Beginner Jar-Habitat

[sparrowhawk]

Hi everyone -
After reading through the boards for a week or so, I took the plunge and ordered Mustafa's brackish water snails and the super shrimp algae. The set up is :

1.5 gallon glass jar with air-tight lid
Carib Sea super natural moonlight sand
Fluval marine salt in distilled water
Square shaped lava rocks
Sungrow mineral rocks
& Gaudy plastic dragon skull my kid picked out

This is meant to be a birthday gift for my kid and I guess there's no accounting for taste. I worry that the skull is taking up too much space in the tank but I just didn't want to push too hard since the shrimp will not be "mine".

Right now my two concerns are that the water and the lid. The water seems cloudy ever since I placed the skull in there 8 hours ago. Maybe I'm wrong, but the water had seemed clearer before I put it in and I would think the sand would settle by now. I did wash the sand several times in distilled water before placing it in the jar.

The lid issue is a bit confusing to me. I've heard people on this board advise others to put a lid on jar habitats but then what about oxygen? I'd assumed everyone in there needs some. If I find a way to get the lid to let some air in, will the snails try to venture out?

Bonus question: Right now the jar is filled with water up to where the jar gets narrower (where the lid fits). It seems wise to put the snails in with whatever amount of water they arrive with from their original tanks. Should I empty it out a little bit before they arrive?

I'm so nervous. I used to keep goldfish ages ago but haven't had an aquarium or been responsible for any creatures whose habitat needs are wildly different than my own so I really hope I don't mess this up. Especially since it'll be a very disappointing birthday present for my kid, if everything dies. I kinda may have promised these pets will keep until he goes to college

[Varanus]

Can't really help you with the clouding in such a small container (mine was fixed by running a small filter for a bit and then removing it, but its a six gallon tank) other than to wait and see if it gets better. Hopefully I can be of help with the other questions though.

The lid issue is a bit confusing to me. I've heard people on this board advise others to put a lid on jar habitats but then what about oxygen? I'd assumed everyone in there needs some. If I find a way to get the lid to let some air in, will the snails try to venture out?

When people recommend lids I don't think they are referring to air tight ones, more just the sort of lids that go on aquariums and sit loosely on top of the tank. An air tight lid is a definite no no.

As for the snails, they may at times leave the water, but I don't think they are likely to go far. My tank's lid has a opening (put there for wires for filters and such) large enough for snails to crawl through but its never happened as far as I know. At most the snails just sometimes leave the water and sit there right above it.

Regardless a lid is not a necessity, but especially for small tanks it will decrease how often you have to add water lost to evaporation, as well as limit things like dust and hair getting in the water.

Bonus question: Right now the jar is filled with water up to where the jar gets narrower (where the lid fits). It seems wise to put the snails in with whatever amount of water they arrive with from their original tanks. Should I empty it out a little bit before they arrive?

If the result of not doing so would be the jar overflowing then I would say yes. Its definitely best to put in the water they come with, as it will speed up the cycling.

[Super Jess]

The cloudy water may take a while to clear up -- I set up my opae habitat with well-rinsed substrate and no filter, and it took almost a week to become crystal clear as the finest particles finally settled to the bottom. The snails didn't seem to mind it, though.

I think it's a good idea to leave a little room at the top. The snails can't live outside of the water for long, and although they do occasionally venture a body length above the water line they will probably only try to escape if the water conditions go south. If you make room and add the water that comes with Mustafa's snails and algae you can take advantage of all the good bacteria it contains.

Good luck! The snails are super hardy and will be ok. The plastic dragon skull is fierce. The shrimp will love it

[sparrowhawk]

Thank you so much for responding Varanus and Super Jess.

I'm glad to know the substrate may settle down on it's own. there are a few pieces of rock which aren't quite where I want them to be. but no way I'm touching them now!

As for the oxygen issue, I just removed the handle from the lid as well as the inner plastic seal. Do you think the whole at the top is sufficient for air flow or should I drill some holes into the lid?

[Varanus]

That should be fine, they don't need much airflow (hence why they do well without a filter).

[sparrowhawk]

That should be fine, they don't need much airflow (hence why they do well without a filter).

Thank you!

