No longer lurking

[i<3Opae]

03amida, also the algae in your tank could be harder to see because of the dark colored rocks.

[03amida]

Thank you for the reassurance I <3 Opae. As they say “Misery loves company”. I take the lid off of the tank when I am at my desk and cover it when vaccuming is going on or when I am away from the desk. It was nice out so the windows were open; hopefully some spores drifted in.

Mustafa I tried to take pictures but I don’t think they came out very well.

On the upside a spontaneous heat wave has made it so a mossball and a pack of snails are on their way! I look forward to having visible life in the tank.

[i<3Opae]

Congrats! Your new shrimp and snails will be very happy to find such a great home after a long trip.

[Zlatan2601]

I am wondering, is air contact promoting algae growth in general, or is it promoting green algae? I keep my tank covered a lot, with only a very narrow space to allow evaporation, but i only have brown algae. If i take the lid off more often, should this improve green algae growth?

[i<3Opae]

Brown algae always come before green algae. I don’t think air contact has a direct correlation to brown vs green. Light might have more to do with it. But I can’t say for sure how to get more green algae, I think it eventually becomes the dominant one.

[Zlatan2601]

Great thanks, I will have a bit more patient:). The opae seem to like the brown algae though...

[03amida]

So the mossball and snails were waiting for me when I came home yesterday! I left the package intact once I saw packing peanuts because I didn’t want my puppy to snack on them.

I took the package into work this morning. Everything was wonderfully packed and all ten snails arrived alive. After letting the bag sit for an hour I tapped the sides of the bag to get the snails to retract themselves. Once they were all off I dumped them in the tank and all but one promptly burrowed into the sand.

A couple of times I noticed the snail hanging upside down on the surface of the water. That’s a good sign, right? I took some pictures for posterity.

I’m happy to have something in the tank I can watch!

[Varanus]

A couple of times I noticed the snail hanging upside down on the surface of the water. That’s a good sign, right?

Yup, surface tension is one place biofilm accumulates.

[i<3Opae]

Yay, so exciting! These snails are pretty cool. How long are you waiting to place your order for the shrimp?

[03amida]

Varanus: Thank you for the confirmation! I thought I had biofilm since there was an almost oily look to the surface of the water. Good to know the snails have stuff to snack on.

I<3Opae: I will make sure the snails are still happy and active for two weeks. As long as I see them snacking away I will order the shrimp. Of course the weather may have other plans since we can get snow here as late as mid-April. How is your third tank doing? Still cycling?

[i<3Opae]

That’s a great sound plan. Still cycling ^_^, as I see no signs of brown algae. It’s going on week 6. But I have more patience now, it’s good to have a cycling buddy lol.

[Varanus]

That’s a great sound plan. Still cycling ^_^, as I see no signs of brown algae. It’s going on week 6. But I have more patience now, it’s good to have a cycling buddy lol.

Have you tried adding a tiny bit of fish food? Sometimes the water can be too clean and some organic matter can help fuel algae growth.

[i<3Opae]

Maybe I should try that - I'll use the leftover spirulina powder from 3 years ago before I found this site. Appreciate the advice!

[i<3Opae]

How's your tank 03amida? Are the moss ball and snails doing well?

[03amida]

How's your tank 03amida? Are the moss ball and snails doing well?

The mossball is still a nice green color and as far as I can tell the snails are doing well. They seem to like the ridges the shell has as I saw 3 of them on it at the same time.

Varanus: thank you for the tip! I will put a smidge of food in there tomorrow morning and see what happens. Either way as long as the snails are doing well at the end of this week I will order the shrimp!