WHATT? Does everyone kill guppies or use bacteria to cycle the tank and to deal with unexpected peaks in ammonia and nitrite?

[sheena22]

Thanks kiathepooch, see i am seriously thinking about it as i end up scooping up half the sand with the poo! i might give it a go when i put my axies together thanks for the advice :happy: x

 

[emz]

I have never noticed a change in my axolotl due to having a bare bottom tank. I have also heard that it can be stressful i think i read somewhere once about them having trouble getting around as it is slippery but mine seems to have no problems with that if anything the opposite. And no i did worry about the fact it may cause problems with the water conditions but it seems to have had no effect. I have some nice plants on wood etc which help to pretty it up too.
Oh and i wasnt "railing" (whatever that means) I honestly havent ever heard anyone say they used fish without water changes to cycle a tank. I wasnt implying that you hadnt or that people didnt.
I can see from this thread that there are quite a few ways to cycle a tank. I suppose its just personal choice really.

 

[sheena22]

Oh no emz i wasnt saying the railing part to you it was some other person who has decided to say i was railing yeah what does that mean should of been clearer sorry!

And yeah i am thinking of trying it as bits of my bogwood seem to flake off and poo gets stuck and no matter how much i clean it, it still looks a bit dirty, i just as well have no sand anyway as they seem to move it all to one part of the tank Thank you x

 

[emz]

Thats ok. Sorry about that ha ha i always try to think very carefully about what im trying to say as it can be so easy to come across in the wrong way when your not talking face to face with people. I would personally recommend bare bottom i dont think i will be going back to sand for a long while if ever.

 

[sheena22]

Thats alright i didnt think you were being mean at all in anyway, as you can see i dont word too well as this post has had a lot of negative feedback!

And thats really good to know i will try it because the sand does look nice but its so much easier to scoop up the poop and maintain!

Im sorry if you thought i was having a go at you i really wasnt thank you for the advice x

 

[emz]

Yeah i think it was just the title that threw people including me into thinking you thought lots of people on here use guppies in that way. Which i had never seen. But im sure everyone now knows that wasnt the intention at all. :happy:

 

[sheena22]

Thank you ems, feel like im majorly hated on here now, but apart from that thanks for the advice, ill be posting pictures of my axies soon But they are on my phone so ill need a bluetooth dongle, they are seriously the best pics ive ever taken my pink axolotl on bogwood floating in air x and another cute one of the baby x

 

[emz]

Im sure nobody hates you. It was just confusion and got off to a bad start i think. But never mind it happens to all of us!:happy:
Anyway getting away from all the misunderstandings i look forward to seeing your great pictures hope you can get them on here soon!

 

[Molch]

the idea of bottled bacteria is a bit like bottled air: why bother?

Bacteria of the N cycle are everywhere, in the soil, in water, on any object you put in the tank. There's no need to buy them in a bottle. And even if the bottled do contain live bacteria, they still need time to be established in the tank and grow in numbers, just like the natural ones you brought in with your sand/decorations/plants.

So I suspect it's one big waste of money, like so much other junk sold at pet stores...

P.S: after reading 4 pages of this thread (I need to get a life), I have one more question: Sheena, hon, do yo hold any stock options in this NiteOut stuff?

 

[Molch]

And i never do water changes when cycling, isnt that the whole point to not wash away bacteria down the sink.

It’s great that you’ve found a product that works for you, however if you’re using it to combat spikes in ammonia or nitrite I’d suggest there is something wrong with your tank maintenance or feeding schedule. A spike such as you describe might be due to over feeding or failing to remove waste products. It’s better to improve your tank maintenance rather than rely on a bottle of bacteria to solve a problem.

Sheena - the two quotes above in my opinion sum up the entire thread.

1) Your problem is that you haven't done water changes while cycling
2) this produces massive ammonia spikes which you then medicate from your bacteria in the bottle
3) If you improved your maintenance, as Mark says, and did water changes, you wouldn't have those spikes and wouldn't need the bottle.

don't worry about flushing away your bacteria - the bacteria live attached to the tank sides, bottom, sand, plants, and decorations. Very few of them will be free in the water column. The water changes during cycling are essential to prevent ammonia buildup before bacteria have become established.