[Super Jess]

If you are handy with chopsticks they can be a good way to reposition elements in a low habitat without stirring things up too much. I use the great big cooking ones that are about twice as long as normal eating chopsticks. Might not be a bad idea to do now anyway, since the water is already cloudy. Also it's much easier without having to worry about burying your shrimp

[sparrowhawk]

If you are handy with chopsticks they can be a good way to reposition elements in a low habitat without stirring things up too much. I use the great big cooking ones that are about twice as long as normal eating chopsticks. Might not be a bad idea to do now anyway, since the water is already cloudy. Also it's much easier without having to worry about burying your shrimp

Great tip! That one rock is really bugging me. But I'm afraid I've already introduced the snails. Hopefully they aren't as sensitive as shrimp when it comes to decorative changes

I was a little nervous after I introduced them into the jar. Most of them stayed put for a good half hour and I thought most were dead. But of course not!
Some independent thinkers have already ventured away from where they were unceremoniously dumped. I'm convinced there's one hiding under one of the pink rocks but all the others seem to be slowly moving around.

[Super Jess]

Looking great! Sounds like you have identified some bold souls already. I like how your fine sand substrate shows their trails as they move about. It's fun having something to watch while you wait for the tank to cycle. They shouldn't be fussed if you move things about a bit -- whatever you change will probably be less stressful than being flung around in a shipping box for 3 days!

[sparrowhawk]

Thank you for the encouragement. They're doing great even after I moved some rocks around. And the water's not even worse. I'm starting to wonder if it's just the tint of the jar. We will see.

[JennyPenny]

Your tank looks great! I love the look of sand. When I upgrade, I'm going to switch to sand.
You should get a pair of long tweezers. I bought some 12 inch tweezers off amazon or eBay for around $7. I love them.
And like Varanus mentioned, the little hole at the top is perfectly sufficient for air flow.

[Super Jess]

You should get a pair of long tweezers.

Ooohhh giant tweezers are a great idea! I might have to try that, too. Science supplies ftw!

[sparrowhawk]

Thanks JennyPenny! I love the tweezers idea. I'll be looking into that for sure. We've been very happy with the set up so far. The snails are making their way up and down the glass jar without attempting an escape. I love looking over to see where they've moved and look at the tracks they leave in the sand.

I have another question for the wise members of this board. I have one snail down. I think this little one just didn't make the original trip but I didn't want to face the facts for a couple of days. It's just lying "belly up" in a prominent spot. Should I retrieve it or is it ok to leave a dead snails in the tank? If it's ok to leave them in, I may just give it a burial. It's a little depressing to see this unmoving dark shell right in the center of all the white sand.

[Varanus]

Thanks JennyPenny! I love the tweezers idea. I'll be looking into that for sure. We've been very happy with the set up so far. The snails are making their way up and down the glass jar without attempting an escape. I love looking over to see where they've moved and look at the tracks they leave in the sand.

I have another question for the wise members of this board. I have one snail down. I think this little one just didn't make the original trip but I didn't want to face the facts for a couple of days. It's just lying "belly up" in a prominent spot. Should I retrieve it or is it ok to leave a dead snails in the tank? If it's ok to leave them in, I may just give it a burial. It's a little depressing to see this unmoving dark shell right in the center of all the white sand.

The snails that have died from old age in my tank tend to get eaten up so quick by the other tank inhabitants that their fleshy bodies are gone by the time I notice they are dead. Basically if the shell looks empty then it should be fine to leave it in since there won't be a decaying body fouling the water. If there are any doubts though then it'd be best to remove it, the small size of your particular habitat raises the risk of small contaminants becoming bigger problems.

[sparrowhawk]

The snails that have died from old age in my tank tend to get eaten up so quick by the other tank inhabitants that their fleshy bodies are gone by the time I notice they are dead. Basically if the shell looks empty then it should be fine to leave it in since there won't be a decaying body fouling the water. If there are any doubts though then it'd be best to remove it, the small size of your particular habitat raises the risk of small contaminants becoming bigger problems.

The shell does look empty but I'm not going to leave anything to chance in a 1.5 gallon jar Thank you, Varanus. Good bye, little snail.