new to axies, need help with water chemistry

evilaxies

evilaxies

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hi there!
we're new to the axie game, just need some help with water chemistry... I have our 2 axies in a small holder tank - approx. 15 lt - just tested water with new test kit and found ammonia levels at 4, nitrate at 0 and nitrite at .25ppm - is this bad? any help'd be great - i want to make sure they're okay!!
 
hi and welcome,
a couple of things
firstly water readings should be ammonia =0 nitrite =0 nitrate approx 40/400
high ammonia and nitrite are very dangerous.
secondly how big are your axies? adult axies requires 18 inches apiece for free movement.
you willneed to do partial water changes daily to bring the levels right 20/30%. donot use any chemicals other than dechlorinator as they are harmful.
if i where you i would visit axolotl.org to get a full rundown on all the things you need to know.
oh and please no gravel, bare floor or sand are best, gravel can cause impaction and then death.
hope this has helped a bit.
 
it has - thanks!

we have gravel in the holding tank - it is small, but we are cycling the new 2ft 60lt tank now - just waiting for it to get right. I have done the permanent sand [silicone] thing with the new tank, but don't want to mess with them too much in the new tank. Is there any way [other than partial water changes] to bring the ammonia down? I have changed water tonight, but am happy to again and again if it means they are safe.
 
Yes, change the water on the little holding tank daily (at least 20-30%). Also, if you can remove the gravel from the holding tank. You don't need it in the holding tank. Their only needs will be to do the frequent partial waterchanges, remove any uneaten food/waste within the hour and ensure the temperature doesn't rise above 23-24C.

Other than that, check out the axolotl part of the forum as I'm sure you will find a wealth of information and help from other axolotl owners.

Also, Welcome to the forum! :D
 
thanks! it's good to be a part of an axie community - i've loved them all my life but never had any!
anyway, as long as i know they won't die overnight, i can do what i have to do make them alright!! will change water, remove gravel and keep testing the water - i just want them to be safe!! have been checking out the whole site for the last week - it's great, just so much info that i can't remember it all!! good to have direct answers to my questions, s'all!!
i'll keep posting my water chem results in the hope that i can still keep getting help - a lot to learn for my new little buddies to be safe and happy! any more advice will be muchly appreciated!!
 
Turkey baster! If you don't already have one, invest in one!
 
yep, got one!
done another water change and retested for ammonia levels - seems to have stayed the same - if not higher! help!! i'm now starting to freak out a bit... cleaned surface with baster as well, but ammonia levels same. what can i do? even tried putting in new filter, but it's too big and too much flow for the small tank. any advice appreciated! - by me and my axies!!
 
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Just keep up the frequent daily waterchanges, maybe cut down their feeding. The holding tank is very small, so how large/long are your axolotls, as the holding tank of that size for 2 axolotls will warm faster than a larger tank and it will tend to foul faster. Keeping the daily waterchanges up will keep things at bay but will probably still not be ideal dependant on how much/often you're feeding and how long the axolotls are.

What are your water parameters on your 2ft tank? It might be better to move one of them to the larger tank and monitor the two tanks, then move the other axolotl in another week or two.

The 2fter may also be too small for your axolotls if they have not yet reached their full adult length (our largest max out at 32cm+), if anything we've only managed to keep one adult in a 2fter when we need to quarantine/separate them.
 
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one of them is around 15cms the other is smaller but mainkly because it has what seems to be a damaged tail - just the transparent bit at the end is missing. got the ammonia down to 2-3, nitrates and nitrites the same. will change water in the morning again and tomorrow night - hopefully that will bring the ammo down a bit more. point taken with tank size - the new one is 2ft x 1ft x 18" - bit larger than standard 2ft tank. am making lots of hidy holes and stuff for them, so hopefully that'll keep 'em cool. they seem to get along really well, they 'cuddle' a lot which looks cute but i'm not sure if it's good behaviour or not. no drama with them though, seem to be good mates!
 
What you're doing is good. You may find though, which I'm sure you aware of now, that the longer you keep them in the small one, the more problems with ammonia/nitrite levels. Also, I wouldn't worry about the filter on the small tank, you'll probably find it stresses them more than helps with cleaning, takes a while for good bacteria to establish (ie cycling process) for it to be helpful with cleaning.

I'm assuming you have a thermometer but if you don't already, try and get one as soon as, sounds like your warm weather is hitting a lot faster than ours in some parts of Oz.

