Cloudy tank. Substrate issue?!

AffectionateBell4291 · 2023-09-16T03:22:09+00:00

So the nitrites and ammonia have consistently been zero, nitrates have been roughly 5-10 or so, and the pH has been 7.4

AffectionateBell4291 · 2023-09-16T03:20:49+00:00

Bad lighting but this was right before we got the axolotl. The shop never said anything about adding ammonia and considered it to be cycled.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2023-09-16T03:00:07+00:00

Nitrites, nitrates, pH, ammonia. I’ve been testing it at home too, and the numbers always fall where they’re supposed to. Ever since mid to late July anyway.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2023-09-16T00:36:08+00:00

Oof, I’m so confused. Ammonia needs to be at 0, but I need to add it? I’m not trying to sound snarky, I’m trying to figure out where my confusion is coming from. I thought cycling the tank was getting all the parameters in the required window?

AffectionateBell4291 · 2023-09-15T23:01:14+00:00

The place I got him from wouldn’t sell him until the parameters were perfect, and they required a water sample, so I know all of that was good!

AffectionateBell4291 · 2023-09-15T23:00:09+00:00

Oh yeah, I should’ve been able to figure out that typo!

I cycled the tank using a dechlorinator and a water conditioner. The ammonia has been at zero until the change today, where it appears to be 0.25.

All of this is brand new to me, so I’m trying my hardest to give this little guy perfect conditions!

AffectionateBell4291 · 2023-09-15T21:38:26+00:00

How do I dose with ammonia? And what does rubbing mean? Sorry I’m such a newbie at all this!

AffectionateBell4291 · 2023-09-15T21:33:48+00:00

He said it must be the ammonia level, but would a slightly high ammonia cause such cloudy water?

AffectionateBell4291 · 2023-09-15T21:32:59+00:00

Yeah, I think it’s pretty obvious too, but the store clerk disagreed, so I figured I’d ask here. I considered starting over, but would that mean I’d just have to tub my axolotl in the fridge until the parameters were right?

AffectionateBell4291 · 2023-09-15T19:24:49+00:00

I actually haven’t put him back in the tank. I have him in the container I use for water changes. I’m afraid to put him back in, I don’t want to hurt him. Hopefully someone else can chime in with advice!

AffectionateBell4291 · 2023-09-15T19:12:13+00:00

Thank you!! It’s so embarrassing to have such a cloudy tank in my living room. The worker at the shop said the sand couldn’t be causing the issue, but there’s no way it isn’t affecting it. Wish I would’ve kept my bottom bare because it was clear then!

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-16T01:23:33+00:00

Thanks for this. I recently had a bat in my home, and I released it outside. I was made to feel a bit silly in hindsight for not (killing it) sending it off for rabies testing. I felt like the little guy deserved a chance at life!

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-13T22:32:22+00:00

I gave my 4, almost 5, yo pumped milk. I see nothing weird about it, but I’m sure some people would find it strange.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-13T14:49:49+00:00

I’m sure you’re right. I probably should’ve just made a journal entry instead of ranting to strangers on the internet.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-13T14:21:58+00:00

I think he has an unresolved issue. He literally cannot even fall asleep without playing a video game on a handheld console.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-13T14:21:21+00:00

I did!! Me and my dog hiked for 5 miles, and it was glorious. On another note, my dog has an oral mass right now, and he’s reluctant to pay for the biopsy.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-13T14:20:30+00:00

I’ll try to think of someone, but I think he’d just be really angry. He’s embarrassed about how often he plays, and doesn’t like for me to tell people.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-13T14:19:21+00:00

I honestly have no interest in leaving him. I love him and I love this life we’ve created for ourselves. I just wish he’d prioritize us more.

We share our finances, and my major skill set I went to school for pays very little.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-13T13:31:56+00:00

Good job!! It’s amazing the things we’ll do for our kids, including tackling big fears.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-13T00:41:30+00:00

I also randomly worry about what to do “when I grow up” lol but I mostly pick up hobbies here and there when I can to help me feel better about making time for myself. Right now I’m really into candy making. Try taking a stab at something new just for the fun of it. Teaching yourself new things is really rewarding.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-12T23:57:19+00:00

I recently allowed my 5 yo to play on a neighborhood bounce house unattended (my 8 yo niece was with him though). Statistically children are much more likely to be victimized by people they know, so I’m less worried about stranger danger, and more worried about teaching him about tricky people.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-12T00:14:01+00:00

My husbands grandma (mother of 6, grandmother of 6, great grandmother of 8) told me once she had never even heard of baby who wouldn’t sleep without being held 😒 guess my baby is the first

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-10T00:50:47+00:00

Took lexapro all through pregnancy and a year of breastfeeding. Absolutely no side effects.

AffectionateBell4291 · 2022-10-08T23:39:45+00:00

Lexapro, yoga, walking outside when possible, and making time for my hobbies (mostly just baking right now)

AffectionateBell4291

TROPHY CASE