Tank setup help........ pleeaaaassssseeeeee

Yeah I am fairly sure all UK water has chloramine too.

is all the equipment in the tank new, if you are using an old filter check for any trapped foot etc inside,

And def get rid of the rocks, as well as being unpleseant for you to clean I dont think they will appreciate climbing over rocks all the time. I have also learned to put ornaments in the middle of tank I had all mine against the wall and again you will trap waste

Wait for a second opinion but I believe you should rinse the tank and start again, if only for the chloramine issue, but also to get rid of the ammonia and nitrites that should not exist
 
Yeah i think the water does thats why i left the lid off so it would evaporate... I will treat the water when i do any new water changes and such...
The tank and equitmnet was used by a friend of mine who kept fish in there, she said she cleaned it out using water from the tank... But when i filled it back up again i didnt get rid of the clorine so i dont know if that got rid of the good bacteria... But is the tank not cycling now... :confused: And what should i do about the axolotls i was plannig on picking them up on the weekend... But im guessing that would be a bad idea :confused:.
So should i get rid of the huge rocks and can i keep the pebbles as i plan on using a syphone and dont mind the extra work i have to do to clean them its nothing compared to work iv done before...
 
Ok ill try answer everything.

on the pebbles....imagine if you could swallow a football whole, that is what an axolotl could do make sure any rock you keep in the tank is much larger than there head if you look at a rock and have to think twice weather it is too small...it is too small, I can not stress enough make sure there is no physical possibility the rock can fit in there belly!

But if you ask my advice leave them out I know you say you are prepared to clean out often but trust me you will remove them in less than two weeks, If you are annoyed you bought them you could buy some aquarium sealant and make some caves, bridges, hides out of them, but again I would not bother.

As far as I know chloramines can only be treated with specific products. chlorine will evaporate chloramines will not. however, I do not believe chlorine will hurt the tank or filter just your Axolotl.

Like I say open up the filter and take a look. is it a proppelor and sponge or is it a canister type filter? I also think you should empty and refill the tank.

As long as you appreciate you MAY need to upgrade to a larger tank in the future (if they are aggresive etc) go and get them. There is someone on these forums 24hours a day and any advice you need will be here.

You have 4 days to ask everything you worry about on here and read everything you can, once you have a routine of feeding cleaning etc you will be fine and with us by your side you will be fine until then.

Refill your tank with de-chlorinator I use aqua plus but most are fine, stress coat is not recommended. add a block of frozen brine shrimp and the cycle will begin... get your sand (play sand from argos is good and is very cheap) and some more PVC pipes at least three. get some plastic plants for physical barriers and a few live plants to help with the cycle (if you ask the pet shop which plants are fine under lowlight and temperature, but java fern and moss are recommended) and your tank will be ready for them on saturday.

While they are in the tank you will be cycling the tank so you will have to do daily 20% water change a cycle takes between 4-8 weeks.

Have I answered everything?
 
Omg you are so helpful:D thank you soooo much:D i spoke to my mum and she said your keeping the pebbles but i will put sand in without her knowing but do i need to wash the sand and if so how... ? Ummm the large large rocks should i take them out and just put some more pipe in and get some plants... and are you sure the acolotls will be ok when im cycling the tank with them in there Should i only get two whilst doing this... Im getting an albino one with blue eyes definatly and a golden albino or black/brown one not sure what one out of the two (could decide for me) And do i need to take the water out to get rid of the chloramines or can i treat it in the tank and sorry if i sound like an idiot but what are chloramines :confused: I have a fluval 104 canister filter....
I think that is it i really do appreciate all of your time and help :D
but random question do you know about that petshop near ladywell lol...
 
Ha yea that is were I got my axolotl from well two of mine why? where are you from?

I know you should de-chlorinate water before putting it in the tank but I suppose it is fine if there are no animals inside, however I am also saying change all the water because you have ammonia and such and you really should not as there is no source of ammonia in the tank...

Ammonia is what will kill your Axolotl. as you have a canister it is much more likely there is some trapped food or waste in there that is causing the ammonia, we need to remove it.

You can cycle with all three but by all means one or two would be easier. but you need to get a test kit this will cost about £30 but it will last over a year. when you are cycling you will have to check water levels and if you find you have dangerous levels of ammonia or nitrite you know to do a water change.

How much do you know about keeping an Axolotl? do you understand maintaining a suitable temperature is quiet difficult?

As far as food of the ones you mentioned you only need the bloodworm. but try to get some earthworms either from a fish bait shop or t'internet or if you know your garden has not been sprayed with anything and pesticides etc you can dig them up, earthworms are the most recommended food.

Also an Axolotl with blue eyes is a leucistic, I have a leucistic and an albino (pink eyes).

Yes I would say remove all rocks, axolotl love floor space as well as secluded bits.

To clean the sand half fill a bucket with sand and then blast it under the tap move the sand strongly with your hand and then pour out water and repeat until the water runs clear( about a thousand times!) the sand will still cloud your tank water for a while.