 

[blackdog]

My Grandma once told me - "Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and confirm it."

I'm just gonna shut my mouth on this topic which has become a flogged horse in this and a similar thread.

She also said - "Two ears, one mouth. Always listen twice as much as you talk boy, and you may just learn something from your elders"

That is all.

Bren

 

[sheena22]

P.S: after reading 4 pages of this thread (I need to get a life), I have one more question: Sheena, hon, do yo hold any stock options in this NiteOut stuff?

what do you mean sorry ?

And i dont get rapid spikes in ammonia it can be used to help deal with any spikes caused by overfeeding and things like that. I never get the problem with my axolotl but i did when i changed the gravel in my goldfish tank and i used some bacteria (its not a chemical that reduces the harmfulness of ammonia or anything) to help deal with the changes, as little water changes help but i didnt want my fish to suffer as they are my babies!

I think before assuming things you should ask me if i do water changes or not, and i do maintain my tanks they are pristine, better than yours i bet cleaned every week!


And with my method it would be flushing away the bacteria as they are not attached to the filter yet as i put them directly into dechlorinated water and i wait for them to attach if you like and i will do changes when i put my animal in there on a weekly basis like usual.

And i know about bacteria growing on sand tank walls etc, i know people are assuming i know nothing now, but seriously !

 

[sheena22]

And thank you black dog for your wisdom of the day it is most appreciated.

 

[sheena22]

@Emz i cant wait to get the lovely pictures up, if they see my axolotls maybe they wont think im a complete thicko, they are still alive people so i cant be doing much wrong can i!

 

[blackdog]

.... albeit unheeded.....

 

[sheena22]

Wow im ignorant now as well thanks so much

 

[sheena22]

@Molch cant believe you would actually ask me this

P.S: after reading 4 pages of this thread (I need to get a life), I have one more question: Sheena, hon, do yo hold any stock options in this NiteOut stuff?

No i dont, i am a valued customer the stuff has worked well for me and i am actually quite upset you have asked me like i am some sort of scam coming onto forums asking people to buy my product.

I come on to forums to talk to people about my axolotl and for help and to help others.

HAS EVERYONE FORGOTTEN THE COMPLETE POINT IN THIS POST

Ive helped save peoples axolotls on here and the way you are all slating me like im some stupid person who doesnt know what they are talking about.

So first of all it was all about me being nasty and calling you all cruel, what do you think you are all doing now HMMMMMMMM?

hypocrites. Enough said. Worried about my axolotl not any of you.

Shall i say i use gravel to stir this up even more? I use gravel there you go have a field day

 

[carsona246]

sheena part of posting on forums is getting a thick skin when people disagree with you. You're getting a little upset about this, and I think you should just calm down.
I think the whole point of this thread has been a little obscure since the first post. You should probably just drop the whole thing.
I don't know where you've saved axolotls on this forum, but regardless of your axolotl saving past, if someone disagrees with you the proper thing to do is address their argument, instead of getting offended.
I think Molch, and Mark's post was addressing the fact that you shouldn't have to use bottled bacteria to handle spikes, if your tank already has proper filtration. There is no need to address other peoples tank maintenance, especially if you are unaware of it.
There is no need to take offense to the points, only say that you don't personally use bottled bacteria for handling overfeedings, and only use it for when current bacteria in your tank gets removed through substrate changes, ect.
Getting upset and accusing others of having poor tank maintenance is only asking for more flaming. I'm assuming your not serious about the gravel issue

 

[Molch]

@Molch cant believe you would actually ask me this

P.S: after reading 4 pages of this thread (I need to get a life), I have one more question: Sheena, hon, do yo hold any stock options in this NiteOut stuff?

No i dont, i am a valued customer the stuff has worked well for me and i am actually quite upset you have asked me like i am some sort of scam coming onto forums asking people to buy my product.

kiddo, take a deep breath and relax a bit. Molch was making a bit of a joke (she does that) to lighten the mood, that's all. I never actually believed that you are the CEO of NiteOut

 

[Jennewt]

OK folks, I've been asked to either lock or delete this thread. I'll lock it for now, and then decide if it should really be deleted.