tell if it’s done much. He seems very energetic but the fungus looks like little strings flowing off of his gills and floating around in the tub water. How long should I watch him and what should I look for before I try another method?

 

[wolfen]

if salt at 2g/l doesn't clear the fungus then it can be increased to 3.4-3.5g/l (this is the salt level for 100% holtfreters) which is still at a level that your axolotl will find comfortable, wait a few days before increasing the level or using other medications as it takes time, don't forget to do daily water changes though.
continue cycling until both ammonia and nitrites are zero, don't do a water change unless the nitrates are 110>ppm or the cycling has finished.
the filter is looking fine.

 

[Pebble6852]

if salt at 2g/l doesn't clear the fungus then it can be increased to 3.4-3.5g/l (this is the salt level for 100% holtfreters) which is still at a level that your axolotl will find comfortable, wait a few days before increasing the level or using other medications as it takes time, don't forget to do daily water changes though.
continue cycling until both ammonia and nitrites are zero, don't do a water change unless the nitrates are 110>ppm or the cycling has finished.
the filter is looking fine.

Small update, I won’t know for sure until 9 tonight but I’m pretty sure his ammonia is going to start hitting zero if not tonight then tomorrow, but I wanted to ask A) how long should I leave his old pads in the tank. I’ve been squeezing them every now and then. B) once it has gone from 4-0 a few days do I need to keep adding 4 every day or can I start putting in less? Since I can’t add him until the nitrite and stuff starts going down that would be a lot of tims I’m on my second bottle already lol. Nitrites still are really high as of last night . Other than that he seems good. His fungus doesn’t appear to be spreading but there’s little wisps of white stuff hanging off the very tips of his gills. He’s also been floating around a lot since yesterday but I’ve seen him on the bottom a few times so I don’t think it’s an issue just thought I’d mention it.

 

[wolfen]

if the ammonia level is going from 4ppm to zero in twenty four hours then it is nearly there, it is dependant on the nitrite levels as to if the ammonia can be reduced, if the nitrites are 1ppm or less then they can otherwise the colony is still needing building up.
if the nitrates are 110ppm or higher do a fifty percent water change.
the salt level can be increase to remove any fungal remnants ie.. one teaspoon per two litres water.
make sure his tub water is cold and the water is oxygenated.
the pads can be removed from the tank one per day (so there isn't a massive reduction in bacteria)

 

[Pebble6852]

if the ammonia level is going from 4ppm to zero in twenty four hours then it is nearly there, it is dependant on the nitrite levels as to if the ammonia can be reduced, if the nitrites are 1ppm or less then they can otherwise the colony is still needing building up.
if the nitrates are 110ppm or higher do a fifty percent water change.
the salt level can be increase to remove any fungal remnants ie.. one teaspoon per two litres water.
make sure his tub water is cold and the water is oxygenated.
the pads can be removed from the tank one per day (so there isn't a massive reduction in bacteria)

Okay I’ll just keep monitoring the levels until nitrites drop. I’m honestly not sure about the nitrates because my test is reading around 80 again, but it feels like it only reads 20 or 80… I’ll have to test it at the pet store again to see what’s going on. And his water should be good, I have been keeping my entire apartment at 68 max so he doesn’t get warm lol. And he has an air stone in there, but it’s not putting out a ton of bubbles because I have to use my air pump for two stones. But it’s still bubbling a bit and he has air holes in the lid of his tank just in case.

 

[wolfen]

if the water is 68°f/20°c as well as the surrounding area then it is a touch high, ideal temperature is 59°f/15°c - 64°f/18°c (colder being better) it is within tolerable levels though.

 

[Pebble6852]

if the water is 68°f/20°c as well as the surrounding area then it is a touch high, ideal temperature is 59°f/15°c - 64°f/18°c (colder being better) it is within tolerable levels though.

I try to never let it above 68 I have my apartment ac set to 66 so it is around there rn. I would love to get him a chiller but they are very expensive I have cats so I can’t leave his lid off to use fans but I have frozen water bottles to cool it down If it ever gets to 69-70

But if you have any recommendations for good chillers (preferably cheaper but not at the expense of quality) I’m all ears

 

[wolfen]

if the room temperature is controlled then fans should be enough to keep the temperature down, using ice bottles should only be used in an emergency as they can cool the water down too fast which can shock an axolotl.
egg crate or after market car grill can be used as a lid which will also allow for the use of fans, also putting a piece of green hose pipe or using a toy snake on the lid/grill should deter cats from lying on top.

 

[Pebble6852]

if the room temperature is controlled then fans should be enough to keep the temperature down, using ice bottles should only be used in an emergency as they can cool the water down too fast which can shock an axolotl.
egg crate or after market car grill can be used as a lid which will also allow for the use of fans, also putting a piece of green hose pipe or using a toy snake on the lid/grill should deter cats from lying on top.

Hello, so I tested his water levels for the night, ammonia is 0! But the nitrites are still extremely high, and it doesn’t look like they’ve gone down at all. Is that normal to have the bacteria able to eat all the ammonia but no nitrite? And how long should it take for it to start going down?

