As some might know, I setup a new 10G tank, and used these snails for cycling:
Here is the original thread: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=5690
They are called "Black Devil Snails", or Faunus ater, and are 2-3" long.... They seem to be related to the MTS Snails, at least that's the information I was able to gather about them.
They did a GREAT job with the cycling of the tank, and one of the reasons IMO is the amount of bioload they produce..... Well..... They poop a LOT!
I would love to keep them not only because they are cool, but because their "specialty" is cleaning the substrate and ta-dah! They love green algae, which I am going through a bit of a crisis in my other tank (too small for them, unfortunately).
Anyways, I was wondering if I need to do anything about that...... Do I need to add good bacteria from time to time? I have both SL Aqua Purify and Seachem Stability at home. Do I do nothing?
I know that MTS reproduce like crazy and they must create some amount of bioload as well..... These are extremely hard to breed, so I am fairly confident I will have only the four I currently have.
Since the shrimp for the tank is arriving next week, ideas are greatly appreciated -
Thanks!
No bacteria, additives...nothing. The snails I'm sending you won't actually multiply like crazy and will stay rather small. That's because you won't be overfeeding the tank. They will multiply just enough to be useful. The shrimp tend to outcompete them for food when you follow my "feed a little every 2-4 weeks" rule. Read "tooth's" thread in this forum. He hasn't fed his tank for 2 years and his shrimp are breeding. The problem with the large snails is going to be that they won't find enough food at some point and may actually starve to death. The little food that you give the shrimp and the brackish snails probably won't be enough for this large species.