Anyone willing to lend me a snail?

[Super Jess]

Hey guys, this may be a longshot but if anyone else lives in the Long Beach, CA area and has a big, hungry, already brackish snail I could borrow for a weekend I would be so grateful! I have all these tiny sprigs of hair algae that are trying to make a comeback and it would be so much easier to just let a big snail loose on them rather than trying to pluck it all out

How about it? Maybe start a snail-sharing program?

[mike.d]

Snails typically don't eat hair algae.

The best way to get rid of it is to buy a set of stainless steel "planted aquarium tools." Amazon has them. The 3-piece set has curved tongs, straight tongs, and a curved scissor.

I had a ton of hair algae in my tank from the marimo that I started with. I used the curved tongs to grab it in the center and twisted most of it up and out, along with the marimo. I kept picking at it until I couldn't see any more.

After you think you got it all out give it a few days. You'll see some more strands you missed. Just get back in there once a week until it's gone. Eventually, brackish algae will start to grow and outcompete the hair algae. That's when you can buy some snails. Or get some for free from your local fish store. My Petco had nerites and MTS. They said the MTS were pest snails and warned me not to put them in my tank unless I had something that would eat them. I got 12 MTS for free.

[crittersni]

There are different types of nerite snails. Will any work in a brackish tank?

[Super Jess]

Snails typically don't eat hair algae.

Shoot, can you think of anything I can add that does? I've been removing the bits with tweezers as I see them, but it's been an ongoing battle since I let some grow because I mistook it for macroalgae

Would be soooooo much easier if I could pop someone in there to hoover it up!

[mike.d]

There are different types of nerite snails. Will any work in a brackish tank?

I have 1 tiger nerite and 2 zebra nerites in my shrimp tank. It's 10 gallon.

Shoot, can you think of anything I can add that does? I've been removing the bits with tweezers as I see them, but it's been an ongoing battle since I let some grow because I mistook it for macroalgae

Would be soooooo much easier if I could pop someone in there to hoover it up!

Some fish and freshwater shrimp might. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/23-al ... algae.html I don't know of anything that's compatible with super shrimp and brackish water.

My hair algae problem went away when the algae that normally grows in the tank took over. I let it get to the point that I couldn't see in the tank. Maybe you could keep at it with the tweezers but put a brighter light on the tank to encourage the other types of algae to grow.

[Mustafa]

Unfortunately, you'll have to just keep plucking the hair algae until it gets outcompeted by something....if you have macroalgae, it will eventually outcompete the hair algae with some help from you. Also, once you stop feeding the hair algae will also have a harder time than the macroalgae.

[Super Jess]

I've been pulling it out as it appears and it is taking longer each time to return. I guess that's progress

[Mustafa]

I've been pulling it out as it appears and it is taking longer each time to return. I guess that's progress

Yep, keep at it!

[JennyPenny]

I picked out all my hair algae about 1.5 years ago (I have a video up on youtube) and it hasn't come back. You have to get every piece! Then the macroalgae will out compete it if you are lucky.