When to upgrade to a 20 gallon?

[Charlotl]

I have a juvenile axolotl 4.5 inches long (2.5 month old?). I was planning on keeping him in the 10 gallon for a few more months but he is growing faster than the original owner thought he would. At what point is it recommended that I transfer him to a larger tank? I'm assuming at some point the smaller water quantity will cause the water to foul quicker than is healthy. I currently check the water parameters at least twice a day (cycle crashed recently) and nitrites build up pretty quickly even with 50- 70% water changes after checking the parameters. Could this also be partially caused by a tank that is too small? I also feed him once a day so that I suppose is resulting in more poo to dirty the tank.

 

[allied123]

If you're already having water problems and your cycle crashed, then go ahead and move him. there's really no reason to keep him in a smaller tank in the first place anyways unless the tank is so big they can't find food or reach the top or something

 

[Charlotl]

Originally I did opt for the 10 gallon due to his size and finding the food. Also the cycle only half crashed (or slowed perhaps you could say?) and it is easier to do water changes in a smaller tank. I am going to be moving in a few months and am trying to find out if waiting until after moving would be detrimental to him. There are a few reasons I want to wait if I can. Mainly because I might be in a region that would require me to get a chiller in which case I would probably opt for a larger tank. Other more flexible reasons are space and money. So in this case there are other reasons not to if it is not going to hurt him. If the water quality or size are going to be a problem then dipping into the axolotl emergency fund would be justified.

 

[Pedro Oliveira]

or you move or you dont move. Dont ask questions to argue then... Theres no reason to keep them in a small aquarium unless you have lots of ''if, if, and if...''

 

[allied123]

I guess to answer your question, I personally don't think it would be detrimental per se to keep him in the small tank if you keep up with the water quality and do water changes as often as needed to keep the ammonia at practically 0. However, even ammonia in small amounts is not good for him and a larger tank would dilute the ammonia more, which would mean you wouldn't have to do as many water changes to keep the ammonia down. So while not ideal if there are reasons you need to keep him in the small tank just keep up with the water quality and it should be okay, a larger tank just gives you more room for error if you forget to change the water or get really busy packing one day or something.