New 110l Tank.. stocking level suggestions.

[Byron]

Thanks Byron

Yes... the brown clumps are what I have presumed are some type of brown algae.. the smae stuff is on the lants and also stuck to the glass, but it has wiped off easily and have knocked it off the plants/ sand and then caught it in a fish net so the amounts in the tank now are minimal again.

as long as it isnt anything to worry about I will just wipe it off every other day and fish around for the floating bits.

I dont want to put any fish in to deal with it as none of them are ones I plan to stock once the tank is more mature. But a few snails may be manageable as long as they arent breeders!!

I don't know what this stuff is, but it doesn't sound like a problem.

Many are confused when it comes to snails. These little fellows are the aquarist's best friend really. The Malaysian Livebearers will burrow throughout the substrate, keeping it "fresh" and thus benefiting the plants and bacteria living down there. They also browse the biofilms that develop on all surfaces under water, grazing algae and microscopic critters. I don't have a tank without MLS and pond snails, and in some there are hundreds and even thousands.

Snails will multiply according to the food available. But this is all the food I mentioned...algae, fish excrement (they eat all of this), dead plant bits, as well as excess fish food. I feed my fish very minimally, and I know there is no "excess" food from me, yet I have so many snails. It is because they are eating all that natural food, which as I mentioned previously breaks the organics down faster so the bacteria and plants can use them.

 

[Qwooks]

Are Malaysian Livebearers the same thing as Malaysian Trumpet Snails?

 

[Byron]

Are Malaysian Livebearers the same thing as Malaysian Trumpet Snails?

Yes; species is Melanoides tubercularia. If you buy any, you only need one or two. These will disappear into the substrate for a few weeks as they burrow through it, probably coming out in darkness, but before long you will have many more.

 

[NickAu]

Malaysian Trumpet Snails are actually quite nice to look at also, I have them in my tanks and they are not really a problem.

I think Malaysian Trumpet Snails are one of the reasons my plants grow like crazy without the need for fertilizer.

Like Byron I now wouldn't have a tank without MTS.

 

[Qwooks]

Apparently my LFS has some Water Sprite in this weekend... and they have the snails too... so will head down later and pick up some of each... then that will be it... initial set up complete! Will let the plants get established and then will go look for my first fishy friends!!

As an aside... discovered my tank already has its first inhabitant this morning.. found a little snail wandering around.. guess he hitchhiked in with one of the plants! it is only very very small so no idea what type it is!

 

[NickAu]

Water sprite is easy to propagate, Buy 2 bigger bits and break of 1 or 2 leaves from the main plant and leave them to float in no time whole new plants will grow on those leaves. Once it starts growing this stuff is insane and 2 plants can easily cover half a 6 foot tank, with lots of little plants growing beside the parent leaf.

That mess of floating plants on the left is water sprite in my tank, My Zebra long fin Danios love swimming thru that mess, and I have even seen my Black Window Tetras looking for bits of trapped food among the roots, plus a big ball of floating plants like that will consume a lot of nutrients from the water.

My 6 foot jungle

This may even be in next months tank of the month.

 

[Byron]

The hitch-hiker snail is most likely a pond snail or acute bladder snail, or possibly ramshorn. It would be very lucky to have it a Malaysian Livebearing. My pond snails arrived in this manner, but I had to buy a couple MLS.

Re the Water Sprite...I would just float the plants you get in the tank to allow them to settle. If you start pulling leaves off you could set the plant back. Get more than one just in case; I find this plant tends to take time to adjust to a differing environment. Once it settles, daughter plants will form on alternate leaves, and you can gently pull them off the leaf once they have developed leaves and roots to some extent. When the parent plant(s) gets too big you can remove it and the daughter plants will become the floating plants. I bought a couple plants back in the 1990's and I have this plant in several tanks still, though every week I usually chuck a few out as I thin them.

Byron.

 

[NickAu]

Re the Water Sprite...I would just float the plants you get in the tank to allow them to settle. If you start pulling leaves off you could set the plant back.

Hasn't been my experience with water sprite or any other plants I have. In fact the more I abuse them the more they seem to want to prove me wrong by growing like mad.

