Why take along time cycling ?

[pepper]

Why do you all take 30 days to cyce tank ? I take 3 days cause i use carbon on the bottom of my tank mix with large aquarium gravels for my tadepoles . when the tank clear i add 2 rosy reds and if they make it following day then i add the poles or fish

 

[casey]

Pepper, have a look at this website

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/cyclingEDK.shtml

It takes new aquariums a while to establish a biological filter.

It has to go through a cycle of ammonia, which is then converted to nitrite, which is then converted to nitrate.

It usually takes about 30 days for this to happen.

I'm cycling my tank at the moment, it's been going for at least a week now and so far, there's really only ammonia showing up, so it's not even into the nitrite cycle yet.

Axolotls can get sick, or even die if they aren't put into a tank which is already cycled, because the actual cycling process is dangerous itself.

Fish can sometimes withstand the cycling process and dangerous levels of ammonia, etc, but many of the people on the forum, think it's cruel to put a fish through this.

I do too, actually, as I've just seen some marine fish go through it because my dad is acting like an impatient child and couldn't wait until the tank cycled to put the fish in.

One has already died, and the other is in a bucket with saltwater, i'm trying to find out what else I can do, because he doesn't look too well.

 

[casey]

Regular forum users...

If I was wrong with any of that information, please feel free to correct me - I'm only going through this cycling process for the first time, so I'm no expert.

 

[rheann]

Pepper, you're going to end up killing your Axolotls if you don't cycle your tank properly.

Read the Link that Casey provided, also visit this link: www.axolotls.org

A properly cycled tank is a properly balanced environment for your Axolotls.

I would strongly suggest taking your Axolotls out of the tank and putting them in water safe containers with clean declorinated water with daily water changes until your tank has cycled. Gallon ice cream buckets or plastic food containers work well for this.

I had no idea about tank cycling when I first started, so thanks to this forum and the people here I learned a great deal and I am so glad that I did! You will too once you understand

If you need to get your water tested, take a water sample to the local pet store and they should test it for free.

After 30 days of tank cycling, the readings should be

Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0.0 - 20

Ph of 7 - 8

Water temp: 63 - 75 degrees F. ( 17 - 24 degrees Celcius)Keeping Axolotls at higher temperatures stresses them, but as long as the temp doesn't go above 75 degrees then there shouldn't be any problems as long as you keep the tank clean.

25% water changes need to follow weekly with weekly tank cleaning, sand vacuumed, etc. Also remove any un-eaten food or waste as soon as you can to avoid changes in water quality. Only disturb the very top layer of sand when cleaning the tank. Good bacteria that provide Oxygen and eat the waste of the animals living in the tank live in the sand substrate. They start to colonize and are properly established after 30 days.

Gravel is also not a good idea to keep with your Axolols as they will eat it and get constipated, could get very sick or even die. Aquarium sand or bare tank bottoms are best. Even large gravel poses a threat to the little Axolotls.

Good safe brands of Declorinator are Amqual+ and Stress Coat. Stress coat is the better of the two and has Aloe in it to protect the slime coat on the Axolotls and also helps restore damaged slime coats.

I never heard of mixing aquarium carbon with gravel before. That doesn't sound right.

Also what are your tank measurements and what type of filter are you using?


Hey and Casey, you're doing pretty good with your info

 

[joan]

Rheann, it's a little melodramatic to say you'll kill axolotls by putting them in an uncycled tank. I never cycled my first axolotl tank, nor any consequent tanks after that, and they turned out just fine. Then, I know what I'm doing. I know that if you don't cycle your tank, you need to increase frequency and amount of water changed, and you need to be absolutely vigilant about changing the water. No skipping because you're tired, you've got a test to study for, you're going out to dinner, etc.

I also know that putting in ESTABLISHED gravel (sand/rocks, etc) from a tank that's already cycled allows you to practically skip the cycling process. But just putting in gravel fresh from the bag/river bank/wherever does absolutely no benefit as far as cycling.

I wouldn't mix gravel with carbon either, as the carbon you get for aquarium filters tends to be soft and break up pretty easily. This would make a big mess.