What happened to my Ph and amonia?

madeve

madeve

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Eve D
I am kinda confused about my tank set-up. I took my old 10 gallon out of storage and got it all set up yesterday, I bought an API freshwater master test kit from petsmart and my readings were:
Ph: 7.6
Amonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitarate: 0
which I thought was pretty good for a tank that just started cycling. Unfortunatly I found that while in storage my tank got damage and started leaking so I went to the store and bought a new 10 gallon tank. I got home and cleaned it and transfered my filter, rocks, plants and water to my new tank and decided to test my water again to make sure and my readings came back:
Ph: 8.4
Amonia: 0.25
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
I don't understand how this happened should I empty my tank and put some new water? I did put some water conditioner in the tank yesterday was that a bad move?I don't have any axies yet but I do need some help I'm quite new at this.Thank you for any answers you guys can give me.
 
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Sounds like it is still cycling. It can take 3 weeks some times.
 
Ph is higher in your new tank, probably a bit high for an axolotl. What is the PH of your tap water? I have low PH tap water so I only know how to raise PH so don't know what to suggest. http://fins.actwin.com/mirror/begin-chem.html That link may be helpful with ideas - though a few suggestions seem to involve chemicals to lower PH which is not a good idea. You can get it sorted before you have axolotls :)

Ammonia 0.25 sounds like your tank is cycling so seeing as you don't have axolotls yet it is a good idea to let your tank finish cycling first. http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml There is a helpful article if you need any assistance with cycling. It can take 3-10 weeks to cycle your tank and when it is finished cycling you will have zero ammonia and nitrite readings, and nitrate should be between 10-40.

Also what do you mean by water conditioner? If you just mean a dechlorinater, that is fine to use (as long as you don't use too much).
 
Drift wood will bring ph down.
 
Hmm with driftwood, I have found that it has minimal impact on my PH (I have two pieces in my 60L tank) So I think it depends on the type you get but yeah, it is good you are working this stuff out now before you get your axie so I am sure you will find the right balance. :) Also with driftwood, it won't be a permanent fix so when it no longer impacts on your PH you will need to get more drift wood. Its the same with raising your PH, shell grit doesn't last forever.

I think that conditioner is ok, it seems to be just to dechlorinate the water and remove metals - nothing too significant. You need to use a dechlorinator to take chlorine out anyway so that should be fine.
 
Peat moss will also lower pH.

The items suggested used to lower or raise pH are far more effective long term than using chemicals. They do it gradually and more consistently than relying on pH up or down.

The more important readings to worry about during cycling are ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels.

Have you added anything new other than what was previously in your tank that may have raised your pH levels?
 
no I didn't add anything I just transfered what was in my original tank into my new one
 
What are you using to cycle your tank for you to have an ammonia reading?
 
I haven't put anything yet I was going to put some frozen brineshrimp in tomorrow
 
Does your tap water have ammonia in it then? It is weird for you to get an ammonia reading when you have not put any waste in for ammonia to build up...
 
I just tested it and it has a reading of 0ppm. I did however put my hands in the tanks to move the plants and rocks, could that have changed my amonia?
 
Hmm I don't think so... unless your hands were *really* dirty :p I dunno how you could get a whole tank to reach an ammonia level of 0.25 with just your hands...

Perhaps it was a false positive on your test... what type are you using? Strips or drip tests? The strips aren't so great as they don't keep well and are not as accurate. Those test tube test things seem to be the best I think.

Try test the water again.
 
I use the test tube and drops. I tested again and got the same results as earlier. Should I maybe try a 20% water change?
 
Well if you have no animals in there, I don't really see the point of water changes, just let it cycle. Read that article I put the link to about cycling. It will explain the process. :)
 
I read the article and it was very useful thank you for all your help
 
Are you using an undergravel filter and what size are the rocks?

If you have a UG filter I suggest removing it completely and looking for an alternative filter. Waste gets caught beneath and builds up under the filter plate and can eventually cause a water quality problem (which can be hard to rectify even with frequent waterchanges).

I agree with Sarah, no need to do waterchanges at all during cycling. I am curious about your ammonia reading. Are you able to take a sample of tankwater to your petshop and ask them to test it for the same ones you did, to see if they differ or not?

What did you clean the new tank out with? Do you have live or plastic plants or both?
 
I have a tetra whisper power filter and some nice size pebble/rocks (I went for bigger than what the axolotl.org website recommended). I cleaned my new tank with water NO detergent of any kind and I only have one single little floating plant.
Here is a picture of my set-up, sorry it's not really clear and you can see all the mess from my kitchen in the back through the tank.
I will try to take a sample to the petshop tomorrow.
I also wanted to know if I can use a piece of ground beef instead of frozen brineshrimp to cycle?
 

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Hmm could be the plant causing the ammonia. Is it healthy? If your plant is starting to die it can produce low levels of ammonia. I had one little plant with a few dying leaves and was getting ammonia of 0.25. I took it out and tank went back to normal.

Because axolotls don't need a lot of light, it is hard to maintain live plants in a tank. Whilst not as aesthetically pleasing, it is probably better to use plastic. I have one floating plant that seems to survive (and grow rapidly - I am always pruning it) in near darkness... but unfortunately I don't know the name of it (given to me by a friend). I will try to find out its name for you.

If your pebbles are big enough so an axolotl can't swallow, that should be ok. However, pebbles/stones are harder to clean so when you get your axolotl, I would recommend paying a lot of attention to checking under them for waste as lack of attention in this area can contribute to poor water quality.
 
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