Question: I got a lot of questions

[punkette]

So I finally got my ammonia for the cycling
it was hell but I did it
I had to go 30 mins out of town to a home hardware (I use busses, so that means 3h in total)
and before that I had to make them order it from their furnisher
BUT I GOT IT
ok I'm maybe making a big deal of it
my ph is 7.2 btw, is that ok?

 

[Sweetie]

Yes that PH is fine.

 

[punkette]

Ok I'm not sure about what's happening in my tank? My idea is that I brought bacteries from the pet store with my plants, because I don't have a filter (only bio-thing I bought to replace the carbon in my filter that I put in the tank for the bacteries to settle in) and no heater (and it's cold, around 70f) & it looks like this:

mai 5th (before getting ammonia)
- Ammonia: 0-0.6 (couldn't say)
- Nitrites: 0.1
- Nitrates: 10

mai 9th (before putting ammonia)
- Ammonia: 0
- Nitrites: 0.3
- Nitrates: 5
then I added up to 4.9 ammonia (aimed for 4 but the scale goes 3-4.9)

mai 10th (today)
- Ammonia: 0.6
- Nitrites: 0.1
- Nitrates: 5

I'll raise the ammo again to 4 as my guide says but I'm just confused. I think I am happy it's cycling fast? I'm just scared it drops on me in a while when I have my axies

 

[Boomsloth]

Ok I'm not sure about what's happening in my tank? My idea is that I brought bacteries from the pet store with my plants, because I don't have a filter (only bio-thing I bought to replace the carbon in my filter that I put in the tank for the bacteries to settle in) and no heater (and it's cold, around 70f) & it looks like this:

mai 5th (before getting ammonia)
- Ammonia: 0-0.6 (couldn't say)
- Nitrites: 0.1
- Nitrates: 10

mai 9th (before putting ammonia)
- Ammonia: 0
- Nitrites: 0.3
- Nitrates: 5
then I added up to 4.9 ammonia (aimed for 4 but the scale goes 3-4.9)

mai 10th (today)
- Ammonia: 0.6
- Nitrites: 0.1
- Nitrates: 5

I'll raise the ammo again to 4 as my guide says but I'm just confused. I think I am happy it's cycling fast? I'm just scared it drops on me in a while when I have my axies

its totally possible for you to have brought nitrifying bacteria in with plants since it will settle on all surfaces of the tank. This just makes it a little easier for you.

 

[punkette]

hey hoping I'm not annoying you yet

I heard canister filters are the best and well for my point of view (I never tried one yet but I spend a lot of time at the pet shop and I watched the guy wash one and he explained it to me, so yeah) so I'd like to get one but they're really expensive
I found this one not so pricy but it's for turtles:
Turtle Clean 501 Canister Filter - Up to 30 gal.| thatpetplace.com
would it work for a normal aquarium?

 

[Boomsloth]

How was he washing it? Canisters are great filters because its harder for them to dry out (and kill your bacteria) if the power goes out. Also they can be stronger than most waterfall filters but for your axolotls you are going to need to buy or build your own spray bar to decrease the amount of current in the water. In most canisters you can choose the best filter media for your needs. The downside to most canisters is cleaning/maintenance can be a pain and very messy. Don't think that just because the filter is better you won't still need to perform water changes/cleaning on the tank itself.
I've never used that turtle one so I can't say if its good or bad.

 

[punkette]

he was rinsing it out in an other container of clean water and under the tap and let it soak a bit, he had replaced the carbon with bio-media so it doesn't need to be replaced.

well I'll test around some things and see, experience is the best teacher (as long as it's not hurtful but I'll be careful)

Also I just found 3 snails in my tank (it's been a month I have it set and I rinsed the plants before) should I be ok removing them when I see them (I think they were the only 3 and too small to lay eggs. well I hope) or do I need to start all over again to eradicate the infestation?