Please Help!!!! My Baby Axolotol

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Alextheaxie

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Hey everyone,

I am new to owning an axolotl and admittedly I should have done a ton of research when my daughter asked for one. She and I had now clue what we we getting ourselves into especially being new to water animals. Well we’re here now, and after tons of googling and YouTube videos I have found that we should have cycled our tank first and I’m now currently tanking Alex. We got him because our neighbor (Alex) told us that the exotic pet shop had two the just received and that it was going to go up in price the following week so we purchased him, and all of the equipment the same day and I have been battling everyday to preserve his(of her) life. We’ve had him for about 3/4 weeks and he is only 3inches long. The reason I am asking for help is because I have been getting tons of conflicting information. The pet shop told me that I would be fine adding him to the tank on day one as long as I used fritz turbo start 700 and Prime water conditioner. So I added those products to the tank and our axie the same day. Then I read about cycling. Then our neighbor bought us a 20 gallon to put him in and I did the same thing added the fritz and prime and Alex. I also bought a API water testing kit because after reading about cycling I was confused on if I should or shouldn’t keep him in the tank. So I tested the water on the first test the ammonia read 0 nitrite 0 and nitrates 0.5 then on the second and third it has read ammonia 0.25, nitrite 0.25 and 5.0 for nitrate. The third ammonia 0 nitrite 0.25 and nitrate 5.0 so I am not sure what to do I noticed the other day that it looked as if he/she had a white film over them and the when I rubbed him I notice the slime coat shedding which I have read is bad, he’s also not happy after taking him out of the tank. I hope someone can please tell me how to save him his gills also look like the are regressed? I am not sure if I should completely start a new cycle over ? And tub him in the meantime or just continue to test the water parameters? Please help he so cute and I don’t want to be a bad axolotl owner 🥺☹️😭
 

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the 20 gallon tank is ideal size, the filter isn't though, it will do whilst small but it won't be able to cope with an adult axolotl.
he/she needs to have full daily water changes until the 20 gallon is cycled and ready.
prime is a water dechlorinator and ammonia detox, which means it removes chlorine and convert free-ammonia (toxic) into ammonium (non-toxic) for around 24hrs after which free-ammonia is released. the test you use tests for both free-ammonia and ammonium so it will still register even with no free-ammonia.
even whilst tubbed he/she needs a air-stone in the water as he/she breaths through his/her skin and gills, air-stones produce finer bubbles so are better at oxygen saturation then air-sponge filters.
to do a fishless water cycle using the normal method of 4ppm ammonia will not work with the size filter you have installed, you need one for a minimum of 100 litres. (if it says 100 - 200 then ideal, where as 50 - 100 is to small)
unless you can change 100% of his/her water daily then being tubbed will be easier to do, use two tubs that way whilst one is being cleaned the other will be ready for him/her, just carefully move your axolotl from one to the other.
the normal method to cycle and also ensure the filtration can cope with an adult axolotl is to use ammonium chloride (normally dr tims) added at a level of 4ppm, this is topped up nightly until after 24hrs there are zero ammonia or nitrites. for example.. first week the ammonia wont go down much so start doing the nightly topping up in the second week so if the ammonia level is 1ppm top up to 4ppm and recheck 24 hrs later top up etc.. etc.. do not do a water change when cycling unless the nitrates are 110ppm or higher.
using a heater will help and encourage bacterial growth during cycling, because the bacteria is aerobic having an air-stone in the water will help the bacteria growth, using bottled bacteria will speed up colonisation.
keep an eye on the ph and if it drops below 7 use small amount of bicarbonate of soda to bring it up to 7.4 - 7.6.
whilst cycling don't worry about the nitrite level it is only when you are getting zero ammonia after 24hrs that you have to make sure the nitrites are zero as well.
once both ammonia and nitrite are zero after 24hrs top up to 4ppm for a couple more nights then once you are sure the ammonia and nitrites are being removed do a 50% water change with dechlorinated water to reduce the nitrates down and the tank is ready for your axolotl.
nitrates are removed in an established tank by doing water changes.
never add chlorinated water to a aquarium always dechlorinate it first.
do weekly water changes once it is cycled.
do a water test at least once a month. for the first couple of weeks do them weekly it will help you work out how much water needs to be changed by how high the nitrates are % water changed is the % of nitrates removed.
oh and remove the heater and allow the water to get cold before adding your axolotl.
 
