Please help- emergency nitrates

[Pebble6852]

first off sorry if this is a bit long, and hopefully in the right forum.

I’ll try to condense the story, but a couple days ago I bought an axolotl (who I named pebble) from my partner’s sister’s best friend. She said it was for her kid but her kid was no longer taking care of it and it needed a home. I have never kept any aquatic animals, but I did all the research I could and asked anyone I could find that had kept axolotls before. He really needed a home quickly (I think they were moving) so I picked him up. I read about cycling so I kept some of his old water, but she told me that she had not touched his tank at all in at least 6 months so I knew I would have to do a lot of work. We had to empty around 80% of the water so I could get the tank home, and when I got home I redid the tank. unfortunately I did not know that the bacteria lives on the objects only and not in the water so here’s what I did and please tell me if this will crash his cycle:

When I got home I removed all his old sand (Stoney river premium aquarium, she gave to me) and put in new sand. That wasn’t enough so I added a bit of his old sand back and mixed it together. Then I added back his old tank water and refilled it with primed water, essentially doing about an 80% water change. Then I rinsed his plants in tap water and added them back, and I don’t believe I rinsed his rock hides but I could be wrong, and they were also sitting out for a while while I cleaned the tank (idk how long the bacteria live outside of water). Finally, I replaced 2/3 of the filter pads and kept one old filter pad in for the bacteria.
The tank ran like this for about 24 hours, until yesterday when I checked his levels for the first time. Everything was perfect (ammonia showed .25 but google said seachem prime gives false positives?) except for his nitrates. They were sky high at 160+. I panicked and immediately did a 25% water change and then replaced his last old filter pad AND rinsed the other two in tap water. I then learned that rinsing in tap water is a bad idea and so I panicked again and grabbed his old filters that I threw away (still damp) in case I found out I could still use them/ needed them and put them in a glass of his tank water.

I’m doing a water change every day and going to the store right now to get moss balls to put in his tank to absorb the nitrate. I also checked his ammonia and nitrite since changing all the filters (about 6-8 hours later) and they were still the same. Am I going to crash his cycle? What do I do about the nitrate? I think that maybe the old water was just so bad that it is still showing these higher levels of nitrate because my tap water reads a low nitrate level.

Sorry about the long post, I am just very inexperienced and I’m doing my best but I’m very worried about if I messed up and if he is okay. He is fairly active and he ate well when I fed him yesterday for the first time. I also will put pictures of pebble in, so anyone who knows what to look for can see if they’re anything wrong. He has small gills that he has had sticking straight out so I think this is him curling them? Please help

 

[wolfen]

do a nitrate test on the tap water.
the test for ammonia tests total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) which is ammonium (safe non toxic) and free ammonia (deadly toxic), ammonium is the base compound that breaks down into free ammonia (how fast it breaks down depends on ph, temperature and salinity), when a product such as prime, amquel + etc.. are used it locks the free ammonia back into ammonium making it non toxic, this means that the ammonia (TAN) isn't a false positive but that the ammonia (TAN) is mainly ammonium, the bacteria in the filtration convert free ammonia but have difficulty converting ammonium (which is why ammonia locking chemicals aren't used during cycling).
never do a water change of more than 50%, this is mainly due to the fact that dechlorinating chemicals take time to work so any chlorine remnants can harm the biological filtration, also the by product from removing chloromines is ammonia so don't test the water until twenty four hours after a water change, another reason for not doing a water change over 50% is because most products deplete the oxygen in the water (always have an air-stone in the tank)
as to nitrates, the only ways to remove them are.. plants, special filter media, nitrate reactor, water change, the fastest way is by water change with the percentage of water removed being the percentage of nitrates removed.
when it come to filter media.. change activated carbon monthly, change/recharge zeolite monthly, rinse/squeeze sponges in old tank water when clogged, replace if falling apart (sponges should last the lifetime of the filter), rinse through bio-media in old tank water (bio-media should last the lifetime of the tank).
his gills aren't overly forward which is normal and the tail isn't hooked so his stress levels are normal.

