I’m new: SO MANY QUESTIONS

[elliot7rrr]

Okay so please don’t hate on me way too hard. I had been interested in being an axolotl momma for ages, and then I was at the pet store getting dog food and they had them and I just kind of went for it. No prior preparation - I just pulled the trigger. I realize now that I should’ve had a fully cycled tank - and a lot more knowledge - established prior to bringing him home.
So I have a lot questions now about how I can do better moving forward.
The current tank setup is a 10-gallon (he’s a juvenile and I do intend to upgrade to a larger tank in a few months) with a Tetra Whisper filter (for 5-10gal tanks) at one end and an air stone at the other end. He has a large ceramic mug for a hide. I added a couple of mystery snails when algae growth was getting out of control. They don’t bother him and he’s not bothered them. They’re too big to fit in his mouth at this point so I’m not concerned about that. I don’t have any substrate as I was concerned about the potential for him to ingest it.

First question: I haven’t read much about anyone using air stones on here. Should I not be using an air stone?

As far as feeding goes, he’s eating really well. Primarily frozen brine shrimp and I give frozen blood worms as well but I try to give more shrimp than blood worms since I read that the nutritional value of the shrimp is much better for him and blood worms are more of a treat. I feed him those frozen cubes, and he likes to bite at them right out of my fingers as they thaw until it’s small enough for him to eat the entire remainder. So,

Second question: does anyone else hand feed their axolotl? Does doing this pose any risks to him? Obviously he misses and bites me a lot but it doesn’t hurt so I don’t care - I just see it as bonding time. But now I’m wondering if it’s safe for him.

I’ve been testing the Ph and it’s been holding steady around 7.6. Until yesterday, I knew absolutely nothing about ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites, so I’m planning to go get test kits and such related to that today.

Last question: Can someone please give me a crash course on ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites as well as what supplies I need in order to test for and address issues with them? I’m lost. I’ve been doing a ton of reading but I’m struggling to understand the science here. For supplies recommendations, I’m located in the US.

Please nobody panic. He really is doing well. He’s eating like a champ and doesn’t seem to be very stressed. I know I messed up by getting into this with so little knowledge, but I hope you can understand that I’m a person and I make mistakes and I’m just trying to be responsible now.

 

[Creekratt]

Okay so please don’t hate on me way too hard. I had been interested in being an axolotl momma for ages, and then I was at the pet store getting dog food and they had them and I just kind of went for it. No prior preparation - I just pulled the trigger. I realize now that I should’ve had a fully cycled tank - and a lot more knowledge - established prior to bringing him home.
So I have a lot questions now about how I can do better moving forward.
The current tank setup is a 10-gallon (he’s a juvenile and I do intend to upgrade to a larger tank in a few months) with a Tetra Whisper filter (for 5-10gal tanks) at one end and an air stone at the other end. He has a large ceramic mug for a hide. I added a couple of mystery snails when algae growth was getting out of control. They don’t bother him and he’s not bothered them. They’re too big to fit in his mouth at this point so I’m not concerned about that. I don’t have any substrate as I was concerned about the potential for him to ingest it.

First question: I haven’t read much about anyone using air stones on here. Should I not be using an air stone?

As far as feeding goes, he’s eating really well. Primarily frozen brine shrimp and I give frozen blood worms as well but I try to give more shrimp than blood worms since I read that the nutritional value of the shrimp is much better for him and blood worms are more of a treat. I feed him those frozen cubes, and he likes to bite at them right out of my fingers as they thaw until it’s small enough for him to eat the entire remainder. So,

Second question: does anyone else hand feed their axolotl? Does doing this pose any risks to him? Obviously he misses and bites me a lot but it doesn’t hurt so I don’t care - I just see it as bonding time. But now I’m wondering if it’s safe for him.

I’ve been testing the Ph and it’s been holding steady around 7.6. Until yesterday, I knew absolutely nothing about ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites, so I’m planning to go get test kits and such related to that today.

Last question: Can someone please give me a crash course on ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites as well as what supplies I need in order to test for and address issues with them? I’m lost. I’ve been doing a ton of reading but I’m struggling to understand the science here. For supplies recommendations, I’m located in the US.

Please nobody panic. He really is doing well. He’s eating like a champ and doesn’t seem to be very stressed. I know I messed up by getting into this with so little knowledge, but I hope you can understand that I’m a person and I make mistakes and I’m just trying to be responsible now.

Hi. I don't know much about axies. However I do know all about impulse buying. I've been there, done that. Not that I'm glorifying it, in any way. I'm working at changing that behavior in myself. It seems it happens way too much. It does seem that the animals suffer for it, far to often. Maybe we in the hobby can inspire each other to control impulses like this. In the long run its better for the animal. Thanx for allowing my rant. Were all works in progress. I do wish you luck with your little guy.

