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

[Carolina]

And another update....
Don't know if this is good or bad.... I hope it's good. The shrimp spent most of the day pretty quiet and hiding... I went out and when I came back at night decided to point a flashlight at the tank... To my surprise most of them are active, swimming and picking at everything, particularly at the glass, which has quite a bit of green algae. Quite a bit of them were picking at the substrate too.
Hermie is also feeding, as well as the snails, which have already cleaned the bottom part of the glass - I would say 1/4 of it.... Most for Hermie's dismay, who can no longer climb the glass for some nice algae meals (yep, he was climbing pretty high to feed!)
The goop on the rocks is starting to turn green, but the shrimp show no interest on it as of yet (it's still pretty brown).
I will monitor them this weekend and see how they do...
The substrate is clean in some parts, but some are pretty rotten, so I keep manually pulling those parts off with a long tweezer.
I am starting to have hope for this tank again.... Maybe I can turn this filter off once all the brown gunk has turned green. I expect in a week or so.... I will keep trying and seeing how they do without it.

As for the new tank - Mustafa, I got the snails at the minute they arrived, thank you , acclimated them just in case, and put them in the tank....
I have a sand substrate... They walked for a bit, buried themselves and I have yet to see them for a couple of days. I don't see the substrate moving either....
In my other tank I see them pretty often, granted, it's aragonite sand, which is thicker, and a smaller tank....
So I am wondering if I should be concerned?
I have 2 nerite snails in this tank, and they are doing well.... Plenty of biofilm and the sand is green with algae. The nerites cross the substrate without an issue and for what I have read MTS are much hardier...
Do you think they will surface eventually? Given 1/2 of my tank is fine sand, it's going to be tough to look for them through the entire substrate...
What do you think?
Thanks!

[Carolina]

Time for a picture update for both tanks.....
Tank #1, the original tank, and the one with the latest brown-"killer" cloud

Front View - still a mess, but looking cleaner by the day. The shrimp are doing well, and so are the snails and Hermie


Shrimpies grazing on the algae, filter, etc..... The snails love it too, which is sort of annoying as I wish they were cleaning the substrate


Side view - this is interesting. I believe is due to the fact that chemi pure elite has a phosphate binder, so it not only removes toxins like reg. carbon, but it also extra phosphate..... which I think it's why the algae has been so easy to remove - I lightly scrapped it with the long tweezers and it started peeling out in sheets. I didn't want to toss it back into the water, so I just pulled what came out very easily.... I have a feeling this algae will peel off in a matter of days.


I was also able to pull most algae from the top of the lava rock - for some reason this was an algae that no one liked - not the shrimp, nor the snails, or even hermie, who was climbing the walls to eat the algae off of it.
As soon as I removed it, a few shrimp started to graze on the "naked" parts of the rock


Ok - now for tank #2, which is the tank I am currently cycling - Very excited about this tank!!

Front View - Got my Marimo balls today - they are a little bent out of shape, and some split during shipping, but that's alright, they will be nice and round in no time with some TLC


Top View - the image is a bit distorted, but you can see the nice green algae on the substrate


Slowly but surely, algae forming on the coral too


The chaetamorpha..... I think it's dying.... I don't think there is enough nutrients for her in the tank yet, my hope is that once the shrimp are in and fed once she might "come back to life".... if it's not too late.....


My only concern for this tank...... The MTS snails. I haven't seen them for days. They buried themselves in the sand and that was that. I don't see the sand moving either..... So My fear is that they are all dead under the substrate and I won't find them..... Let's hope not!! The two nerites are doing good. I wish I could transfer them back to tank #1 to help with the algae, but with the HOB filter I can't quite close the lid.... Next thing I know I would have a wondering snail on my living room.


EDIT: I made a makeshift lid for the uncovered part of the tank with foil (I doesn't touch the water at all), and moved the nerite snails to tank #1. They are happily nomming on the algae. If they do a good job cleaning it up in the next couple of days (they worked this fast before) I will turn off the filter and see what happens.
As for the MTS on tank #2... I raked the sand and couldn't find them.... I might be paranoid, but the water smells funny to me.... I have a feeling they are all dead buried somewhere.... And I won't be able to find them. Sigh

[Carolina]

The snails are alive! Woooohoooooo!
Well, at least two of them are... I imagine all of them are going through the same thing.... Adapting to the new environment...
Two surfaced briefly and then into the sand they went again. At least I was lucky enough to see them!

[Carolina]

The tanks are doing well.... Tank #1 is still completely dependent on the filter. If I turn it off, the brown cloud starts forming quite fast.... But with it, everyone is doing great.
The algae on the walls are coming off in sheets, but while hanging, the shrimp and snails are loving feeding at it.
Haven't seen Hermie in a day, which concerns me. He is quite the active little fella... Hope he didn't die
Tank #2 is doing great also.
I added a thin layer of crushed coral as the black sand I have just sucks.
Removed the chaetamorpha - it died... Now I have 9 marimo balls instead. They are doing great.
I never see the snails.... I highly doubt I will see their babies... We will see. I know they are alive as I saw 2 the other day and saw they burying themselves in the sand. But out of ten, that's all I saw in a while. There is algae on the substrate, on the glass, in the coral and on the lava rocks....
One question: I've had a sponge filter on during the entire cycle, and I know it's full of beneficial bacteria. Am I going to break my cycle when I remove the filter? Or there is enough bacteria on the other surfaces? Should I just leave the filter in the tank turned off for a while?
Thanks

