Fish-less Tank Cycling

Fish-less Cycling

This is the most important stage of your journey when adopting an Axolotl. Axolotls are very sensitive to water parameters being outside of the recommended range. This is why before your axolotl is introduced into your tank, you must have completed the tank cycling process.

To cycle your tank you are going to need:

• Your filter, and ornaments. This is where the beneficial bacteria is going to grow.

• A heater, is not essential however bacteria grows quicker at higher temperatures, so your cycle will complete quicker if using a Heater. Remember to remove the heater when your cycle is complete.

• Syringe or dropper

• An ammonia source. We recommend Dr Timms.

• A water test kit. Test strips are notorious for giving incorrect readings.

• A beneficial bacteria source. Not essential however this will speed up the cycling process. We recommend Seachem Stability for this.

The Process

When your tank is all set up, it’s time to add the ammonia. Depending on the size of your tank, the amount of ammonia you need to use will differ. There are instructions on the ammonia bottle, however, if you need some help with the correct dosage amounts please pop us a message. The aim is to dose the ammonia to 4PPM.

Once you have added your ammonia, you also want to add your beneficial bacteria as per the instructions on the bottle.

Now your cycle has started.

From now on you need to be testing your water levels daily. When the ammonia drops below 4PPM, dose your tank with the relevant amount of ammonia to bring the levels back up. You should eventually see a spike in nitrites and then nitrates. As the cycle progresses your water parameters will reach the desired levels of:

PH: 7.2-8 ppm

Ammonia: 0

Nitrite: 0

Nitrate: 5-20ppm

When you have been getting this reading for 3 consecutive days, your tank is cycled YAY.

We have included an image below to help explain things more clearly, as there are times when you will need to perform water changes, such as when nitrate rises too high or at the end of your cycle.

As always please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.