HIGH levels, removed axie… now what?

[krazeestraw]

So I am new(ish) to axolotls and keeping aquariums in general, and I screwed up MAJORLY when I changed my filter mediums. I changed them all at the same time. I noticed today that my water is cloudy and that Clementine hadn't eaten her pellets from this morning (although when I put them in, she did snap at them). Fast forward to a water check: pH is perfect, but everything else is NOT. Ammonia and Nitrites are extremely high, and Nitrates are fairly low (~5.0ppm). I immediately did a water change of 40%, and have rehoused Clem in a smaller tub with fresh, clean, dechlorinated water (tests show healthy levels of everything). She seems much happier in there already.


What I'm wondering is how often I should change the water in my aquarium, and by how much, until it is back to normal. Also, how much of the tub water should I be changing (and how often) while Clementine is living there? Is there any reason to be fridging, or will she be okay so long as I keep her temporary home fresh and clean?


Thanks so much in advance - I really appreciate you helping someone who is new to the game!

 

[Kaini]

I'm glad you got her into clean water! That was the right thing to do. Yep, changing all your filter media at once will crash your cycle, unfortunately. Do you use carbon as the media? You might want to think about switching over to a permanent media like ceramic rings or sponge. I run ceramic with some filter floss stuffed over the top in my tanks, and that works out pretty well for me!

Anyway, you should be changing the water in Clementine's tub 100% daily while she's in there. As for the aquarium, you'll have to provide another source of ammonia since the animal is no longer in it to feed the bacteria, or the bacteria the facilitate your cycle will die off without food. Since there's no animal in there right now, you don't have to change the water per se, just monitor your levels and get it cycled.

If you put her back in the tank while it's cycling (which usually isn't recommended because the spikes can be harmful) you'd have to do daily 75-80% changes to keep the levels out of the danger zone.

 

[auntiejude]

Yes, changing your filter media will have crashed the cycle, but well done for identifying the problem and getting your axie out. SHe doesn't need the fridge.

In a tub you need 100% water changes daily, but you can use the old water as an ammonia source to re-cycle your tank. You'll still have some bacteria on your surfaces - oraments and substrate etc - so it will be quicker than a full tank start up, but it will probably still take a few weeks.