When I got this plant from LFS it cost me $50, As the roots were too long I cut about 50% of the off stuck the plant in the substrate I lost 1 leaf and that was mainly due to the way I held the plant with tweezers.

 

[budified]

Malaysian Trumpet Snails are actually quite nice to look at also, I have them in my tanks and they are not really a problem.

I think Malaysian Trumpet Snails are one of the reasons my plants grow like crazy without the need for fertilizer.

Like Byron I now wouldn't have a tank without MTS.

So what do you guys do about the snails in your filter? I had to clean so many out of my filter when I got it from my brother, they were in with the ceramic media and so horribly caught up in the sponges...

 

[NickAu]

I lost a canister filter on my 2 foot tank due to snails, MTS and impellers dont mix, I now use a sponge filter in that tank.

My 6 foot I made a mesh screen for the intake.

Or you can buy them.
Stainless Steel Filter Guards

 

[budified]

Nice how-to, I'll have to do that if I ever decide to (or by no choice of my own) house snails.

 

[NickAu]

This is my experience with Malaysian Trumpet Snails.

I set up a 2 foot tank, It was going ok till I accidentally introduced MTS, I had no idea what they were, at first there were only a few, but because I do not vacuum my substrate there was a lot of food n stuff in it,

Over the next few months the population exploded at 1 stage I counted 50 on the glass alone, Nothing worked in keeping the population down. I was about to try chemicals,,

I even went to the LFS, and he told me to just leave it alone, don't even remove or trap the snails, I also read a post by Byron on how useful they are and did nothing, Over time the snails consumed most of the food and what ever and with virtually no food the population started to die off and settled to a reasonable number that is sustained by what ever they can find to eat.

And thats what happened in the 6 foot tank, Mind you having 5 hungry clown loaches don't hurt.

 

[hobby5]

@OP Congrats to getting some water sprite. I love this plant and if it adapts and grows it's one of the best and easiest plants I know of. You can also plant it in the substrate, but be aware it does not like shady corners it needs light. Unfortunately I have to second byron. Lately I had quite some cases when it did not adapt and grow, but died.

 

[NickAu]

The only plant I have no luck with is Vallisneria

 

[Qwooks]

well.... I added my first group of fish two days ago... 8 male platies! The plants are all still alive and looking remarkably well... my echinodorus radicans is growing amazingly quickly.. the java moss has lots of new growth... as do my cryptos and java fern... and my anubia nanas are happily spreading out roots to grab hold of the rocks they are sat on! Have some egeria floating for now just to give some shade to the other plants, shelter for the fish and act as an ammonia sink whilst tank deals with addition of fish! LFS didnt have water sprite so have ordered some from a store that sells online... should be here in next couple of days.. (new tubes arrived and were both broken... so waiting for replacements)

water levels seem to be doing ok...
NH4 has never shown any trace
NO2 has increased from 0 to 0.2 since adding fish... I added a bottle of tetra safestart just before putting the fish in so hopefully he nitrite level will drop soon.. but as it is so low I will just monitor it twice daily for now..
NO3 - never shows more than 5ppm

The platies are having a few battles whilst they sort out their hierarchy... nothing too major as everyone seems to have a buddy to hang out with... have one fish that is a bit too pushy and is bullying one of the others... will give him a few days and if he doesnt calm might take him back to the shop and hopefully swap home for oen that is more peaceful natured!

The snails are doing what snails do.. digging in the day and exploring at night...

Algae wise... the fish have eaten most of the growth on the wood and plants... think the brown algae is just about all gone. Have a slight amount of green algae on the glass.... letting the fish nibble this a the back and just keeping the front a sides wiped clean. Did have a little bit of green long hairy stuff.. but the fish soon finished that off! Do have a slight amount of what looks like a red slime on the end on one branch of the wood.. will go wipe it off shortly... other than that... I think it all appears to be going ok.

OMG.. platy poop!! They poop so much! Thinking light coloured sand might not have been the best idea lol Have discovered easiest way to keep on top of it however is with a turkey baster to suck it all up!!

Will post photos of the fish later...