Woah!

[andrew]

I woke up today and one of my axies gills was all small curled and had white stuff on it! Is this fungus? I am giving him a saltbath right now, any suggestions? Will post pictures soon

 

[joan]

Salt baths in recommended doses/frequency will usually clear up any fungus. You've done good. You might also want to try putting the axolotl in the fridge for a period of time. But if you do, make sure you do salt baths with the same temperature of water. So keep a jug of water for salt baths in the fridge next to the axolotl.

 

[andrew]

Well i moved all my axies into a bucket... A couple of days ago everything was groovy then yesterday one of the gils was shrunken and white. So I started him in saltbaths... then thismorning non of there gills are looking to good... So i checked my water quality and the nitrate was WAAAYYY high! WHAT THE <font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font><font color="ff0000">&#149;</font>! i thought the tank was cycled

I must be retarted or something.... WHAT SHOULD I DO? Anyway So I got all of them chilling in a bucket now.... Should i put a airstone in? Any suggestions? Thanks

 

[brian]

nitrate is the end result of the nitrogen cycle. In an enclosed system (like a fish/axolotl tank), the only way to remove nitrate is to do water changes. My first suggestion is to do a half water change. That should clear up most of the problem. Can you post the water chemistry both before and after the water change for us? Ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate if you could please.

As for the axie in the bucket, put him in a cool spot with an airstone and thermometer in the bucket. Make sure the airstone doesn't cause too much current. Check the temprature frequently, as it will fluctuate more in the bucket (smaller volume of water=more difficult temrature control). Putting him in the fridge would be even better.

 

[andrew]

nitrate is? in thought nitrite was? Okay i will do a large water change. (i did one just a couple of days ago! Then can i immediatly put them back in the tank? Sucky there in my only bucket lol Do you think the high nitrate is respnsible for there gills not looking to good? Thanks

 

[andrew]

Im thinking about taking the rocks out of my tank and replacing with sand, will I have to re-cycle do you think? Thanks

(Message edited by Spbeyond on June 22, 2005)

 

[cynthia]

I think you will be happier with the sand.

Do it while the axolotls are out of the tank. Don't change the filter or any of the water when you change to sand. If you have any plants or decor in there put it back in with the sand.

Let the tank run for 3 or 4 days then test the water and see where you are. Removing the substrate will take away some of your good bacteria but it should be able to bounce back fairly quickly.

Once you are back to zero ammonia, zero nitrite, and low nitrate then do a 20% water change.
But do not change the filter media and do a water change on the same day.

 

[andrew]

FREAKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was taking the the rocks out... Lifted up the undergravel filter.. WOW the tank water is BLACK.. SICK the tanks only had occupants for like a month and a half.... Dang.. Anyway so im hoping that the filter will take everything out.

 

[cynthia]

Leave the undergravel filter out of the tank if you are going to use sand.

Let it settle, I know it will be tempting to remove all the crud but let it run a few days all icky.

 

[rheann]

Hi Andrew

A solution that will really help you will be to use a turkey baster and suck out any waste that you can find, un-eaten food etc. and always make sure to remove any food that isn't comsumed as soon as possible because these sort of things will change the water quality. You can find a turkey baster at grocery stores, or even dollar stores

These things will really help the water quality. I hope this helps

It sure helps me. Also, if you like natural sand, like tan or brown, they have huge bags of it at the Home Depot in the department that has the cement. They sell 50 lb. bags of it for only $4 here in Sacramento

They have fine sand, and also play sand and other types, but they are all natural colored. A lot of people on this forum like the black sand. I would get it, but my Black Axolotl Grimace is so black he would get lost! Lol

 

[andrew]

So with sand do i just pour it in? Seems like i would just be making mud or something like that... Thanks for your suggestions
(I like the black sand too, but as 3 of my axies are white it will look SWEEEETTT!!! i do have a black one but he's gone kinda purple

 

[cynthia]

I put my sand in a big beach towel a little at a time and tied it into a ball, so I could rinse it before I put it in the tank.

Yes, its going to make a mess. But when you put the sand in most of the gunk will be pushed up into the water again.

In a couple days it will all be settled and you can suck out the thick gunk. Just don't remove the water.

 

[rheann]

Andrew, make sure you wash the sand really well before you put it in the tank. For me when I washed it, i used a cloth asian rice back and put in a small about each time and ran it under the tap in the bathtub. Cynthia suggested to use a beach towel, which would work just as well. Once you have put the sand in the tank, the water will be cloudy for a few minutes, maybe an hour or a little longer, but your filter should clean out the remaining dust, as it is very hard to get perfectly clean sand in your tank as it is so fine and small. Sand will come pre-washed, but it still needs to be washed. If you are near a petsmart, they have black sand there, or you can order it offline from bigalsonline.com since you are in the united states, they will ship to you, and quickly too

I ordered something from them online and it took about a week to get to me. Petstore sand tends to run a bit pricy, but in the long run i is worth it if you keep it for a good number of years. I like the natural colors, but I am also very fond of blue, so I will switch to blue sand or glass tiles or large marbles when I upgrade my tank. Can you post some pics of your black axies and your white Axies? I would like to see them

I hope this info helped.

 

[lisa]

I read you have an undergravel filter, what size tank is it? If you are changing to sand I suggest you go buy a corner filter or two if its a big tank. They are cheap, simple to clean and work wonderfully for the simplicity of their design. I change 1/2 my media every month of so. Filter wool may need chnaging more regularly. I use filter wool, activated carbon, and those ceramic noodle things. (absolutely fantastic invention)
Also on the topic of sand, yes WASH IT WELL! The sand in towel method sounds good. I put all my sand in a cloth bag and spent the next 30 minutes rinsing it. Then after it's in the tank it will need anywhere up to 6 hours to settle, depending on the density of the sand and how well it was washed. my 3ft tank took 4 hours to settle, axies didn't end up going in until 2am.
But yes, good luck with your little axies fungus, hope all goes well, and good luck with your tank re-decorating.

 

[michael]

I think the best way to run an undergravel filter is with reverse flow. I prefer a good outside filter with low flow biological filtration. I keep bare bottom tanks to keep things clean. With gravel or sand on the bottom I would think of stirring things up regularly and using a gravel vac when the axys are a little larger.
Water quality has a way of getting away from you if you aren't diligent. It has gotten away from me on occasion.

 

[brian]

Reverse flow undergravel filters work better that running them the traditional way, but in my opinion will never stand up to a good canister filter. Get yourself a better filter system. I'm currently running a Fluval 2 internal canister filter with a spray bar, and it's working beautifully. Granted, my guys are still only half grown, so I'll probably upgrade when they grow up.

 

[andrew]

Im running a fluval 104 And hoping it is enough

Will get some pictures of the little guys up

 

[andrew]

Hey, the one gill that had fungus on it is just gone now, and i cant see any sign of fungus. Is this good or bad? Thanks

 

[brian]

Fluval 104 should be more than enough. The gill may have probably just been completely consumed by the fungus, or have fallen off. With a little luck, the fungus will not progress any further and the gill will grow back. Just keep up with salt baths as preventative treatment.

 

[andrew]

Okay, i put in some white sand. I tried to rinse it hope i did it good. Its been like 3 hours and the water is still cloudy but its getting better. Hey how do you guys add water to your tanks without stiring up the sand again? Thanks a ton!