Shidohari's Tank Journals

**fishmommie** · 01-07-2013, 10:38 PM

sounds like you've got it under control. You could still put a mystery snail in there with the shrimp and the minnows. It won't clean all the algae but it will make a dent. We get to clean up the rest.

don't forget to give your assassin food if rthere are no snails for him to eat

**Shidohari** · 01-07-2013, 10:55 PM

moved the assassin that was in the tank with the minnows to the four gallon tank with the fake rock decoration that it was attached to because there's still algae residue in that tank from the diatoms that i can't get to. Also moved the decoration anyhow so that the betta has something extra to hide under.

The ten gallon in the living room is open and has both fake and real plants in there for the minnows.

the ten gallon in the bedroom is partially stocked but i won't put the reveal on what i chose until i get the other part of my stock. I will probably add a second assassin snail to that tank as they wouldn't be stressed by the fish i chose and the other fish wouldn't go after the snails. There is still a fake rock decoration as well as real and fake plants in the bedroom ten gallon to serve as cover. Firefly stated he has two adult assassins in one tank and they clean up all the food pretty well. I'll make sure to let a couple fish flakes to drop down in the bedroom and living room tank about twice a week to feed the assassin.

I hope i can get some shrimp for the living room tank though. I think the cherry shrimp would be a good contrast to the gold white clouds. Also i think i will get a blue mystery snail for the living room ten gallon, i liked the look of it when i saw it at Jack's pets the other day.

**~firefly~** · 01-07-2013, 11:26 PM

Assassins don't tend to eat much algae. They like meaty things.

**Shidohari** · 01-08-2013, 12:02 AM

how often do you feed a shrimp pellet to you your two assassins firefly? I have some cory cat shrimp pellets from when i had my cory cats, and i heard they eat them. Just in case the flakes won't be enough.

**~firefly~** · 01-08-2013, 08:39 AM

I don't feed them shrimp pellets (as they're not in with my shrimp - they're in with cherry barbs). They just eat scraps from the variety of dried and frozen foods I feed my barbs and cories.

**Shidohari** · 01-08-2013, 09:00 AM

10 gallon tank with the minnows was down to 77.3 this morning so with my gentle nudging it dropped about 3 degrees. I have to be careful with the living room heater because the numbers for the tempertures are not marked.

10 gallon tank in the bedroom was up to 79 degrees this morning, i nudged it up slightly more to get it back to eighty hopefully. That aqueon heater i can actually read where the numbers are. so per firefly's advice i'm trying to nudge it back towards eighty degrees in that tank. Dropped one shrimp pellet into the tank for the assassin to clean up as the fish in that tank pretty much clean up all the food i drop in there.

I plan on taking readings on my tanks when i get home today. as well as in the betta tank for nitrates only since the bioload is so light in that four gallon. It's been about a week and a half since i changed any of the water in the four gallon last.

**AllenIsbell** · 01-08-2013, 11:57 PM

Very nice little tank! I love how clean it all looks.

That blue plant decor is very interesting haha.

**Shidohari** · 01-09-2013, 12:23 AM

that rock decor thing isn't in the tank right now, but that blue tank decor is actually a finding nemo plant i liked the color of.

I'm using a couple fake plants til the real ones fill out now that i know that i can inject the flourish liquid into the gravel directly

i have a feeler out for getting nerite snails for both the living room and bedroom ten gallon tanks.

Moved the four gallon away from the window next to my desk. it's still on my desk but not as close as it was. used to be literally right next to the window...maybe that's why i'm getting more diatopes in it.

**AllenIsbell** · 01-09-2013, 12:26 AM

What type of lighting do you have on there?

**Shidohari** · 01-09-2013, 09:33 AM

all of them are marineland LEDs that have the day and night settings. they look decently bright, i would say i would equate the lighting to moderate lighting at the most which is good for my plants as i keep the lights on for at least ten to twelve hours a day on day mode, switch it to night mode for an additional three to four hours (usually do this between 3-5 pm), and then turn the lights off completely by eight or nine pm my time.

That cave thing didn't fit in my four gallon very well, and the assassin snail died of natural causes so it's just the betta in that tank again. Every time i put an assassin snail in there it gets fat for lack of a better term and can't pull it's door shut, so it dies of obesity because my filter system for the four gallon is the penguin 100 like in my ten gallons. I have also been cleaning the algae that i see on the sides of the four gallon with a sponge as needed. Can't do anything about the gravel though, that will have to burn off normal.

I have an order out for some nerite snails for my ten gallon tanks, and maybe one for my four gallon to clean up the algae mess, though with my luck of snails in this tank, even if my betta is pretty laid back...Don't know if i want to try that again.