Newbie looking for feedback.

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Lokeno

Aquarium Advice Newbie
Joined
Aug 20, 2014
Messages
7
Hi, I'm new here and new to the aquarium hobby. I'm posting to try and get some feedback on my aquarium I recently set up. I did a TON of research on every aspect of setting up a freshwater aquarium before actually doing anything. After doing a couple weeks worth of research, I began ordering all of my equipment and supplies. I also began deconstructing an old console TV and turned it into a cabinet for my aquarium. It ended up looking more like a fireplace due to the size of the tank I bought, but I'm still happy with the way it turned out... I will post pictures.

Here is a list of the equipment/supplies I used to set this up:
36 Gallon bow front tank
4 - 20lb bags of Eco-Complete (I plan on having plants)
Penn-Plax Cascade 1000 Filter
Hydor ETH 200w in-line external heater
2 - 30w LED aquarium flood lights
(30W LED Aquarium Flood Light COOL White High Power Fish Tank Lighting Reef Plant D?cor Salt Fresh H2O Main Lighting, Sub Lighting, Fresh Water Tanks, Salt Water Tanks - - Amazon.com)
Seachem Prime water conditioner
API Freshwater Master test kit
ZOO MED AquaSun Aquarium Controller
Top Fin Greenery Driftwood Aquarium Ornament (Petsmart Item: 36-5013323)

A lot more work was needed on the old console TV cabinet than I had originally anticipated:facepalm:. I had to cut the front opening to the appropriate size so the front of the tank could protrude the way I wanted it to. The base of the cabinet wasn't strong enough to hold my weight (255lbs):eek: so I knew it had to be reinforced to be able to support the aquarium. The cabinet wasn't deep enough (front to back) to hold my filter and other accessories I wanted to store behind the tank, so I extended the base, sides and top, then replaced the cheap, flimsy back panel with 3/4" plywood. I spray painted the entire inside black and painted the outside white. I also had to build a custom support for the bowed front of the tank that protrudes from the cabinet. I put the cabinet lid on strong European style hinges and attached them to the back panel. The 30w LED floodlights are mounted to the inside of the lid so they hang just above the custom piece of acrylic I cut for the top of the tank. I put weather stripping around the top of the cabinet front and sides so when the lid is closed, no light comes through the front or sides. In the end, I love the way it came out, especially for my first real DIY project and aquarium.

After letting the paint dry for a few days I set everything up, poured in the substrate, filled the tank with water I treated with the Seachem Prime and let the filter run for a few days. I then cleaned the fake driftwood decor piece with water (also treated w/ Prime) and put that in. This whole time the lights were on the timer and filter always on. I have the temperature at 75*F. I added 3 Tiger Barbs and one Rainbow Shark to try and accelerate the cycling process. It has been 10 days since I added the fish, the water is super clear, the fish are healthy and active and have been fed twice a day. I have done 3 water tests so far, about one every 3-4 days and not one of them has shown even the smallest trace of ammonia, nitrites or nitrates. :ermm: This is frustrating to me because I expected to see at least some ammonia by now with fish in there. Maybe this is totally normal, that's why I'm here to try and get some feedback. I'm very eager to add plants and more fish, but I wanted to wait until the tank had cycled before doing so. Any feedback is appreciated, as I said I'm new to the hobby so I will take criticism and advice from those who have been doing it longer than I (given that it seems like you know what you're talking about lol). I look forward to hearing from you, especially the veterans here. Thanks for reading!
 

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You should definitely be seeing ammonia. There is something wrong with the test. Cool project, by the way, and welcome to the forum.
 
Hmmm, I'm thinking you should see at least a trace if ammonia. Have you changed any of the water?
 
Hmmm, I'm thinking you should see at least a trace if ammonia. Have you changed any of the water?
No, I haven't done any water changes yet because I haven't seen any ammonia, nitrites or nitrates.
 
You should definitely be seeing ammonia. There is something wrong with the test. Cool project, by the way, and welcome to the forum.
Do you think there's something wrong with all of the tests I have? Is it possible that my filter is too much for the size tank that I have?
 
The api kits can be a pain from what I remember, are you following the directions exactly? I'd suspect bad tests over there not being ammonia in the system.
 
I have created an album with photos of the cabinet build from start to finish.

Didn't know there was a limit to 4 photos per post...
 
The api kits can be a pain from what I remember, are you following the directions exactly? I'd suspect bad tests over there not being ammonia in the system.
I am very methodical and always follow directions strictly with something like this. I'm going to have to borrow my friends test kit. He's the one responsible for getting me into this anyway lol
 
Double check the tests with another kit then (friends or lfs) because even if you used established media and insta-cycled the tank you should have nitrates.
 
Double check the tests with another kit then (friends or lfs) because even if you used established media and insta-cycled the tank you should have nitrates.
Alright I will have to do that. Everything I started with was brand new.
 
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