I know how many problems australians have each year combatting or maintaining cool temperatures for what seems like 4-5 months of the year, the thermometer is obviously another essential item for your tank as well as where you place it (indirect light - ie: away from direct window/heat/light sources/areas, preferably coolest room, also possible thought that you may need to fridge them at some point during the summer if weather gets too extreme and you have problems trying to maintain cool temperatures with the cooling methods shown here: http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cooling.shtml
 
we've got a good digital thermometer, but it's one we have to put in to test temp, not a permanent thing. any suggestions on a better thermo set up or is this one okay? water temp has been between 15 and 16 degrees, the weather is okay for now, but am expecting a hot summer! where we are is generally 4-5 degrees cooler than the advertised temp, we live on the mornington peninsula right near the shore, so lots of cool southerlies! am making a shadecloth cover for them for the hotter times, so hopefully that'll keep 'em cooler as well. tank not in direct sunlight, we struggle to get any of that where we live, but still light filters into it. At the moment, i have a cardboard sun shade thing, to stop direct light, coz i know they don't like it. i'll just keep changing the water daily or twice daily til to keep the ammo levels down, hope that'll work! will read up on fridging them now though - thanks for the tip - all help appreciated heaps - expect to hear more from me!!
 
Ah, we used a common old towel as our sun shade thing for our first tanks :D

We've also got digital ones, had the normal one (red stuff in the bottom) and the numbers on the sticky bar type one that stuck to the tank. Axies kept knocking the normal one of, and one cracked though thankfully didn't leak, and the bar digital type one wasn't exactly very accurate. We have fully submergible digital ones, that stick to the inside aquarium we bought recently that seem to work!
 
yeah, the one we have is made for testing food temperature, but seems to do the job. will invest in a submersible digi one, so we can see the temp at all times. just checked it then and it's gone up to 17deg, even though it's been cold a rainy here, i've had the heater on drying clothes and it's raised the tank temp 1 whole degree! checked the cooling article - very helpful! will use a few of those methods to cool the tank.
my axies seem a bit stressed now, after the water changing and filter attempt, gonna leave 'em for tonight. one is floating around, he's alive though but i read that floaty axies means they are stressed out a bit. the other has buried herself in between a rock and the back of the tank - hope they are okay - it'd be too sad if they died on us!! we've only had them a week and they're already part of teh family.
any advice on what to feed? they seems to take the mealworms no probs, been having trouble with frozen bloodworm and shrimp brine. when i cleaned the tank earlier i notice a couple of mealworms that must have been spat out without me seeing. tried a couple of neon fishes, they went down within a day, but not to keen on keeping other fish with the axies, don't want to upset the balance and can't keep track of who gets what that way.

also, thanks heaps kapo - you've been a real help! i was stressting a bit before but now feel a bit more relaxed about it all. as long as i keep doing the water change and lay off feeding for a day or two i feel better about it all. just hope they feel the same!!
 
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meal worms can be dangerous as not only are they hard to digest if their jaws are not crushed they can bite the axie.
have you tried good old earth worms?
lots of people on here feed them to their axies and they seem to love them. you might have to chop one up but as long as it is from a chemical free source they are very good for axies.
 
You're welcome, most of us have been where you are at at some stage in our axie caring, so do know where you're coming from! :D

Spitting out can mean they may be slightly overfed or don't want the meal. Crush the mealworms head or decapitate it, as digger suggests :D

Frozen brineshrimp can get pretty messy, goes all over the place. If you've removed the gravel from the tank, you'll also find it easier for feeding. Make sure to defrost the frozen bloodworm, give it a quick squirt/rinse(I thaw them in one of the nets) with tank water or dechlor. water with the baster. Then drop it in the tank. Thawing it will cut down on the waste buildup in the tank. It's easy enough to pick it up in your fingers once thawed and just drop it in, it pretty much stays together when it falls into the tank.
 
okay, new water test results:
ammonia: 1.5
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 0
pH: 6.6
seems much better results, but still not sure. will change water twice a day - is that cool?
also, been chopping the heads off the mealworms - i read earlier in the forum that they can harm the axies. not feeding again until tomorrow - that makes it 3 days with no food - hoping to get water sorted. Going past a reptile shop tomorrow, maybe i'd find earthworms [safe ones] there?
 
i feed my axie earthworms from my back garden...i don't use any chemicals in my garden and always wash the earth off....my axie loves them
 
if you have an angleing shop near you try there as they sell them for bait.
 
cool - will try that too!
anyone able to give advice on new test results? just want to know we're on the right track and that my lil buddies are okay for now...
 
your ammonia is still high needs to be zero, nitites are fine, nitrate will start to read as and when your tank has cycled this tells you the good bacteria are growing.
just keep up daily water changes of 20/30 %
i dont know about doing it twice aday as you might not be giving good bacteria time to form???
someone else more scientifically minded might be able to help there
 
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