I've had my fish for almost two weeks now. so today I did two things. I got a bio-wheel filter, and I got some Cherry Red Shrimp.

The bio-wheel filter is something I've been thinking about for a while, even before I got my tank. Its your basic mechanical filter, with one important change. There is a wheel that the water flows over, which houses mass-quantities of bacteria. These bacteria are critical for the removal/conversion of harmful Ammonia and Nitrites, to far less dangerous Nitrates. This bacteria grows naturally, and you want it in the tank. Usually they live in the gravel and water, but this provides an additional location for them. The mechanism of the water flowing over the wheel also increases the oxygen available for the bacteria, improving their efficiency.

I originally went to the fish store to get some shrimp. Shrimp are (usually) peaceful omnivores, eating algae, excess food, and basically whatever else they can. I noticed that no matter how much or how little I fed my fish, as soon as a piece of food hit the bottom, they would stop touching it. And due to the water circulation and gravity, some food would always hit bottom. So I wanted a natural way to handle the excess food.

It was at the store where I looked and decided to get the bio-wheel filter. Sadly, there isn't a water flow regulator on it, so I can't turn it down when its feeding time.



For those of you keeping score at home, I'm at 9 Neon Tetras, and 3 Cherry Red Shrimp.