So before saturday you need:
A thermometer about £3
water test kit £30
de-chlorinator £5
Some sand...if you buy from argos is £4
and some more PVC pipe atleast one per axolotl, wickes have a great range for a couple quid.
 
lol i live in newcross not far... I saw my first axolotl in person in there a week ago with a missing leg... I think you should save it its on really small gravel and it had a bright light on it...
I will change the water and get a test kit before getting them just so i know where everything is at... i will check the filter i have before but i will again... I havnt got a problem doing the water changes and will le you know how everthing does and the levels :). The temperature is starting to worry me as in hot whether my room is in the sun all day so gets quite hot so i need to think about that some more... Where do you get your earthworms from if i gug them up from the garden would they not have parasites my mum dosnt spray pesticides and that.... Thanks again for all of your time you have helped me looooaaaaaaadddddddddsssssss... And i just emailed the women about only having two... And i think i need food for saturday aswell :rolleyes: lol
 
If you have frozen bloodowrm that is fine... as long as you know that no one has sprayed on the garden it will be fine...just soak the worm in water for a bit you may also need to cut them to size, if not just go to a bait shop there is one one lee high road There is probably one closer to you though. I saw that little guy in ladywell too it is a shame.. they always end up with a few runts that they just wait to die...It is a shame because that shop is great the reptile section is good it is just they let a little boy run the fish section and he is a buffoon so I do not use them.

There is a good fish shop by the blue in Bermondsey I cant remember what it is called , I use a shop called castle aquatics it is on well hall road by shooters hill it is on the 122 route, they do not sell axolotl but everything they do is good and cheap.

To be honest for the things you need now you might as well go pets at home, I have not been to the one on old kent road but the one in blackheath is good there is a big fat guy that works there he is really helpfull, they will also make sure you get suitable plants, and then you could go wickes to get PVC pipe and then argos for sand, sorted.

I am only saying check the filter again because there is something somewhere that is giving off ammonia and we need to remove it.
 
Ok good good, i saw that little boy he sold us a rabbit i swear thats illegal... I use that pets at home and know someone who works in there i will go up there and get some stuff... I have somelet over pvc pipe its my mums so im going to steal it lol Im not looking forward to the worms but i guess if it keeps them happy il have to get my sister to do it lol... Well im going to start sorting it out tomorrow so i will keep you updated... Thanks for all of your help again and i look forward to the update :D...
 
If the water is not dechlorinated , I think ammonia will show up. What type of test are you using and what are the actual readings ?
 
It's great to see you planning ahead like this!
Definitely have a read through Axolotls: The Fascinating Mexican Axolotl and the Tiger Salamander

Personally, I would wait to cycle the tank before adding anything, to save the axolotls (and you) the stress of cycling while they're in there, but I suppose that's just a personal preference. (The suggestion to see if the fish store can donate some filter media from a healthy tank is worth considering, as long as you're pretty sure that the fish are healthy. It will speed up your cycle considerably.)

If you cannot yet afford test kits for ammonia, NO2, and NO3, you might want to check in with your local fish store; they might offer free water testing.

And as someone mentioned (it's so hard to keep track of who when a thread gets this long:eek:), there are a lot of people here to help along the way as questions arise. Just keep doing loads of reading, and keep asking questions.
;)
 
Ah I had no idea chlorinated water gives off ammonia, that is that problem sorted no need to dismantle your filter!
 
Thanks for the advice i havnt got a test kit yet but im getting the API FreshWater Master Test Kit it has pH, High Range pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. Im not getting them untill i have this test kit but i will read up on that link when i have some more time need to fit this all in and assignments.. :D and now im a member i will read up on alot more experiences... I will leave the filter alone :D when i test my water i will post the results straight after... Are there any other cheap and better test kits available....
 
ted22 said:
Hellooo I agree 3 axies for a nooob will be mental its hard enough work lookin after one! Id recommend getting one to begin with and once you get the hang of things go from there!
>ed<
Click to expand...

I have three I raised from babies and I'm a newbie, I think your making it seem a lot harder than it really is :p
 
HMAxolotl said:
Thanks for the advice i havnt got a test kit yet but im getting the API FreshWater Master Test Kit it has pH, High Range pH, Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate. Im not getting them untill i have this test kit but i will read up on that link when i have some more time need to fit this all in and assignments.. :D and now im a member i will read up on alot more experiences... I will leave the filter alone :D when i test my water i will post the results straight after... Are there any other cheap and better test kits available....
Click to expand...

No get that one it is best and will last a very very long time
 
Ok i will definatly get that one tonight i think :happy: I will update soon...
 
Not yet i have to wait untill the weekend to order the test kit :(, I think im getting the sand tonight or tomorrow so i will put it in the tank tomorrow night when i get home from college, umm i wanted to get some aquaplus on saturday (not sure where to get it from) and maybe some plants not sure yet... But im so worried about putting them in my tank i hope they will be ok when the time comes... :(:confused:
 
You will need the test kit before you put them in any pet shop will sell the api test kit there is no need to order online.

You do not need aqua plus there are many de-chlorinators I was just giving you an example of what I use.

Everything you need now you can get from pets at home or any aquatic shop for that matter
 
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