So, you want to get an axolotl? Need help to figure out where to begin? You’ve come to the right place! 

In this guide, we'll talk about the most important thing you should do before bringing home your new gilled family member: cycling your aquarium.

We know it’s hard to say no to those silly faces and fluffy gills, but making sure you have a proper enclosure for your little one is imperative! This guide will provide a step-by-step walkthrough of what you need and how to get everything set up.

Supplies You'll Need:

• Minimum 29-gallon (109-liter) aquarium (juveniles only), 40-gallon (151-liter)  breeder for all adults. 
• A pure ammonia source; Dr. Tim’s Ammonium Chloride is recommended by AXO staff.
• Water dechlorinator; Seachem Prime is best as it contains nothing harmful to axolotls. Note: anything with aloe vera is dangerous for use with axolotls. 
• Your choice of filter with media (such as sponges or canister filters).
• Water of course!
• Water parameter test kit, the API Freshwater Master Test Kit has been found to be the most accurate. 
• Time!

Optional Items:

These are optional, but do help speed up the process! 

• Bottled bacteria such as Fritz Turbo Start 700. These can be hit or miss for benefiting your cycle as bacteria may or may not survive arrival.
• Seeded media. This is any sponge or media from an aquarium that already has a full nitrogen cycle established.
• Water change supplies such as a Python hose, to make water changes easier.

Now that we know what we’ll need, what exactly is cycling?

In simplistic terms, it’s establishing beneficial bacteria to convert your axolotl’s waste into nontoxic(in low levels) content within your water. Without it, waste builds up and can even become lethal.

Whoa now, that doesn’t explain a lot, does it? Let’s get more in-depth now! 

Water contains all sorts of chemicals, it’s what makes up the chemistry of our tap. If you’re on city water, your city monitors these to try and keep tap water safe for human consumption.

The main ones that are important for cycling your aquarium are:

1. pH: a measure of the acidity or basicity of liquids. Axolotls prefer more basic water.
2. gH and kH: together they determine how hard your water is, kH can make pH more or less stable depending on its level. Axolotls prefer harder water.
3. Ammonia: this is how much waste material is in your water. High levels of this are unlikely in city water but can occur from some treatments, so it’s important to monitor.
4. Nitrite, a very toxic chemical is the second phase of waste being processed into nontoxic material. 
5. Finally, we have Nitrate. Nitrates are the final goal for cycling, as under 20ppm (parts per million) is completely safe for axolotls!

So when we 'fishless cycle' a tank, our goal is to simulate axolotl waste with ammonia, which stimulates beneficial bacteria to grow, which converts the ammonia first to Nitrite, then we grow bacteria that convert that to nitrate. Eventually, the ammonia totally skips the nitrites and goes straight to nitrates, which are safe in small amounts for your axolotl! Pretty cool, right?

IMPORTANT! Keep in mind, cycling can be a bit of a process, the average cycle can take 4-8 weeks to reach the goal. For axolotls, the bacteria must be able to process 2ppm ammonia straight to nitrate in a 24-hour period.

Now we know what cycling is, how do we do it?

1. Check your tap water parameters to make sure your tap doesn’t have high ammonia, nitrite, or nitrate, and that your pH isn’t super low, a pH of 7 is the lower limit for optimal bacterial growth.

2. Next thing you’ll need to do is set your aquarium on a sturdy stand that can withstand all its weight, fill it with water, use your water dechlorinator, and set up your filter. Some decor is recommended to give the bacteria more surface area, but isn’t necessary.

3. Now that you have everything set up, it’s time to really start! We recommend dosing for 1-2ppm as you get started. If you’re using Dr. Tim’s Ammonium Chloride, 1 drop per gallon = 1ppm ammonia. Check the water parameters every few days until you see nitrite rising and ammonia decreasing. 

4. Once you start seeing nitrite, you’re onto the second stage of cycling, congratulations! Checking every day at this point is vital, as you don’t want nitrite to get too high. Remember 1ppm ammonia = 2.7ppm nitrite in this stage, so dosing only .50 -.75ppm of ammonia is okay until your nitrite starts decreasing. The species of bacteria that convert from nitrite to nitrate can take more time to grow, so be patient! 

5. The final stage is when you start to test rising nitrates. The goal is to get 2ppm of ammonia to go straight to nitrate in 24 hours. From the previous step, once nitrate is appearing and nitrite is going down, you can begin working back up to 2ppm ammonia a day.

If your nitrate level goes off the charts, you can perform a water change, but no more than 50% is recommended, and it should be dechlorinated and temperature-matched as closely as possible to avoid damaging the growing bacterial colony. 

Your cycle will be fully completed once 2ppm of ammonia becomes 0ppm and nitrite remains 0ppm within 24 hours of dosing. Once you get to this point…congratulations! You did it! Your home is nearly ready for your new gilled friend, though there's more to do before you can get your friend.

6. You’ll need to perform 50% water changes for several days to get your nitrate below 20ppm and continue to dose 1ppm ammonia until your axolotl is in the tank. This prevents us from losing any of the wonderful bacterial colonies we spent weeks growing!

Once you’ve done this, you can finally add your axolotl into their home! Regular water changes will need to be completed to keep nitrate at a safe level, but the hard work is done, great job!

Help! My cycle isn’t progressing, what’s going on!?

The good news is, it’s totally fixable if something comes up during cycling, so let’s discuss some of the most common problems.

Temperature

Axolotls, as you likely know by now, must be in cool temperatures(55f-65f, 12c-18c), but cycling actually slows down at these colder temperatures. Bacterial growth accelerates in warmer temperatures, so it’s recommended to keep your aquarium warmer, 78f(25c) or higher while cycling.

pH Issues

Low pH can also stall a cycle; keeping pH above 6.5 is critical to keep bacteria from dying. If it starts to dip too low, a water change can be performed, and/or crushed coral in a mesh bag can be added to raise the pH levels. These can be purchased at commercial and usually local pet stores as well.

I dosed my ammonia to 8ppm! What should I do?!

Don’t fret, it’s happened to the best of us from time to time. If needed, a water change can be completed to lower the level of ammonia, so just remember to match the temperature of your water change, and don’t do more than a 50% water change per day.

I accidentally changed too much water/didn’t temperature match/added chlorinated, etc and it shocked my bacteria, is all lost?

No! It's rarely an all or nothing situation - generally, at least some bacteria will survive a temperature shock or a short exposure to chlorine. Add a single dose of Seachem Prime (2 drops per gallon), and continue monitoring the parameters. The cycle will reestablish.

My nitrite is ridiculously high! What can I do?

Sometimes a nitrite spike is inevitable while cycling, so it’s recommended that if you’re having a nitrite spike, you begin dosing under 1ppm ammonia to give the bacteria colony that processes from nitrite to nitrate time to catch up. 

If nitrites remain 'off the charts', meaning above 5ppm for more than 2-3 days, you may perform a 50% temperature matched water change to lower them.

Good luck and happy fishing!