Algae in shrimp bowl?

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Jayjayel
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Algae in shrimp bowl?

Post by Jayjayel »

Hi,

My 3 shrimps have been living in this current fishbowl setup for ~1 year now, prior to that they had lived in a flower vase since 2011 (ecosphere rescues). Last year I purchased macroalgae in preparation of moving the three of them from the vase to the fishbowl.

The macroalgae has sort of spread around the fishbowl now, but I am noticing a different type of algae + some clear film in the fish bowl.

Nothing has changed since a year ago. I feed them about once a month, since there's only the 3 of them. The lone snail has been doing well and growing bigger. They get a lot of light, about 10 hours or so? Is that too much?

The dark algae was present before in the vase and carried over on the snails shell to this fishbowl. The clear film starting developing 2-3 months or so ago. Is this anything I should be concerned about?

Another note:

I just ordered 10 more supershrimps from this site, so that my 3 shrimps are not so lonely in this large 1 gallon fishbowl.

I also read that it's not that necessary to acclimate them? I was planning on setting up a second tank and gradually introduce the fishbowl water over to help the new shrimp acclimate?

Please see photos of the algae attached. Thank you!
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Here's another of the three shrimp. You can sort of discern the clear film if you look at the air bubbles trapped within it.
Here's another of the three shrimp. You can sort of discern the clear film if you look at the air bubbles trapped within it.
Here's another of the three shrimp.
Here's another of the three shrimp.
Here's one of the three shrimp sitting on a lava rock.
Here's one of the three shrimp sitting on a lava rock.
Zoomed out view of a side of the shrimp bowl where you can see the macro-algae
Zoomed out view of a side of the shrimp bowl where you can see the macro-algae
The macroalgae here has sort of spread out thinly, with patches of dark algae intertwined, and a clear film in between. Sort of like the webbing between reptiles feet. It's hard to get a clear photo of the clear film.
The macroalgae here has sort of spread out thinly, with patches of dark algae intertwined, and a clear film in between. Sort of like the webbing between reptiles feet. It's hard to get a clear photo of the clear film.
A blob of deep green algae. This actually came from their former home, the flower vase, attached to the snails back, but has since fallen off of her back. It's slowly growing in their current setup.
A blob of deep green algae. This actually came from their former home, the flower vase, attached to the snails back, but has since fallen off of her back. It's slowly growing in their current setup.
Varanus
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Re: Algae in shrimp bowl?

Post by Varanus »

Unless it is clouding the water I wouldn't worry about it. My tank developed a green film of algae on the surface, though it eventually became invisible (assuming it is still there) probably due to the snails grazing on it so much.

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And yes, brackish water creatures are adapted to thrive in conditions where ph, salt content, etc. change rapidly, so acclimating them is usually not necessary.
Jayjayel
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Re: Algae in shrimp bowl?

Post by Jayjayel »

Thank you Varanus. So relieved to hear. Glad I'm not torturing my shrimps and putting newcomers in potential danger.

Yes, the water and the fishbowl are very clear. The lone snail does a really good job.
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JennyPenny
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Re: Algae in shrimp bowl?

Post by JennyPenny »

I don't think 10 hours of light is too much, but if the algae is growing more than you like, cutting back the light will help. And like Varanus mentioned, they don't need acclimation, and that film is just algae.
Jayjayel
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Re: Algae in shrimp bowl?

Post by Jayjayel »

Good to know. Thank you!
Jayjayel
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Re: Algae in shrimp bowl?

Post by Jayjayel »

Hi folks,

I received the 10 shrimps just now in the mail. I submerged the bag in the tank and cut open a hole for the shrimps to swim out.

They are exploring now. My next question is, if they die, do they float or do they sink? I'm hoping they will do fine, however I am paranoid and I haven't seen one die before.

Thank you.
Jayjayel
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Re: Algae in shrimp bowl?

Post by Jayjayel »

There are also a couple tiny white specks swimming around too.
Varanus
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Re: Algae in shrimp bowl?

Post by Varanus »

Jayjayel wrote:Hi folks,

I received the 10 shrimps just now in the mail. I submerged the bag in the tank and cut open a hole for the shrimps to swim out.

They are exploring now. My next question is, if they die, do they float or do they sink? I'm hoping they will do fine, however I am paranoid and I haven't seen one die before.

Thank you.
Dead shrimp sink in my experience.
Jayjayel wrote:There are also a couple tiny white specks swimming around too.
Probably copepods of some sort, they're harmless unless they overpopulate (which shouldn't happen in a supershrimp tank due to lack of enough food).
Jayjayel
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Re: Algae in shrimp bowl?

Post by Jayjayel »

Thank you! So far so good. *crossing fingers*
Jayjayel
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Re: Algae in shrimp bowl?

Post by Jayjayel »

It's been 2 years since I first posted. All the shrimps are doing well and there's many more of them now. Thanks for all the FAQ, instructions and the support from the forums.
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Mustafa
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Re: Algae in shrimp bowl?

Post by Mustafa »

Thanks for the update! Looks like your shrimp reproduced and are continuing to reproduce. Good job! :) What's the volume of your fish bowl?
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