So I have two filters in his 20 gallon tank one is a 20 gallon sponge filter with air stone (pre-installed) on the inside and the other is an aqua clear are these two not sufficient?
 

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wolfen said:
the 20 gallon tank is ideal size, the filter isn't though, it will do whilst small but it won't be able to cope with an adult axolotl.
he/she needs to have full daily water changes until the 20 gallon is cycled and ready.
prime is a water dechlorinator and ammonia detox, which means it removes chlorine and convert free-ammonia (toxic) into ammonium (non-toxic) for around 24hrs after which free-ammonia is released. the test you use tests for both free-ammonia and ammonium so it will still register even with no free-ammonia.
even whilst tubbed he/she needs a air-stone in the water as he/she breaths through his/her skin and gills, air-stones produce finer bubbles so are better at oxygen saturation then air-sponge filters.
to do a fishless water cycle using the normal method of 4ppm ammonia will not work with the size filter you have installed, you need one for a minimum of 100 litres. (if it says 100 - 200 then ideal, where as 50 - 100 is to small)
unless you can change 100% of his/her water daily then being tubbed will be easier to do, use two tubs that way whilst one is being cleaned the other will be ready for him/her, just carefully move your axolotl from one to the other.
the normal method to cycle and also ensure the filtration can cope with an adult axolotl is to use ammonium chloride (normally dr tims) added at a level of 4ppm, this is topped up nightly until after 24hrs there are zero ammonia or nitrites. for example.. first week the ammonia wont go down much so start doing the nightly topping up in the second week so if the ammonia level is 1ppm top up to 4ppm and recheck 24 hrs later top up etc.. etc.. do not do a water change when cycling unless the nitrates are 110ppm or higher.
using a heater will help and encourage bacterial growth during cycling, because the bacteria is aerobic having an air-stone in the water will help the bacteria growth, using bottled bacteria will speed up colonisation.
keep an eye on the ph and if it drops below 7 use small amount of bicarbonate of soda to bring it up to 7.4 - 7.6.
whilst cycling don't worry about the nitrite level it is only when you are getting zero ammonia after 24hrs that you have to make sure the nitrites are zero as well.
once both ammonia and nitrite are zero after 24hrs top up to 4ppm for a couple more nights then once you are sure the ammonia and nitrites are being removed do a 50% water change with dechlorinated water to reduce the nitrates down and the tank is ready for your axolotl.
nitrates are removed in an established tank by doing water changes.
never add chlorinated water to a aquarium always dechlorinate it first.
do weekly water changes once it is cycled.
do a water test at least once a month. for the first couple of weeks do them weekly it will help you work out how much water needs to be changed by how high the nitrates are % water changed is the % of nitrates removed.
oh and remove the heater and allow the water to get cold before adding your axolotl.
Click to expand...
Oh and also I have an air stone currently in his tub
 
Alextheaxie said:
Oh and also I have an air stone currently in his tub
Click to expand...
the hob would need to be packed out with bio-media, as it is it's for 18 litres bare bones, or 72 litre with lots of substrate and ornaments.
the sponge filter is about 10 gallon at most.
I don't think as it stands the filtration would be able to cope with cycling for an adult axolotl but should be ok cycling at 2ppm ammonia provided the filtration is increased by the time he/she gets to 6 inch which is about half adult size.
to increase the biological filtration ceramic media can be used.
as soon as the sponge/air filter starts looking pinched rinse and squeeze it out in old tank water.
I said about the air-stone because good water oxygenation encourages the growth of gill filaments which are used to get oxygen straight into the blood stream and also helps to remove co2.
 
0.25 nitrites?! ok, you need to fix that. try adding tons of sponge filters to lower that. 2 at max.
 
He'll be okay as long as you change the water every day while he's in the tub and keep it a cool temperature no greater than 69F. Listen to wolfen and mango. It's unethical, but the pet store is mostly making a sale, they don't care about the animal once you have it.
 
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