Also just out of pure curiosity, why is it that the tank has to be cycled to such a high amount of ammonia? There’s no way my little pebble could produce that much waste right? I was just curious about that

 

[wolfen]

people tend to compare axolotls with fish when it comes to waste and cycling ie.. single fish small amount of waste, where as it is closer to reptile ie.. small reptile large amount of waste.
there are fish that eat similar amounts and type of food as axolotls where the cycling is done at a lower amount, but this is because the tank is much larger ie.. oscars and large carnivorous fish.
when an axolotl is first purchased it's normally between 2 - 3 inches in length and difficult to imagine such a small animal could produce such a large amount of waste that the tank requires cycling at such a high level, but axolotls grow fast and they grow big with some reaching 18 inches in length (for which even a 20 gallon long is too small) because of them becoming little monsters is why the tank/filter is cycled at such a high level, rather than having to upgrade the filtration every few months.
there are some that just cycled at 1 - 2 ppm and sometimes they are lucky enough that the filtration is large enough to cope with the increase over time, unfortunately some aren't so lucky and end up with high levels and an axolotl tubbed with ammonia burns or worse.
the bacteria that consume ammonia and nitrites are aerobic bacteria (aerobic meaning they require oxygenated water) they are also called nitrifying bacteria, ammonia consuming are nitrosomas and the ones that consume nitrites are nitrobacter (there are thousands of different nitrosomas and nitrobacter, some that do well in cold water, some in warm, some in fresh water, some in salt water) this is why bottled pond bacteria was suggested due to cold water.
there are bacteria that consume nitrates but they need a low oxygen environment (some media is suggested as having internal areas that encourage this type of bacteria) these are anaerobic bacteria (anaerobic means without air, these bacteria get oxygen from the nitrates)

 

[Pebble6852]

people tend to compare axolotls with fish when it comes to waste and cycling ie.. single fish small amount of waste, where as it is closer to reptile ie.. small reptile large amount of waste.
there are fish that eat similar amounts and type of food as axolotls where the cycling is done at a lower amount, but this is because the tank is much larger ie.. oscars and large carnivorous fish.
when an axolotl is first purchased it's normally between 2 - 3 inches in length and difficult to imagine such a small animal could produce such a large amount of waste that the tank requires cycling at such a high level, but axolotls grow fast and they grow big with some reaching 18 inches in length (for which even a 20 gallon long is too small) because of them becoming little monsters is why the tank/filter is cycled at such a high level, rather than having to upgrade the filtration every few months.
there are some that just cycled at 1 - 2 ppm and sometimes they are lucky enough that the filtration is large enough to cope with the increase over time, unfortunately some aren't so lucky and end up with high levels and an axolotl tubbed with ammonia burns or worse.
the bacteria that consume ammonia and nitrites are aerobic bacteria (aerobic meaning they require oxygenated water) they are also called nitrifying bacteria, ammonia consuming are nitrosomas and the ones that consume nitrites are nitrobacter (there are thousands of different nitrosomas and nitrobacter, some that do well in cold water, some in warm, some in fresh water, some in salt water) this is why bottled pond bacteria was suggested due to cold water.
there are bacteria that consume nitrates but they need a low oxygen environment (some media is suggested as having internal areas that encourage this type of bacteria) these are anaerobic bacteria (anaerobic means without air, these bacteria get oxygen from the nitrates)

Ahh okay, that is very interesting thank you! It is hard to imagine such a small guy can make so much waste haha. Is it possible for pebble to grow more? He’s about two years old already but he’s very little, somewhere around 7 inches. I’ll keep my eye on the nitrites too! Is it possible that the nitrite bacteria isn’t growing and I might need that pond start after all? I haven’t seen them go under the maximum on the API scale.

 

[wolfen]

seven inches is quite small although nine to ten inches does seem to be average size, axolotls do continue to grow throughout their lives although at a slower pace than the first few years.
nitrosomas convert/consume ammonia to produce nitrites, nitrobacter convert/consume nitrites to produce nitrates, you have nitrates so you have some nitrobacter, you said that the air output was low, it is possible that there isn't enough oxygenated water, also if there is substrate ie.. sand etc.. go through it with a fork every couple of days to release any gas and remove any dead zones (areas where the oxygen is low)
for optimum nitrobacter growth ph 7.6 - 7.8, temperature of 28°c/82°f, oxygen is very important.
to speed up growth a form of carbon can be provided ie.. tablespoon sugar dissolved into mug of tank water then poured into the tank or filter.

 

[Pebble6852]

seven inches is quite small although nine to ten inches does seem to be average size, axolotls do continue to grow throughout their lives although at a slower pace than the first few years.
nitrosomas convert/consume ammonia to produce nitrites, nitrobacter convert/consume nitrites to produce nitrates, you have nitrates so you have some nitrobacter, you said that the air output was low, it is possible that there isn't enough oxygenated water, also if there is substrate ie.. sand etc.. go through it with a fork every couple of days to release any gas and remove any dead zones (areas where the oxygen is low)
for optimum nitrobacter growth ph 7.6 - 7.8, temperature of 28°c/82°f, oxygen is very important.
to speed up growth a form of carbon can be provided ie.. tablespoon sugar dissolved into mug of tank water then poured into the tank or filter.

That’s my bad, what I meant was that the air stone in his tub is low, but the one in his tank is bubbling a lot! The only thing here I don’t have is the warm water, I didn’t really want to buy a whole heater just for cycling the tank but if it makes it a lot faster I could