 

[Pebble6852]

do a nitrate test on the tap water.
the test for ammonia tests total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) which is ammonium (safe non toxic) and free ammonia (deadly toxic), ammonium is the base compound that breaks down into free ammonia (how fast it breaks down depends on ph, temperature and salinity), when a product such as prime, amquel + etc.. are used it locks the free ammonia back into ammonium making it non toxic, this means that the ammonia (TAN) isn't a false positive but that the ammonia (TAN) is mainly ammonium, the bacteria in the filtration convert free ammonia but have difficulty converting ammonium (which is why ammonia locking chemicals aren't used during cycling).
never do a water change of more than 50%, this is mainly due to the fact that dechlorinating chemicals take time to work so any chlorine remnants can harm the biological filtration, also the by product from removing chloromines is ammonia so don't test the water until twenty four hours after a water change, another reason for not doing a water change over 50% is because most products deplete the oxygen in the water (always have an air-stone in the tank)
as to nitrates, the only ways to remove them are.. plants, special filter media, nitrate reactor, water change, the fastest way is by water change with the percentage of water removed being the percentage of nitrates removed.
when it come to filter media.. change activated carbon monthly, change/recharge zeolite monthly, rinse/squeeze sponges in old tank water when clogged, replace if falling apart (sponges should last the lifetime of the filter), rinse through bio-media in old tank water (bio-media should last the lifetime of the tank).
his gills aren't overly forward which is normal and the tail isn't hooked so his stress levels are normal.

Okay thank you so much!! So should I not worry about the .25 ammonia reading for now? I just went and picked up some moneywort that I just added to his tank as well. I have another water change scheduled today as well. Should I just keep water change, test for nitrate until levels are low, then let the prime release the ammonium before testing ammonia/nitrite again? Also I forgot to mention in my post that I had done a nitrate test on my tap water and it came out at around 0-5ppm, possibly 10 but I think it was lower than that.

 

[wolfen]

do a 50% water change (to halve the nitrates) then don't do any more water changes for a week, test ph, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates daily, if the either the ammonia or nitrites start to rise then your axolotl will have to be tubbed while the tank is cycled, if only the nitrates rise then the cycle is fine, make sure the ph is around 7.4 - 7.6, if it drops lower than 7 slowly add bicarbonate of soda until it is 7.4 - 7.6 and have the kh gh tested.
if the ammonia level is slight green/yellow 0 - 0.5 dont worry as this can just be ammonia in the water that hasn't been treated/converted, provided the temperature is low and the ph is good then it is within tolerable levels.
if there is any trace of nitrites then consider tubbing as nitrites are bad at any level.
a small amount of salt (2g/l) can be used to make any ammonia/nitrites less toxic although any plants in the tank may not be able to tolerate it.

 

[Pebble6852]

do a 50% water change (to halve the nitrates) then don't do any more water changes for a week, test ph, ammonia, nitrites, nitrates daily, if the either the ammonia or nitrites start to rise then your axolotl will have to be tubbed while the tank is cycled, if only the nitrates rise then the cycle is fine, make sure the ph is around 7.4 - 7.6, if it drops lower than 7 slowly add bicarbonate of soda until it is 7.4 - 7.6 and have the kh gh tested.
if the ammonia level is slight green/yellow 0 - 0.5 dont worry as this can just be ammonia in the water that hasn't been treated/converted, provided the temperature is low and the ph is good then it is within tolerable levels.
if there is any trace of nitrites then consider tubbing as nitrites are bad at any level.
a small amount of salt (2g/l) can be used to make any ammonia/nitrites less toxic although any plants in the tank may not be able to tolerate it.

Okay! That is just what I’ll do then. Should I be concerned about the high nitrate levels once I stop putting prime in the water? Since that apparently detoxifies the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate? He appears to be good right now, I added his new plants about 40 minutes ago and he has been very active since I got home, swimming all around his tank.

