36 gal almost ready :)

[Mustangman11224]

Ok so I had orderd a bunch of stuff for my 36 gal tank and just put it all in... what does everyone think? Should I get some more hiding spots for the fish or is this ok... Also can I leave this led lights on at night or will that b too bright for the fish. I hooked up an emergency air backup Line so if the power goes out, my tanks will still be aerated for up to 150 hrs... i installed a water alarm as a safety for when my fluval filter comes, just to keep my mind at ease if a hose ever starts to leak or something lol..... just need one more step..... My tank to cycle so I can put my fish in lol but other then that I think I'm ok..... Any suggestion??

 

[molliwopp]

The emergency air line sounds like a great idea. And is that an alarm if the water gets to low in the tank? What sort of stuff did you buy for it then mustang?

 

[Mustangman11224]

I haven't gotten the filter yet but I built a wood box with silicone sealing the bottom that the filter will sit in. the top is open and the filter will sit in it halfway.. The alarm sensor is on the bottom of the box so if it starts to get wet it will make a really loud noise... Ooppps I forgot to attach pictures lol ... And yea I got the emergency air because in the past three years the storms around here have gotten really bad and sometimes my power can be out for up to 3-5 days... Not fun lol...
The things I got were
3 check valves
2 digital light timers
Back up air pump
Led aeration strip
2 plants
Small cave
Driftwood center piece
And I finally put my big driftwood log in I have been soaking
Feeding ring
And other stuff like air tubbing and suction cups small things like that...

 

[molliwopp]

Looks pretty kool. Did you decide against real plants or are you keeping them on the horizon for when your cycled? I do like your safety precautions musta.

 

[Mustangman11224]

Once it is cycled I'm going to get real plants like one or two, and if I don't have any problems with them I'll take the fake ones out and put real ones in... And thank you lol. Do you think I need more hiding places for the fish or is that ok for now?

 

[molliwopp]

Well to be honest i only have 1 plastic plant in my tanks and the fish never use it to hide and they dont like to go into it asnit probably abit too hard for them to enjoy it. But it looks soo good i cant bare to take it out. Fake silk plants may be different though. I think you have enough especially if youre thinking of buying some real plants, youll just be wasting money.

The wood in the middle is a prime candidate for java moss wrapping, It would turn out looking like a tree, realy nice.

 

[Mustangman11224]

Java moss?? How would I wrap it.. That's sounds really cool... And ok thank you

 

[molliwopp]

Java moss?? How would I wrap it.. That's sounds really cool... And ok thank you

Use cotton thread and gently tie it to the branches of the wood. Try and get green or brown thread to match the colour of the wood so it doesnt stand out. The cotton should hold strong long enough for the java moss to grow around it. The cotton thread will eventually disintegrate and dissappear by itself. Ill see it i can get a pic of some of mine.

 

[Mustangman11224]

Wow that sounds awsome... Yea I'll definitely get that lol... And that would b cool to see some of yours.

 

[Mustangman11224]

Just checked the parameters on the 36 gal still no measurable nitrites, but I checked my nitrates and they are I think between 5 and 10 ppm here's a picture... Should I do a small water change... Also some of my ammonia was depleted so i added more... Is that a good thing or does it just deplete over time regardless of no nitrites.. Thanks for the help
Dan

 

[Mustangman11224]

Also after adding driftwood my ph is a weird color idk what it is... Is it high or really low ... Before it was way above 7.6

 

[jessicafish]

I have heard that driftwood lowers the ph but it should be ok as long as it stays like that

 

[Mustangman11224]

Ok thank you