Have been lurking for a long time..... Now need help....

[Carolina]

One thing I noticed, you the way... The MST snails are tiny but pretty aggressive! They would cross the tank at full speed to attack the injured shrimp... I had to save/move him a couple of times as he couldn't get away from it... Pretty opportunistic little guys!

[Mustafa]

Yeah..the chances of the shrimp making it were pretty slim as injured shrimp are usually doomed. As for the snails not liking the water...they probably don't like the lack of oxygen caused by the bacteria you dumped in there . But that is only if all or most of the snails are up at the surface. The shrimp are more tolerant of low oxygen conditions. As for the snails finding the dead shrimp...that's what they do. That's how they make a living in the wild too as scavengers.

[Carolina]

Yeah..the chances of the shrimp making it were pretty slim as injured shrimp are usually doomed. As for the snails not liking the water...they probably don't like the lack of oxygen caused by the bacteria you dumped in there . But that is only if all or most of the snails are up at the surface. The shrimp are more tolerant of low oxygen conditions. As for the snails finding the dead shrimp...that's what they do. That's how they make a living in the wild too as scavengers.

Oh, but he was alive! They were attacking him as he was still alive....
As for tank #1.... Should I put an air stone in there? My filter does push some oxygen in, but it's way up high and on low, low flow....
It's only two of them hanging on top (out of five). The pipipi are acting normal (on the bottom), and so is the black racer nerite.... Definitely not all of them.... Not by a long stretch.
What do you think? Air stone? Leave it alone?

[Mustafa]

Leave it alone. It's only two, so that doesn't mean anything.

[Carolina]

Leave it alone. It's only two, so that doesn't mean anything.

Got it, will do!

[Carolina]

Ok, so I returned from a trip and I have some updates on both tanks:

Tanks #1 - the 5G with the hair Algae/Bacterial Bloom/Cloudy water issue.
What a difference a week can make! The water is almost completely clear! You can barely see the cloudy, I notice because I know, but It's no longer very noticeable.
The snails are no longer on the top - the nerite is currently hiding (he eats and hides) the pipipis are doing the pipipi thing, and the MTS are buried somewhere and on the rocks.
All the shrimps are fine and happy.
I did one more cleaning to remove HA today, and not much is left....
One concern: - I think the bacteria load compromised the macro-algae - a big portion of it has turned a light green, no longer the vibrant green it used to be - is it dying?
Question... When can I feed the shrimp? They look hungry to me, constantly looking for food... I don't see enough algae around for them. How long do I wait?

Tank #2 - the New 10G Tank:
This tank is going NUTS! The shrimp is not really visible, they are under/below the rock pile, inside the macro-algae, and really spread out. Let's face it - 60 shrimp is not much for a 10G Tank.
It's definitely going through a stabilization process - there is film growing everywhere. On the substrate, on the macro-algae, on the rocks.... The macro-algae continues to grow, but it's funny looking with the film on it.
A funny thing I noticed, is a RED/rust colored film growing on the lava rocks and on some spots on the substrate. I know I have seen weird stuff growing as the tank gets stable, but this is a new one. EDIT: it doesn't seem to be red... The red lava rock seem to give this effect. The tiny little spots on the substrate... I think it's fish food that's left from when I last fed the snails. The film is brown.
The shrimp all seem well.... But mostly in hiding now.
I am concerned I could not find my hermit crab, but I know he hides and is often under the rock pile, so I will wait a little longer before I start moving around looking for him - it might have moved homes since I left. EDIT: Found him, he is alive and well.

DEFINITELY not feeding this tank for now. I will feed the Hermit in a different container this week and put him back once he is done eating - there is a load of food here.
There is a healthy amount of algae on the glass, so I think I will temporarily transfer my black racer Nerite from Tank #1 to this one. This way he gets fed and gives the other tank a chance to grow some algae on its walls.

I will post some pictures tomorrow..... Things are looking up!

[Carolina]

Update on tank#1 - water is completely clear now..... There is still a bit of HA, but not really growing, it's just the remaining algae I can't remove from the rocks.
Tank #2 - doing great.... Shrimp in hiding.... Normal I guess there is plenty of food where they are.
I fed my Hermit crab in a different container today, and put him back after he was done - he ate a bunch.... poor guy was hungry!
All is well

[Mustafa]

Thanks for the update! Interesting (and inventive) method of feeding the hermit crab...

[Carolina]

Thanks for the update! Interesting (and inventive) method of feeding the hermit crab...

Haha! This way I can feed him weekly and not polute the water... I served him a buffet! All kinds of food for his tummy pleasure.... He ate a bit of everything! When I noticed he was done, back in the tank he went. He is doing awesome, so no harm done.
When do you think I can feed tank #1, now that the water is clear and ha is under Control? Those babies look hungry to me!

[Mustafa]

I would still wait. What's the behavior of the shrimp? Are they all walking around picking at things? What does a hungry shrimp look like?

[KenCotigirl]

Hungry shrimp. Interesting question. I feel that if shrimp are producing waste then they are eating. Providing food is more for my entertainment. The feeding frenzy is fascinating to watch.

Ken

[Carolina]

There is one thing to remember... The bacteria that was used in the tank was used to get rid of the exta food in the tank, algae problem and extra organic matter.... They worked on an overdrive, which is why the water went cloudy...
On the top of it I had two large nerite snails (now moved to the new tank) There is no (visible) algae for them.
Yes, they are trying to pick at everything, but there isn't anything to pick at... That I can see... So most of them are now at the filter.
Very little hiding. That's my concern.
That's why I think they are hungry...

[Carolina]

The new tank clearly has plenty of food... Plenty of algae on the glass (but not an overwhelming amount), plenty of biofilm, and the shrimp are all very calm and hiding where the food is. (I can see a bunch when I lift the macro-algae), another large group behind the lava rock, and a bunch on the lava rock caves. Very few are coming out.

[Carolina]

Ok.... So again I have been out on a week long trip (I travel every week, pretty much), and here is what I came home for:
Tank #1: Water is crystal clear. All the shrimpies are out on the glass and picking. None in hiding. 2 of your snails were also on the glass, but not up high.
The macro-algae is light, but still green. Very little hair algae, doesn't seem any worse than last week, but I have to remove what's stuck on the rocks.

Tank #2: the shrimpies are out of hiding now and mostly on the glass. Quite a few were swimming.... Not sure if I disturbed them by turning on the light, but that seemed strange.
The strangest part.... The macro algae is a light light green almost white. Huge, very big, but it completely lost its color. Is it dead? Should I remove it?
The tank is covered in biofilm, and there is a good amount of algae for the shrimpies to pick on. No deaths in any of the tanks.

[Mustafa]

Can you take a picture of the bleached outmacroalgae?