Worried on tank

[MistressOfAxies]

Thanks oceanblue & Lasher I think I found where the issue was with the usercp in another post but I'm not going to whinge & whine its free for all speech everyones entitled to their thoughts & opinion that's all I got to say.

In the meantime I'm still doing the 20% water changes but treating the water before I put it in the tank. The nitrite is still the same at 2.0 & ammonia 0 I wonder if I just only do it once a week will that help remove it & give it a chance to cycle or will it make it worse?

 

[Saspotato]

Yea you need a thick skin on forums with reputation sometimes as anonymity doesn't help some people's behaviour. This forum is very friendly in my experience, but some others on the net, hmm :\ I don't give bad reputation here or elsewhere unless I think someone is being offensive or deliberately misleading, I try to give lots of good ones though . I think giving bad rep for a different opinion is not what the rep system was designed for - that is what the 'reply' button is for, but yea, just my opinion.

Anyway, back on topic, I too have been unable to find decent advice about the effect on nitrite on axolotls though haven't been able to look much (at work ). Anyway, I always tend to the over cautious side and if it were me I'd be doing daily or every two day water changes with frequent testing to see if the cycling is going ok. However, other people may have been fine to do it each week.

 

[Daniel]

Nitrite is toxic in the way that it inhibits oxygen to bind onto hemoglobin in the blood of animals. Even if Axolotls, fishes or other animals having hemoglobin in their blood try to "breathe" (actively with their gills or passively through their skin), they do not get enough oxygen into their metabolism.
Even if the concentration is not deadly, nitrite is harmful (decreased oxygen supply to inner organs) or at least stressful so in my opinion it should be removed as fast as possible.

 

[MistressOfAxies]

Thanks Daniel. The problem is I'm just at my wits end trying to get rid of it & its been at 2.0 for awhile now maybe my tanks jinxed. I'll still do the 20% water changes everyday then hopefully it starts to decrease just seems like its taking light yrs at present.

 

[Jake]

Thanks oceanblue. There's hardly any ammonia in the tank anymore. In fact I'd say its 0 now from the test I did today & my ammonia alert tag I have on the tank isn't picking up any, bit of nitrate about 10 & nitrite I really can't tell if it's 1.0 or 2.0 it's still pretty dark purple from the test. My albino & leucistic axies in there seem ok their gills aren't brown but my black axolotl seems to dance back & forwards frantically in front of the tank. Least they're not taking gulps of air from the surface anymore. I'll keep doing the 20% water changes till it comes good. I only feed them once a day & that's mostly earthworms which they gulp down.

What do I do if I end up with 0 ammonia, 0 nitrate and still the same nitrite? Or is that impossible? I have actually tested my normal tap water for how much nitrite is in it & there's about .25

I've just had a closer look at my white axie's & their gills seem slighty dark but I can't really tell, the colour mainly blends in with their red fluffy gills at the back. Would there be any symptoms if they did have poisoning, what I be able to spot it quickly or does is it hard to look for?

Well I'm still doing the 20% water changes. The nitrite is still 2.0 ammonia 0 ph 7.6 but I think I figured out why the nitrite wasn't budging. I errr was just throwing in my 8 buckets of tap water then once it was in the tank I treated it but now I been treating it in the buckets before placing it in the tank so hopefully now it will go down. I'm more worried about my axolotls cause they have been sitting in a nitrite level of 2.0 for awhile now but they're still eating & happy so my thoughts say they're ok, I hope at least.

Mistress- regarding your lowered reputation,

I can see where some things you said here could have been taken wrong by someone on the forum (I assure you it wasn't me!). In my opinion, it's not fair to lower someone's reputation on a site they came to seeking help. I'm not sure that the person who did it was going by the above statements, just an educated guess.

As for the axolotls in question-
If I were in your situation, I'd keep the axolotls in a separate tub that you can do a full (100%) water change on every other day. Just use aged tap water to replace the water as needed, and allow your tank a chance to cycle, that could take quite a while, so patience is a virtue.

Good luck with them, and please keep posted with more questions (don't let the lowered reputation get to you too much, but keeping them in water with nitrate levels like that really isn't safe, nor is using straight tap water).

-Jake

 

[MistressOfAxies]

Cheers Jacob for all your feedback. I was hoping not to put them in storage tubs again as they have their chiller in the tank & outside of it I'm looking at atleast 27 degree temperature as opposed to their current 18 degrees. I might just have to bite the bullet & do the storage way either that or find room in the fridge & put all 7 of them in there but since they're use to swimming around I may find one of them has crawlin out of its icecream bucket.

On the lowered reputation subject Jacob it wasnt this post where it was lowered it was the post generated about the girl on youtube posting the video, which had much debate. I gave my opinion & someone didn't like it so they put it against me but as I said earlier it is free for all speech so it shouldn't be held against anyone. But in anycase everyones different & I respect that at the end of the day.

Moving away from that yes def will keep you posted. Oh quick question can I put them in icecream buckets & lock the lid on? Thanks in advance for your patience everyone I'm greatly thankful.

 

[tyl3r]

I think the only "bad" thing you've said or done, MistressOfAxies, is get completely and totally hooked on mass axolotl keeping (and hospital services) without any experience of keeping them.

From reading all your posts it's clear that you're learning lots and are probably helping many other people who are in similar situations but haven't got the confidence to 'show' themselves publicly as you have.

You seem to have taken on board the varying advice so I won't repeat it here. Save to say that it is frustrating when the nitrite won't go down but it will eventually and often suddenly. If you can just keep going for another week or two you'll probably have an amazingly stable tank (due to size/volume/filters) that will give you (and your axies) plenty of enjoyment for years to come.

I'm just wondering how long it'll be before you have the pitter-patter of tiny feet so to speak and then you've got a whole new learning curve...

 

[MistressOfAxies]

Yeah I plan on having kids in 3 yrs time tyl3r so till then the axies are my babies . Besides my 12 axolotls I bought a puppy on the w/end so now I'm teaching her potty training lol. I admit 12 axolotls & 2 tanks is crazy (we got 6 tanks here in total rest are for partners guppies) but really I love them everything would be working out fine but for this nitrite but I'll just be patient. Least now its safe to say I won't be buying anymore axolotls, I can't vouch for hospital services

 

[tyl3r]

Sorry. I think I was being a bit too obscure.

"Hospital services" - The sick axolotl you rescued from the pet shop.

"Pitter patter" - I'm thinking axolotl babies here. Hundreds of them.

Sounds like you've got your hands full now. :animal: