u/AdSubject8379

Images:

1. Sunshine (my axolotl)

2. His setup (a bit cloudy from a recent bacteria bloom)

3. His tank parameters, tested with the API freshwater test kit thing

Setup info:

Fully cycled 40 gallon breeder with a filter, bubbler, and thermometer. I am awaiting rhe tubing for the chiller but with the frozen water bottles and bags of ice it has been 62-64°F. There are decoration things that are all waterproof. He seems active and his gills are fluffy and there are no signs of being not ok . He had a parasite a couple months ago and did 2 rounds of antibiotics and had a vitamin C shot and is finally gaining/holding weight and looks healthy again. He mostly eats chopped up nightcrawlers. He doesnt always eat when tong feeding so I put his worms in a little bowl in his tank for about 15-20 minutes and then remove it and vacuum the tank after that.

My tank has been cycled for about 2 months. Before adding Sunshine (my axolotl), the parameters were all normal. A few days after adding him there was a bacteria bloom so I did 25% daily water changes. As of right now ive been testing the water 2+ times per day because most of the time when I test the water it says there is 0.25 ppm of ammonia. All the other levels are fine. Ive started doing daily 25% water changes since there is ammonia present. After the water change I test the water again and the ammonia is gone for a bit. I vacuum his tank with this vacuum thing from etsy 2+ times per day (in the morning and at night and sometimes throughout the day). My normal routine is to vacuum 2x per day, do a 25% water change per week, and then scrub his hides and everyrhing (with water from the tank so i dont lose the beneficial bacteria). What could be causing the ammonia spike? Its been like this almost 2 weeks and Im just a bit confused. Should I put him in a smaller seperate setup and change water daily? The only reason i havent yet is because after the water change the levels are fine for a while. I'm not sure what to do. if anyone has any idea whats going on please let me know.

EDIT: There are more replies than I thought so I unfortunately probably won't be able to answer them all, but I want you guys to know that I absolutely love how cute and unique all of your characters are!

Hey everyone! Was wondering if you guys could send your characters/avatars you made in the comments. I would love to see them all. This is mine; he's based off of my pet axolotl 😄

(I had to repost as I couldn't tell if the first one posted with the pictures)

his gills are so much fluffier!! Super glad to see him being himself again. He has since been upgraded to a 40 gallon breeder and seems to love all the extra space.

also I am that when the gills are curled, that usually means they are stressed out. The vet Sunshine (and all of my other exotic pets) see told me that due to the parasite and all his gills will most likely be permanently curled forward.