Photo: Is My Tank Cycled?

[Sean1364]

Whenever I ask a question, everyone always asks me if my tank is cycled. Well, I don't know. I've read up on it, I test my water every day, and I always do huge water replacements. I just can't really translate my test results into a meaningful answer to the previous question. I know I ask a lot of annoying questions here, but I'm genuinely concerned about my Axolotls, and I want them to be healthy. If it's not too much trouble, would anyone be able to help put some language behind these test result colors?

 

[callina]

Why do you use a saltwater test kit?
Axies are fresh water amphibians.

 

[Sean1364]

Why do you use a saltwater test kit?
Axies are fresh water amphibians.

Sorry, I have two kits that are almost identical, one from previous projects. They must have gotten mixed in together somewhere along the line. I'll find the other set of cards and get those readings as well. In the meantime, wouldn't they be the same anyway? Chemicals are chemicals, right?

 

[Greatwtehunter]

They wouldn't be the same. I don't know the exact reason why but when you hold the freswater card next to the saltwater card you will see there is a difference.

 

[Sean1364]

They wouldn't be the same. I don't know the exact reason why but when you hold the freswater card next to the saltwater card you will see there is a difference.

I found my freshwater cards, so I'll hold those tubes up to those and see how much different they are. Will post pictures with the freshwater cards as soon as I can.

 

[ted22]

Yo dude, sorry cant comment on your tests coz cant see the pictures for some reason, just a couple of things, you say you are doing massive water replacements, why is this? While cycling you should be changing 20% water every other day, or daily if your having a reading spike. Massive water changes may not give your tank a chance to cycle and it will just be never ending massive water changes constantly. A tank cycled correctly will be cycled between 2 and 6 weeks and after your tank is cycled it should only require 15-20% water change weekly with daily spot checks with a turkey baster!

(I presume you are using a filter?)

Hope this helps!

Oooh was it you I read another thread about a stressed axie? the huge water changes might be a contributing factor, if it wasnt your thread my apologies.

>ed<

 

[jclee]

From what I can tell in the pics, you have 0 NO2, and your are beginning to have NO3, around 5ppm. (The color cards for freshwater and saltwater NO3 readings look the same.) I've never seen an ammonia card like that, so I might wait to hazard guesses on ammonia until I see it held up to the fresh water card. If there is ammonia in the water, you can follow ted's advice and go down to 20-25% water changes a day until you have 0 ammonia, 0 NO2, and 5 or more NO3.

If ammonia is present, it could be for one of the following reasons:
>the tank is not yet fully cycled -- keep giving it time, and do daily 25% water changes -- test daily, just prior to water change.
OR
>wastes are building up quickly -- happens when amount of waste the animal(s) produce is too great for the water body size/ too great for the amount of beneficial bacteria to convert to NO3 (unlikely, given the water changes you've been doing)
OR
>uneaten food from over feeding -- (unlikely, given the water changes you've been doing)
OR
>occasionally there may be ammonia present in the tap water you're using to do water changes may have ammonia in it, so it's worth testing the tap water. If you do this, leave the water out for a few days before testing to get its true values.

*I couldn't read the second card in, and I don't think I'm familiar with that color scale.

 

[Sean1364]

Here is the new picture with my freshwater kit.

 

[callina]

from what I can see on the picture, there still is ammonia in your tank and that means that it isn´t cycled. But I´m confused about the high concentration of nitrate. (But I can´t figure out the exact color on the card) Did you test your freshwater, too?

Are the axies in the tank? Then I would recommend to make a big water change, because ammonia is highly toxic to amphibians.

A second possibiliity is to put your axies into a container and let your tank cycle.

But I am no expert for water chemistry, maybe someone else has a better idea.

 

[Sean1364]

from what I can see on the picture, there still is ammonia in your tank and that means that it isn´t cycled. But I´m confused about the high concentration of nitrate. (But I can´t figure out the exact color on the card) Did you test your freshwater, too?

Are the axies in the tank? Then I would recommend to make a big water change, because ammonia is highly toxic to amphibians.

A second possibiliity is to put your axies into a container and let your tank cycle.

But I am no expert for water chemistry, maybe someone else has a better idea.

Nitrate appears to be 80-160 to me. Thus, I did a massive water change, as always.

Couldn't the high levels of Nitrate AND Ammonia just be due to overfeeding? They will only eat freeze dried shrimp which come in blocks and then break apart in the water. Well, I clean the extra off the top of the water, but a lot of it sinks and while I do my best to remove it all from the bottom, it's sand, and just about impossible to clean. I mean, the ammonia reading isn't really that high. Right?

P.S. That latest picture is the freshwater kit.

 

[tomkeogh]

Can you test your water source...my tap water contains nitrate, as you have what appears to be 0.50ammonia and 0 nitrite I would guess the tank is in the process of cycling, however with such high readings for nitrate perhaps the tank is cycled, but your water changes are too large to maintain enough bacteria to break down ammonia,

Continue monitoring for a week or so, try to change as little water as possible to dilute the readings, and if some nitrite shows soon you will know the tank is still cycling.

