White fuzzy mold in tank. How do I get rid of it?

[Antony Rossi]

I just bought a tank recently and I'm having a problem with mold from uneaten food pellets. Both are all the way down at the bottom and it would be a pain to clean the whole tank. How can I get rid of unused food and mold from the bottom?

 

[Bellabelloo]

Any uneaten food or waste needs to be removed promptly to avoid polluting the water. I use a turkey baster to remove excess food, otherwise syphon the waste out.

 

[dragonlady]

How tall is your tank? Axolotls don't need as much vertical room as they do horizontal and many axolotl owners don't have their tanks filled completely. For example, my 55gallon is only filled halfway up. I use a water pressure driven vacuum for mine (Python) and get odds and ends with a turkey baster and/or a net.

Uneaten food will destroy the chemistry of your tank and pose a health hazard to your axolotls.

 

[Antony Rossi]

Thanks for the turkey baster idea. Afterward I ran out to buy a turkey baster and cleaned up the mold and food at the bottom of the tank.

I did a 30% water change on my 10 gallon. I also placed in an anti-fungal tab from Petsmart to help kill any remaining mold. I also threw in more ghost shrimp into the tank..

 

[dragonlady]

Glad you picked up a turkey baster. That should make life a little easier. Please be careful of adding any kind of medication to your tank, some meds that are safe for fish are deadly to axolotls. Consult here before using any medication: Axolotls - Health & Diseases

In your original post, you say "both are all the way at the bottom." Are you referring to 2 axolotls? If so, a 10 gallon is way too small for two, really it's not even recommended for 1 adult.

 

[Antony Rossi]

Whoops. I probably should have check before to see if it was safe. Luckily this one is safe that contains nitrofurazone, furazolidone, and potassium dichromate. My axolotls also have just a bit of white fuzz on them so I'll see how well this works.