forced to in tank cycle axolotl. advice appreciated!

[juneslegend]

hi!

due to circumstances, i was given an axolotl with no time to properly cycle a tank. he is roughly 6 months old.

i’ve been doing an in-tank cycle for about 1.5-2 weeks now. i’ve been using API stress coat to dechlorinate water, and API quick start recently.

today i opened up the filter to make sure it was working properly and saw it had a white mucus/slime patch that covered most of it. i cleaned it up using tank water i put into a bowl.

i did a 20% water change, dechlorinated the water, added a small bit more quick start, then went on with my day.

i got home and did my daily API freshwater test kit. nitrites 0, nitrates 0, ammonia…1-2ppm.

i’ve been following directions by doing daily water changes/testing, and my levels have stayed 7.6pH, 0 nitrites and nitrates, and always under .25 ammonia.

this was a shock for me so i tubbed my axie and did another test to be sure.

did i do something wrong? should i do another water change? i’m aware that in tank cycling isn’t optimal but i don’t have a choice.

do i stop tubing and put him back in? 1-2 ammonia is toxic to axolotyls but i am using the quick start so will that make a change?

i know to cycle a tank you need to have ammonia to convert to nitrites then nitrates, so i was anticipating a spike in ammonia but it seems like SO much in such a quick amount of time.

how should i proceed? am i doing things alright? do i put him back in his tank or keep tubbing? am i even cycling correctly?

 

[JM29]

Hi !
I'm used to no filtered planted aquariums, with no problems at all for 20 years.
Nevertheless, a lot of fast-growing plants like Egeria, Ceratophyllum,... would help keeping a good water quality.
pH 7,6 is fine. Don't try to elevate it. At higher pH values, ammonia could become dangerous.
Of course, I hope your tank is big enough for an axolotl (min 20 gallons).

As for API stress coat, I've read that its aloe vera content could be toxic for axolotls.

 

[juneslegend]

Hi !
I'm used to no filtered planted aquariums, with no problems at all for 20 years.
Nevertheless, a lot of fast-growing plants like Egeria, Ceratophyllum,... would help keeping a good water quality.
pH 7,6 is fine. Don't try to elevate it. At higher pH values, ammonia could become dangerous.
Of course, I hope your tank is big enough for an axolotl (min 20 gallons).

As for API stress coat, I've read that its aloe vera content could be toxic for axolotls.

tank is 20 gallons hehe

i’ve been hearing that. i’m going to stop using it and find an alternative. anything come to mind?

as for tubbing him and cycling, my ammonia is at 1-2ppm and my nitrites are .25ppm. i’m about to do another test since i did a water change. am i doing things alright?

should i just do a 20-30% water change daily while keeping him tubbed for most of it?

 

[wolfen]

the slime build up was more than likely the start of bacteria build up (the bacteria that consume ammonia etc..) never clean a filter whilst cycling.

 

[juneslegend]

ahhh, my bad then, i won’t touch the filter. for in tank cycling, should i do 30-40% water changes daily while monitoring parameters? or should it be more/less. any other steps?

the slime build up was more than likely the start of bacteria build up (the bacteria that consume ammonia etc..) never clean a filter whilst cycling.

 

[wolfen]

if your axolotl is tubbed whilst cycling then you don't do a water change on the tank unless it has finished cycling or the nitrates are 110ppm or higher, this is because it takes time for water to be dechlorinated so any traces of chloride can harm the bacteria colony whilst it is growing, only other hand if the axolotl is in the tank whilst cycling then water changes will need to be done more often ie.. 50% twice week at least, and will take a lot longer to cycle.
make sure the filter is for a tank twice the size, use plenty of bio-media (no such thing as too much but there is not enough), make sure the tank has air-stones in it (filter bacteria requires oxygen as well as any animal placed in the tank), use 2g/l uniodised salt in the water to protect against health issues and nitrogen compound problems.
keep an eye on ph, if it starts to drop use enough bicarbonate of soda to bring it up.

 

[RJF9020]

I would stop using the api stress coat additive. It contains aloe which coats the axi skin and gills, and thus can’t absorb any oxygen . Seachem prime is a much better option.

 

[juneslegend]

if your axolotl is tubbed whilst cycling then you don't do a water change on the tank unless it has finished cycling or the nitrates are 110ppm or higher, this is because it takes time for water to be dechlorinated so any traces of chloride can harm the bacteria colony whilst it is growing, only other hand if the axolotl is in the tank whilst cycling then water changes will need to be done more often ie.. 50% twice week at least, and will take a lot longer to cycle.
make sure the filter is for a tank twice the size, use plenty of bio-media (no such thing as too much but there is not enough), make sure the tank has air-stones in it (filter bacteria requires oxygen as well as any animal placed in the tank), use 2g/l uniodised salt in the water to protect against health issues and nitrogen compound problems.
keep an eye on ph, if it starts to drop use enough bicarbonate of soda to bring it up.

thank you for the in depth reply, it’s extremely helpful.

i think i’m going to keep him tubbed while the tank continues cycling. i’ll pour in the dirty axolotl tub water when i change it daily in order to keep a steady supply of ammonia to be eaten.

does that sound okay?

 

[wolfen]

if he is an adult then his waste should be ok to be used to cycle but if he is young/juvenile it would be better to use ammonium chloride at 4ppm to ensure the filtration can cope once he is larger as well as cycling the tank/filter.

 

[juneslegend]

if he is an adult then his waste should be ok to be used to cycle but if he is young/juvenile it would be better to use ammonium chloride at 4ppm to ensure the filtration can cope once he is larger as well as cycling the tank/filter.

makes sense. would dropping a small bit of food to rot also increase ammonia levels? sorry if that’s a dumb question.

if not, is there a specific brand of ammonium i should be looking to buy?

 

[wolfen]

the most commonly used one is dr tims.