I truly believe this is the only way you will know for sure, when I was cycling I recorded all my levels before and after a water change everyday, I still do readings twice a week which I record in my 'cycling' book, seeing your results from one day is just not enough information for anyone on here to give you anything more than an educated guess (more educated than my guess I should mention!).

If it easier for you just update this post everyday with your readings and soon we will all have a better idea of what is going on....also try to change only 20% to dilute high readings, and more only if needed

 

[Sean1364]

Can you test your water source...my tap water contains nitrate, as you have what appears to be 0.50ammonia and 0 nitrite I would guess the tank is in the process of cycling, however with such high readings for nitrate perhaps the tank is cycled, but your water changes are too large to maintain enough bacteria to break down ammonia,

Continue monitoring for a week or so, try to change as little water as possible to dilute the readings, and if some nitrite shows soon you will know the tank is still cycling.

I truly believe this is the only way you will know for sure, when I was cycling I recorded all my levels before and after a water change everyday, I still do readings twice a week which I record in my 'cycling' book, seeing your results from one day is just not enough information for anyone on here to give you anything more than an educated guess (more educated than my guess I should mention!).

If it easier for you just update this post everyday with your readings and soon we will all have a better idea of what is going on....also try to change only 20% to dilute high readings, and more only if needed

The problem is that I'm registering Nitrate levels so high that it's either at the top of my meter, or too high to measure. I was under the impression that Nitrate can be just as harmful to Axolotls, and that you should avoid letting the numbers get that high. That is the reason I've been doing these extreme water changes.

 

[tomkeogh]

Yes, forgive me, sometimes I get ahead of myself on long posts, it is indeed correct to remove such high concentrations of nitrates...try to keep nitrates below 40, what I am saying is, and I know this is a pain, when you do your daily readings and get high readings try to initially change 20% of water and re-test than change more if needed.

Every time you do a large water change you remove some of the bacteria you need, by doing large water changes and not doing readings you may have actually stopped your cycle from ever beginning...we just need to work out if your tank is cycled or not if it is not cycled some nitrite should appear soon but removing too much water will not allow this to happen

 

[jclee]

Actually, there is almost no beneficial bacteria in the water itself; it lives on surfaces (substrates, plants, filters), so don't stop water changes for that reason. Keep doing them while you're getting these worrisome readings.

It sounds like you might be overfeeding, and/or your tap water is adding ammonia and/or nitrates.

If your salamanders are adults and in good condition, they can be fed once every two or three days. I am not familiar with the shrimp cubes you are describing; earthworms are recommended as the best staple for adult axolotls. I usually feed mine soft salmon pellets. Explore other feeding options to see if other foods foul the water less.

Do test your tap water. Leave a bucket of water out for 2-3 days (it needs to outgas the chlorine so that you can get accurate readings) and then run all the tests that you've been running on the tank. Let us know how it goes.

 

[Sean1364]

Just to give a brief update, I have been making smaller water changes, and just recently began to see the Nitrite level spike to 2.0. Ammonia is staying low to 0, and Nitrates are as they were.

 

[Sean1364]

Here are the numbers for the last four days:

Day 1

Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 40

Day 2

Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 2.0
Nitrate: 20

Day 3

Ammonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 5.0+ (Off scale)
Nitrate: 20

 

[Mac Myers]

Yikes!
You need to do a water change. Quantity determined by how much it takes to get that Nitrite level down. The tank is cycling but it hasn't finished at all. Assuming no overfeeding then you need to be vigilant in your husbandry.
You have any live plants?

 

[Sean1364]

Yikes!
You need to do a water change. Quantity determined by how much it takes to get that Nitrite level down. The tank is cycling but it hasn't finished at all. Assuming no overfeeding then you need to be vigilant in your husbandry.
You have any live plants?

No, no live plants. I just did a 20% change this morning as usual. Sure, the Nitrite level was bright red on a scale that maxes out in gentle purple, but the Axolotls aren't showing any signs of stress.

 

[melfly]

The tank is cycling now. Thats the Nitrite spike.
Water change til you get it down.
Then the Nitrates will come up again. (and need water changing out)

I think maybe you had a stalled cycle and thats why nitrate was showing.

If you cant get the nitrite down i would remove them.

How big is your tank and how many do you have in there?

Mel

 

[Sean1364]

The tank is cycling now. Thats the Nitrite spike.
Water change til you get it down.
Then the Nitrates will come up again. (and need water changing out)

I think maybe you had a stalled cycle and thats why nitrate was showing.

If you cant get the nitrite down i would remove them.

How big is your tank and how many do you have in there?

Mel

Two in a 40.

I didn't have time to check the levels after my water change this morning, but if they survive until I get home from work tomorrow morning, I'm off for 3 weeks and can watch them carefully.

I don't know where I'd remove them to if it came to that though. I think they'll be fine in the tank. It's hard, because at first I was doing 40% water changes and preventing the cycling process from being able to start, and now I'm doing 20% which has gotten it going, but doesn't seem enough to keep the Nitrite levels down. Otherwise, in other news, the Axolotls are doing very well and I'm becoming quite a bit more confident in keeping them (again, as long as they survive until tomorrow).