 

[wolfen]

unfortunately seachem don't release information regarding the ingredients for prime (some speculation on salt, other on formaldehyde) and although it is used for de-toxing ammonia, for high nitrites it is better removing the animal and for high nitrates using water changes and plants (nitrate reactors are better suited for larger tanks and for more professional equipment, nitrate media require low flow and minimal oxygen levels).
before doing a water change go through the sand with a fork to release any gas and debris (sometimes waste can get trapped in the sand causing addition ammonia etc.. as it breaks down).
doing 50% water changes weekly until the nitrates are at a low enough level would be fine, axolotls are able to tolerate up to 110ppm but ideal levels are 10ppm - 20ppm (never zero, if the levels reach zero and the tank isn't heavily planted or other means of nitrate removal is used then there is a high chance of cycle crash)
use prime to dechlorinate only, if it has to be used to combat nitrogen compounds in the tank (other than nitrates) then there is a problem with the cycle.

 

[Pebble6852]

unfortunately seachem don't release information regarding the ingredients for prime (some speculation on salt, other on formaldehyde) and although it is used for de-toxing ammonia, for high nitrites it is better removing the animal and for high nitrates using water changes and plants (nitrate reactors are better suited for larger tanks and for more professional equipment, nitrate media require low flow and minimal oxygen levels).
before doing a water change go through the sand with a fork to release any gas and debris (sometimes waste can get trapped in the sand causing addition ammonia etc.. as it breaks down).
doing 50% water changes weekly until the nitrates are at a low enough level would be fine, axolotls are able to tolerate up to 110ppm but ideal levels are 10ppm - 20ppm (never zero, if the levels reach zero and the tank isn't heavily planted or other means of nitrate removal is used then there is a high chance of cycle crash)
use prime to dechlorinate only, if it has to be used to combat nitrogen compounds in the tank (other than nitrates) then there is a problem with the cycle.

Okay! I’ll start that right now, thank you so much for your help!! Just one final question for future reference, why is 50% weekly better than 25% daily? (Also should I stop using prime entirely after the change or should I add any between changes to combat the nitrate since it’s SO high). Thanks for answering everything I just wanna make sure I do everything right for the little guy.

 

[wolfen]

the reason for weekly vs daily is because of disturbing filter bacteria, residual chlorine can harm the bacteria and any chemical that locks the ammonia will starve the bacteria.
only use prime etc.. to dechlorinate the water before adding to the tank, there should be no need to add it between changes if it is cycling properly.

 

[Autistic Catholic]

FYI, if he's eating, he's not stressed. He looks remarkable considering the neglect so the previous owner must have been doing something right. Wolfen offers great advice and is very knowledgeable. A stress curl is a lot more aggressively bent toward the front. Some axies just have more forward facing gills. But the first sign of stress is generally inappetence.

 

[Pebble6852]

the reason for weekly vs daily is because of disturbing filter bacteria, residual chlorine can harm the bacteria and any chemical that locks the ammonia will starve the bacteria.
only use prime etc.. to dechlorinate the water before adding to the tank, there should be no need to add it between changes if it is cycling properly.

Okay thats good to know!! Just a little update, I’ve been checking his levels and I just got done checking them for today, his ammonia has been around .25 but today it looks like it’s at .5, but nitrites are zero. Could this be the prime starting to release the ammonia or should I be more concerned? Another update, he just ate his second worm! In fact he’s also been eating his money wort leaves, should I be concerned about that? His nitrates seem to have gone down to around 40-80 instead of the 160+ it was at. Other than that pebble seems great!

 

[Pebble6852]

FYI, if he's eating, he's not stressed. He looks remarkable considering the neglect so the previous owner must have been doing something right. Wolfen offers great advice and is very knowledgeable. A stress curl is a lot more aggressively bent toward the front. Some axies just have more forward facing gills. But the first sign of stress is generally inappetence.

Okay thank you that’s so great to hear!! I’m glad to know he looks good This definitely put my mind at ease haha. I just fed him again today and he loved it!

 

[wolfen]

if the ammonia is 0.5 the day after a water change it could be high chloramines from the tap water, test again the day after, if they are the same or higher there is a possibility of cycle crash, this will mean that your axolotl will have to be tubbed whilst the cycle is either recovered or re-done, rising nitrates is a good sign though.
what is the ph, temperature? your TAN (ammonium + free-ammonia ie.. NH4 +NH3) is still safe providing the ph is 7.6 or lower and temperature is 18°c or lower, to find out how toxic/high the NH3 (free+ammonia "toxic") use Free Ammonia Calculator , NH3 lower than 0.025 = safe, 0.025 - 0.05 = bad/warning, 0.05 and up is deadly.

