Good grief, any help please

Frog

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:confused: I've had a 4 foot by 1 foot tank set up for over a month with fish in it , waiting for it to cycle ... my readings have been ammonia .25 , my PH is either 7.8 or off the chart that i have as it looks a little deeper blue then 7.8 and that's as high as my chart goes , nitrite is 0 and nitrate is 0 ... I know what to look for BUT here's the thing I have also had a smaller tank set up for some fish . I've been keeping an eye on it's ammonia and it's at 0 it's been set up for a good 2 months and the rest of the readings are the same as the big tank . So my question is would it be okay to put my young axolotls in the big tank since i do a 20% water change every day and finish cycleing ? If my PH needs to come down , can you let me know how to do this ?? Thanks for any help , Dianna
 
I would not put him if you have him set up in another place I would leave him for a bit longer. I think the big tank is not finish cycle yet. You ph is around what mine is, you could put in some drift wood that would bring it down a little. I'am not shure on this but I think live plants will to. Don't use the stuff the pet store sells you it will hurt your axie. Keep doing water changes every day tell it goes to 0. Before you put the axie in you need to take the fish out. Do you have gravel or sand?
 
What kind of test kit are you using? I would take a sample to a pet shop and see if they will do an accurate test for you.
 
ok

I will wait a little longer and keep up with the testing and water changes ... I'm using the test tube type for the testing and I am very careful to follow the directions . Driftwood , Hubby's going to just love it when I tell him I need to make another run to the pet shop .:D I will check on the plants . I have sand and yes I know not to use any thing from the pet store for the PH and I know I have to take the fish out . Thank you
 
Hi Frog,

your ph level is within the acceptable parameters and the ammonia should be 0 but 20-30% partial water changes will help while your tank finishes cycling.

As karrie says unless your fish are feeder fish they will have to come out before the axies go in.
If you can wait it would be the best to wait for the ammonia to reach 0, but to me I don't see any problem with putting it in the big tank now and doing the daily partial water changes until it has finished cycling.

That having been said a cycled tank is the best option.

Good Luck
 
Hi, Frog I did not mean to sound like a snot sorry.
 
ok 2

Karrie you didn't sound like a snot ... I've been keep 4 axolotls in a plastic tub doing complete water changes every day . I just know that they will enjoy the big tank , hiding places , plastic plants , sand ... Their home for now is bare, nothing in the tub but water . Thanks
 
If your pH test only goes up to 7.8, you really should get another one that does a higher level. I have one that goes up to 9 so they are available I am sure.

I'm just commenting because I had a friend who had a test that only went down to 6 and she kept getting a reading of 6. After a few weeks and a *LOT* of dead fish, she got a proper test and it turns out her pH was 3... :O So yeah, I reckon get a wider range test if yours keeps coming out at the maximum.
 
today

I did the water test and levels were the same ... For kicks I tested the PH of water out of the tap and gee it's the same level as my 2 tanks . So my axolotls are use to that level . When I can make it to a pet store that carries it I will look for a wider testing for PH and also pick up some drift wood . Thanks for the help.
 
Frog, those pH levels are fine for axolotls, they are ok in pH ranges from 6.4-8.0. Saying that if you have any ammonia at all in your tank/tubs and the pH is at the higher end of the scale 8.0+ then your ammonia becomes far more toxic. So, I wouldn't bother getting driftwood, if I was you. Only if it veers out of the range I've given you, then there are other ways you can raise or lower (ie peat being one I think to lower pH, bird grit in a stocking/shells to raise the pH - I've never had a problem - our tanks range between pH 7.2-7.8)
 
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