Supershrimp preparation questions

[Varanus]

I would normally say to run a small filter for a while to help clear the water faster, but I don't know if you could attach one correctly to the vase. That being said, it should clear up over time. Assuming you mixed the salt right then the cloudiness should simply be very small particles of sediment from the substrate that will eventually settle on the bottom.

[Super Jess]

Yesterday my snails and macroalgae arrived from Mustafa! They were well-packaged in their own little foam cooler box and even included a little heatpack to keep them toasty on their long trip from sunny California to the great white north (it was 27F here the night before they arrived).





I unpacked them and was immediately set upon by my guy who wanted to know:

1. Won't they be cold?
2. Shouldn't you feed them immediately?
3. Are we going to name them?
4. Are you sure they aren't cold?
5. How about now, can we feed them now?
6. They aren't moving. Are they dead??? (Answer: THEY ARE SNAILS, FFS! THEY MOVE SLOWLY! )

Anxious third party queries aside, into the vase they went, along with their macroalgae. Most were clinging to the strands, but a couple were stuck to the bag and I had to scoop them out with a finger. One landed a little bit away from the clump of algae and started burrowing into the substrate almost right away. The rest moved around on the algae strands slowly, as snails do, and seemed content to hang out there for the rest of the night.



The water has been clearing up gradually, and this morning when I checked there are only 5 of the original 11 (was sent a bonus snail!) still in the algae. When I look carefully I can see the pointy tops of some snail shells poking up through the substrate, and none of the ones in the algae are in their original locations, so I think it's safe to say they are all alive and settling in. In fact, I distinctly see evidence that a snail traveled for a short distance on the inside of the glass -- there is a clear path through whatever is creating a slight hazy film on the inside. Stray substrate particles? Biofilm already? No idea. In any case, hooray!

[Varanus]

Nice series of pics, a lot nicer than when I documented my early experiences!

[NancyM]

Great pics! It shouldn't take too long for every thing to be ready for the shrimp and then you will really be excited!

[Super Jess]

I'm happy to report all the snails seem to have made it successfully through the weekend, despite not having tiny scarves, hats, gloves, etc. or any additional heat or food at all. I had an old Ikea LED desk lamp pointed at the vase for light, but on Saturday my guy's anxiety must have gotten to me and I was suddenly afraid the chaeto clump wasn't getting enough light. The lamp is a gooseneck style, and I moved it around so that it now points directly at the algae -- probably 4" or so from the clump. The light doesn't generate any heat whatsoever, so I wasn't concerned about making escargot, but I think I read that these snails are nocturnal and don't really like the light and I thought they might flee. In fact, the opposite has been true!



Every day around 4 pm they congregate under the light and move around continuously on the algae strands. Maybe it's less about the light and more about the algae, but they seem to be ignoring the brightness and are not burrowing at all. Or maybe it's because the algae is the only real food source at this point, lol. It's interesting that before 4 pm they are more spread out, even though the light has been on all morning and afternoon. They are really interesting to see up close, kind of speckled and I can see a tiny eye at the base of each antenna.



Mostly they seem to stick around the algae, or in the sand near it, but there is one snail with an explorer's heart who lit out on an adventure around the glass. It took him a while, but he made it up to the water line and is now in possession of valuable mapping information that he can sell to the others (should he choose to). I admit I scoffed a little bit at the "Are we going to name the snails?" question when they arrived on Thursday, but I have reconsidered my position and named the intrepid snail "Gulliver." Good job, Gully!

[Super Jess]

You can see the eyes!

[Varanus]

Yeah, the snails don't seem to dislike lights but they do have preferred times of activity. That they're not burrowing much could possibly mean that there isn't much food in the substrate yet, I think mine didn't burrow much at first either.

[Super Jess]

Yeah, I guess there isn't really any food in the substrate yet, so it does make sense that they don't just go in there for no reason, heh. Are your snails most active in late afternoon, too? Mine seem to get going around 4 and then stay up late. Night owl snails!

[Varanus]

Yeah, I guess there isn't really any food in the substrate yet, so it does make sense that they don't just go in there for no reason, heh. Are your snails most active in late afternoon, too? Mine seem to get going around 4 and then stay up late. Night owl snails!

I think so, though I haven't done much specific comparisons. I just notice sometimes there are a lot out and other times there aren't. Right now (5:15 pm) I count around twenty for instance.

Edit: And a couple hours later the number has almost doubled, so it does seem late afternoon/early evening is their preferred time to start to get active.

[Super Jess]

That's so neat, I wonder why they like that time of day? I'm in Vermont, and all things being equal late afternoon tends to have the warmest hours this time of year. Interestingly, there are now 3 snails circling the water line, and I hope it doesn't mean they are unhappy with the water conditions and trying to escape They haven't actually come above the water, so maybe it's just that there is something tasty up there. Also found a few had nuzzled into the sand a bit this morning, and now the first one is checking out one of the rocks! I think they are getting braver (or hungrier). I hope the ones up top don't escape.

[Super Jess]

Today I noticed there are some slimy "webs" floating in the water with attachment points on the rocks and algae clump. I assume they are snail slime, but is it normal? They are a little bit creepy, lol. They look just like underwater cobwebs.

[minishrimps]

I'm in Vermont

me too!

[jonesinfershrimp]

new england party! im in Mass.

[Varanus]

Today I noticed there are some slimy "webs" floating in the water with attachment points on the rocks and algae clump. I assume they are snail slime, but is it normal? They are a little bit creepy, lol. They look just like underwater cobwebs.

Do you see any attached to the snails? I know some snails (like mystery snails) secrete excess slime when they are irritated, but when that is the case they also tend to not move around much at all (mystery snails hate my freshwater tanks for some reason, can't get them to survive in them while other snails do fine). It could be that its normal slime production and there just aren't enough microbes/bacteria in the water yet to break down the slime quickly (I assume that must happen, since the snails leave slime wherever they go and yet it doesn't accumulate in a mature tank).

That's all theory though, the slimy webs could be something else entirely.

[Super Jess]

That's a good question. I don't see any directly attached to the snails, but I did note there is a film growing on the water surface, and they seem to be attracted to it. Several have climbed up the walls and then hang upside down from the surface feeding on the film, maybe. I wonder if the cobwebs are their slime trails with surface stuff attached, and they get heavy enough to fall to the floor and over the rocks? The snails seem content as far as I can tell. None have tried to escape, and they are all still alive and active. They have begun to burrow a bit. Your microbe balance theory makes sense, so I will just wait a while and see what happens. Being patient is hard!