 

[kaypluslee]

Don’t ask me for advice on HOW to cycle a tank, because I am still working on that myself, but I can give you some novice advice on how to make your axolotl comfortable while waiting on the tank to cycle.
If your tank is not cycled, you don’t want to have your axolotl friend in there. The ammonia levels will continue to rise and can cause severe burns and death! It took about 4 days from my tank to go from 0ppm ammonia to 4ppm ammonia with a very small, 4 month old axolotl inside. From what I have read, any amount of ammonia and nitr(i)tes can be extremely harmful to your friend.
My axolotl has been “tubbed” for several weeks sadly. It is still very healthy, eating, and producing waste, but I would really like to get it back into it’s tank after it has cycled. You’re gonna want to get a tub small enough to do daily water changes easily but large enough to accommodate your axolotl. This means it should have plenty of room to turn around and can hold enough water to sit a few inches above the gills, but also a couple inches below the rim so it lessens the chance of escape. My axolotl hasn’t tried to jump from the tub, but there have been people who have not been as lucky, some people do use lids with holes drilled into the tops to prevent this. You’re gonna need a thermometer and an air stone. I believe axolotl’s need lower water temperatures between 60-66 degrees F, the thermometer will help you gauge this. The air stone helps oxygenize the water. My personal setup is a “small” container inside a much larger container. The axolotl is in the small container, with the air stone and thermometer. I use two frozen water bottles that I switch out twice a day to keep the temp down to around 59-60 degrees F; I keep these bottles on the outside of the smaller container, inside the bigger container. I also have a desk fan mounted on the big container in case I need to cool the water quickly during water changes. You must change the water DAILY. You will need a dechlorinator to treat the tap water, such as SeaChem Prime or API Aqua Essentials. I have two of the same sized tubs for water changes. The axolotl is in one from the previous day. I fill the other with tap water, use SeaChem Prime to treat the tap water, place the frozen water bottles on either side of the new tub, switch the air stone over to the new tub, and wait for the temperatures of both tubs to match before putting my axolotl into the new tub. I usually feed and then switch to new tub around the same time, every day.
Buy an API Freshwater Master Test Kit (liquid test) to test your parameters. Do not buy test strips, as they are often less accurate. Your “ideal” testing levels should read 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitr(i)tes, 5-20ppm nitr(a)tes (20ppm may be too high, anyone with better knowledge may correct me), and a 7.6ph. This is what your readings should look like once your tank is cycled. You will know if your tank is cycled when it can process 2ppm (or 4ppm depending on who you talk to) ammonia in 24 hours, as well as the resulting nitr(i)tes, to 0ppm. As for the science, look to the nitrogen cycle; axolotls create ammonia through waste, leftover food, etc. and this ammonia is toxic and harmful. Then nitr(i)tes, the bacteria that eat the ammonia, are produced. They are also toxic and harmful. Then nitr(a)tes, the bacteria that eat the nitr(i)tes, are produced. They are much safer for your aquatic buddy in low levels. Ammonia processes to nitr(i)tes which process to nitr(a)tes which are only removed from the tank by plants or water changes. So once the nitr(a)te level rises to 20ppm or above, you must do a water change to lower those levels.
I do not use my hands to touch my axolotl’s food, in case I have something on my hands that could harm it if ingested. I use a large pair of feeding tongs. My axolotl has eaten bloodworms in the past, but most recently axolotl pellets (homemade from a local breeder, but another breeder suggested pellets online), and earthworms! I have to cut the earthworms up because they are too big to swallow in one go. I have read that earthworms are a great food source, so I will probably be sticking to them.
If anyone wants to correct me, feel free! I am also new to axolotls so I am for sure no expert! I attached an image of my tubbing set up! I am going to get larger tubs soon, as Quinoa has grown quite a bit.

 

[wolfen]

the reason for cycling at 4ppm ammonia is because that is the amount of ammonia waste that an adult axolotl can produce so the filtration needs to be able to cope with that amount, although most axolotls are brought whilst they are juvenile and small they grow very fast and mature quickly.
the nitrogen cycle is ammonia NH3 + NH4+ (free ammonia + ammonium) which is consumed/converted by bacteria (nitrosomanas) to produce nitrites NO2 then the nitrites are consumed/converted by bacteria (nitrobacter) into nitrates NO3 which are removed by water changes / plants / algae / special filtration systems / denitrifying bacteria.
when ammonia is tested for in the aquarium it is tested as TAN (total ammonia nitrogen) which is free ammonia NH3 (toxic but easily converted/consumed by bacteria) and ammonium NH4+ (non toxic but difficult for bacteria to convert/consume), the free ammonia comes from the break down of ammonium, at a low ph less free ammonia is produced where as at a high ph more is produced, this is also the same with temperature (higher the temperature the more free ammonia) but the opposite for salinity (higher the salt level the lower the free ammonia), the nitrogen conversion process adds hydrogen ions to the water increasing the acidity and lowering the ph, if the ph gets too low then there is less free ammonia produced meaning less food for the bacteria and potentially stalling the cycle, this is why it is important to monitor the ph.
a ten gallon tank was the standard size requirement a couple of decades ago but has now been changed to 20 gallon to allow for more movement.
for filter size the minimum size would be the tank size if not larger ie.. if a filter says 20 - 50 gallon then it is too small for a 30 gallon axolotl tank but ok for a 20 gallon, this is because the majority of axolotl tanks are bare bones (little to none substrate and non porous ornaments) this means that the filter has to carry all the bio load for the tank so needs to be large enough to do so.
humans carry bacteria on their hands which is why it is important to wash hands before hand feeding, also axolotls also carry bacteria which is why it is also important to wash hands after.
most meat based frozen food is fine for axolotls it is just that some are higher in protein and nutrients then others so require more for the same amount, although bloodworm isn't very high in protein it is one of the types of food that even the most stubborn axolotl will accept and is fine as part of a varied diet.
air stones are a must with axolotls as although they do have rudimentary lungs they get the majority of oxygen from the water and a lack of oxygenated water will cause surface gulping which will then lead to a host of problems including floating, also oxygenated water is a requirement for a healthy biological water system.