[Carolina]

Cleaned out all the marimo balls on tank #2... Boy do they filter junk! Lots and lots of junk kept coming out of them.... Cleaned out the sponge filter and turned it off.... Left it in just for the beneficial bacteria, but it's not running.
The tank looks good, but not clean. Not sure if the water is cloudy or if it's the glass.... The glass is covered with film, so... Hard to say.
Haven't seen the snails since I saw those last two. Hope they are alive.... I hope I can see their babies.... I doubt it though...
There is no movement on the substrate whatsoever,and they are not coming out at night.
I will just be patient.
There is more and more algae and biofilm throughout the tank.... We will see what happens here.
I am following Mustafa's advices through and through. Hope it works! Fingers crossed!

[Carolina]

I hope someone is seeing these posts....
Anyways:
Tank #1, the Royal mess tank: came back from a trip today, to find it even messier.
Not sure if the chaetamorpha is dead or alive, it's completely covered by a thick brown film, I will clean it up tomorrow, along with the substrate and the marimo and mustafa's algae ball (it's a messy mess)
Aside from that though, the water is clear, and everyone is healthy. The shrimpies are FEASTING on the algae, so are the snails. The mts snails seem to prefer the decaying chaetamorpha, while the nerite snails, the walls.
Hermie molted again, and is also healthy. Still running chemi pure elite and purigen. It seems to be keeping everyone happy and healthy.
Tank #2: I turned off the filter about a week ago.... I came back tonight and there is a film on the top of the tank and lots and lots of bubbles. I can also see a faint brownish cloud by the film.
This tank only contains the mts snails (doing well, finally able to see them), and marimo balls, as the chaetamorpha didn't survive. No food was ever added....
Green algae can be seen all over now, and biofilm on the rocks and glass.
Not sure what's going on, if this is normal, and if I should be concerned?
This tank has been cycling since May 10th

[Carolina]

I guess tank 2 has a Diatoms bloom... Which for what I've been reading it's quite common in new/cycling tanks, and supposedly goes away on its own.
Very little activity from the snails.... Hopefully they are all alive. Once in a blue moon I see one moving....
We will see what happens...
Tank #1 is doing great. Everyone is feasting on the algae, so it's getting cleaner by the day.
All the shrimpies, snails and Hermie are happy and healthy; still running chemi pure elite and purigen in a hob filter.
Decided to run for 3 months. Chaeto from lfs is doing good.... Just gets covered in film, so do the marimo and the tiny algae ball from Mustafa. I clean them once a week, along with the substrate.

[Mustafa]

These are burrowing snails which prefer being in the substrate until they reproduce and there are so many that you see lots of them also outside the substrate. They tend to be more active at night, too.

[Carolina]

These are burrowing snails which prefer being in the substrate until they reproduce and there are so many that you see lots of them also outside the substrate. They tend to be more active at night, too.

Oh, I see! Thanks Mustafa! What about the Diatoms bloom? It's not bad.... The water is somewhat cloudy, but really just on the top. The tank looks good still... Should I be concerned?

[Mustafa]

I don't know. You know my attitude...I'd just do nothing unless I know relatively certainly what the cause of a specific problem is.

[Carolina]

I don't know. You know my attitude...I'd just do nothing unless I know relatively certainly what the cause of a specific problem is.

I don't know either.... Tank was never fed.... Algae is growing as it should, not excessively, but as it should. So... I will wait it out. No rush...
Now.... It did happen after I added the marimo balls.... So maybe I didn't wash them enough? I know they absorb a loooot of gunk. Anyways, no reason to cry over spilled milk at this point :/

[Mustafa]

Yes, the marimos may have dragged some organic waste with them. By the way...that "algae" on your substrate is actually cyanobacterial growth. Usually happens when you have too much organic waste products. Either way...just wait it out.

[Carolina]

Yes, the marimos may have dragged some organic waste with them. By the way...that "algae" on your substrate is actually cyanobacterial growth. Usually happens when you have too much organic waste products. Either way...just wait it out.

But where did this organic waste come from? It started forming well before the marimo, and the tank was never fed? What's supposed to happen Mustafa? Disappear?

[Mustafa]

I don't know where the organic waste came from. That's something that you need to figure out since you have complete information having set up the tank and we don't since we sit behind a computer screen and can only go by what you tell us. Yes, the organic stuff "disappears" at some point and becomes snails...and eventually shrimp. It can take months...just take one look at tooth's thread and you'll still see dead sheets of algae on his substrate after two years of not feeding anything at all (because his substrate was initially loaded with organics). He did nothing...just waited and now he has tons of breeding going on.

[Carolina]

Well.... I redid this tank... And did nothing to it.... And there it is..... Might as well have fed a ton. I just don't get it. It has nothing, not even a filter working anymore. It only has your snails. Not a drop of food was ever put in there.
I don't even know for how long wait for. Wait for the water to clear? For the cyanobacteria to disappear? (it's growing)... The water is not getting any worse, but not getting better either.
The snails..... Idk. I was out of town for a week, so I can't say what's going on.
On a good note, tank #1 is doing awesome. Clear water, the walls are clear, much less brown algae on the substrate, and the shrimp, snails and Hermie are healthy and feasting on the sheets of algae that fell off the glass. It's finally looking good again.