 

[Pebble6852]

if the ammonia is 0.5 the day after a water change it could be high chloramines from the tap water, test again the day after, if they are the same or higher there is a possibility of cycle crash, this will mean that your axolotl will have to be tubbed whilst the cycle is either recovered or re-done, rising nitrates is a good sign though.
what is the ph, temperature? your TAN (ammonium + free-ammonia ie.. NH4 +NH3) is still safe providing the ph is 7.6 or lower and temperature is 18°c or lower, to find out how toxic/high the NH3 (free+ammonia "toxic") use Free Ammonia Calculator , NH3 lower than 0.025 = safe, 0.025 - 0.05 = bad/warning, 0.05 and up is deadly.

His pH is around the 7.8 mark on the API test kit but I honestly can’t tell if it’s higher or lower but that’s the closest I could make out, should I get some pH lowering stuff from the store? And his tank is at 68 degrees but I can lower that too. Should I wait until tomorrow to see if ammonia rises again or should I take him out now. I’ve never had to fully cycle a tank before so I’m a little in the dark with this stuff I changed his water 50% Saturday and haven’t added anything or changed it since.

PS: I did that test, but I set my salinity to 0 I never added any salt or anything but idk if that’s right. With that measurement, .5 ammonia, 68 degrees and 7.8 ph I got an NH3 concentration of .0121

 

[wolfen]

the reason it has a part for salinity is because it is one of the factors that effect NH3 levels (lowers it), setting it to zero is fine.
your NH3 at 0.0121 is safe (low toxicity) but needs to be monitored, this gives you time to sort/get things ready in case of tubbing, at your current levels tubbing would be best done at 1ppm TAN / 0.0242 NH3, although a fifty percent water change can be done without removal, tubbing will need to be done if nitrites are 0.25ppm or higher (right now they are fine).
if you can get some pond filter start (bottled bacteria, this tends to be cheaper than the same thing for aquariums, it is also more suited for cold water)
whilst the ammonia is in an unstable state add 2g/l salt, this will help protect against fluctuations and ammonia toxicity.

 

[Pebble6852]

the reason it has a part for salinity is because it is one of the factors that effect NH3 levels (lowers it), setting it to zero is fine.
your NH3 at 0.0121 is safe (low toxicity) but needs to be monitored, this gives you time to sort/get things ready in case of tubbing, at your current levels tubbing would be best done at 1ppm TAN / 0.0242 NH3, although a fifty percent water change can be done without removal, tubbing will need to be done if nitrites are 0.25ppm or higher (right now they are fine).
if you can get some pond filter start (bottled bacteria, this tends to be cheaper than the same thing for aquariums, it is also more suited for cold water)
whilst the ammonia is in an unstable state add 2g/l salt, this will help protect against fluctuations and ammonia toxicity.

Okay! I’ll add the salt and I’m going to the store right now to look for some of that bacteria. Should I just add a little since he already has some in his tank or just put the amount it says to in? Idk if that’s a stupid question lol. I will update with his levels tomorrow as well. Thank you so much!

 

[wolfen]

put the amount it says to put in, if possible switch filter off, add bacteria straight to filter wait 30 mins then power on.
also make sure there's an air-stone in the tank.

 

[Pebble6852]

put the amount it says to put in, if possible switch filter off, add bacteria straight to filter wait 30 mins then power on.
also make sure there's an air-stone in the tank.

Oh okay I didn’t have one! I’m going to get an air stone now. I also couldn’t find any pond start in any stores near me so I bought API quick start.

 

[Pebble6852]

put the amount it says to put in, if possible switch filter off, add bacteria straight to filter wait 30 mins then power on.
also make sure there's an air-stone in the tank.

I installed the air stone! Is this good for him? I’m also about to add the quick start.

 

[wolfen]

looks fine.

 

[Pebble6852]

looks fine.

Good! I’ll continue to monitor him for the next week and make sure everything’s okay. Thank you for answering all my questions Ik I’ve been asking a ton my final question for now is do I still continue his 50% water changes that he’s due for in a few days or will that mess with the bacteria I just added.