 

[axolotl nerd]

Okay so please don’t hate on me way too hard. I had been interested in being an axolotl momma for ages, and then I was at the pet store getting dog food and they had them and I just kind of went for it. No prior preparation - I just pulled the trigger. I realize now that I should’ve had a fully cycled tank - and a lot more knowledge - established prior to bringing him home.
So I have a lot questions now about how I can do better moving forward.
The current tank setup is a 10-gallon (he’s a juvenile and I do intend to upgrade to a larger tank in a few months) with a Tetra Whisper filter (for 5-10gal tanks) at one end and an air stone at the other end. He has a large ceramic mug for a hide. I added a couple of mystery snails when algae growth was getting out of control. They don’t bother him and he’s not bothered them. They’re too big to fit in his mouth at this point so I’m not concerned about that. I don’t have any substrate as I was concerned about the potential for him to ingest it.

First question: I haven’t read much about anyone using air stones on here. Should I not be using an air stone?

As far as feeding goes, he’s eating really well. Primarily frozen brine shrimp and I give frozen blood worms as well but I try to give more shrimp than blood worms since I read that the nutritional value of the shrimp is much better for him and blood worms are more of a treat. I feed him those frozen cubes, and he likes to bite at them right out of my fingers as they thaw until it’s small enough for him to eat the entire remainder. So,

Second question: does anyone else hand feed their axolotl? Does doing this pose any risks to him? Obviously he misses and bites me a lot but it doesn’t hurt so I don’t care - I just see it as bonding time. But now I’m wondering if it’s safe for him.

I’ve been testing the Ph and it’s been holding steady around 7.6. Until yesterday, I knew absolutely nothing about ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites, so I’m planning to go get test kits and such related to that today.

Last question: Can someone please give me a crash course on ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites as well as what supplies I need in order to test for and address issues with them? I’m lost. I’ve been doing a ton of reading but I’m struggling to understand the science here. For supplies recommendations, I’m located in the US.

Please nobody panic. He really is doing well. He’s eating like a champ and doesn’t seem to be very stressed. I know I messed up by getting into this with so little knowledge, but I hope you can understand that I’m a person and I make mistakes and I’m just trying to be responsible now.

my first thought while reading through this was about filters- i have used HOB tetra filters in the past and have found them to be rather annoying to deal with. i very highly recommend sponge filters, as they are quiet, effective, easy to clean, and also do not produce flow (which can be stressful for an axie)

as for the algae growth, that's usually an issue found in warm water tanks, and axolotls require cool water. ideal range is between 60-70 degrees, but i have had temperatures tip over that point before with no serious repercussions- just be sure to lower temperature again as soon as you can.

another word of advice is to have him tubbed. because your tank is not cycled yet, it is not yet safe for him to inhabit it. i use fairly large plastic bins with lockable lids that have air holes drilled in the top. for more advice//instruction on tubbing, PM me and i will help

i also handfeed my axolotl. i've never had an issue with it, but because they are amphibians, its very important to keep in mind that they absorb things through their skin (and the water around them.) because of this, it's imperative that you thoroughly wash your hands before feeding or rearranging their tank, but be sure not to use soap. just clean water and scrubbing will suffice.
some people feed with tongs (basically large tweezers, commonly used to feed snakes,) but i have seen a few incidents in which young axolotls have accidentally hit the tongs instead of the food and developed injuries and swelling as a result. handfeeding or just dropping in food is the way to go, in my opinion.
as far as diet, i get the impression your little friend is quite young, but it's still important to feed good quality food. i suggest chopped earthworms as a staple with bloodworms and brine shrimp as treats. all the adult axolotls i have ever had have been fed almost exclusively with earthworms, and they love them.

for cycling, i believe there is a good guide out there somewhere on the internet for fishless cycling. i know that is very vague, but ill go look for it sometime soon.
for supplies on cycling and water parameters, it's pretty much required that any axolotl owner has an API freshwater testing kit. unfortunately, the strips are not reliable, so you must purchase the liquid kit. i'll link it below.

as for the impulse buying, i don't think anyone will be too heated about it. it obviously isn't good to get a pet without background knowledge, but posting in these forums shows that you're making a real effort to fix that mistake. it can also be scary to post here when you're inexperienced, so congratulations on getting past one of the more difficult steps!

p.s. i'm hoping for pictures of your new lotl

p.p.s. link for the test kit: https://www.amazon.com/API-FRESHWATER-800-Test-Freshwater-Aquarium/dp/B000255NCI