MirandaMarie
New Member
Hello! I'm something of a rambler so please forgive me if this is a long intro before I get to my question. I'd really appreciate any help that can be offered by more experienced aquarium enthusiasts!
Last Christmas, I got all the equipment etc to set up a 20 gallon tank (after much hinting to my family).
It was set up end of December and I did quite a bit of aquascaping with it. Lots of lava rocks (including a cave), plants, a good quality light and filter and heater, active substrate etc. I let it cycle for about 3 months and by then I was struggling with algae (balancing the light and fertilizers plus new plants proved challenging, since this is my first try at this kind of thing). My plants were doing well despite the algae, but I read up on algae eaters and ended up getting 5 tiger nerite snails. They didn't even begin to touch the algae, even with the light dialed back and stopping with the fertilizer for a while. So I researched some other algae eaters to add as well and ordered 10 amano shrimp. They arrived with 2 extras and I added them to the tank about 3 weeks ago. They're keeping up with the algae perfectly with enough left over consistently that I am not concerned about them starving. I'm also supplementing with shrimp foods and snacks, and keeping the calcium up in the tank.
About a week ago, the males started running around the tank like crazy at least once a day for several days in a row. I researched this, concerned they were unhappy, and found most people online said it was likely because the females had released a hormone to signal it was time to breed? Well, a week later, and all three females are very, very full of eggs. (I /think/ there are only three females, but with all the plants and hiding places, it's impossible to see all the shrimp at once to count LOL). There's no doubt the three of them are pregnant - I have seen them all hanging out together at the same time, all three with full bellies.
Sorry! That was a huge buildup. My question is: What do I do when they hatch? I don't plan to try to save the larvae because a) I don't have a tank to move them to, b) I'm very disabled so I'm not sure I could manage following the (tricky) steps needed in my physical condition, and c) everywhere online says it's very tricky and I am a complete beginner at this. LOL. Everywhere says "don't worry, they won't survive", but what do I do when I have anywhere from 9,000 to 15,000 dead larvae in my tank when these three females drop them? I don't have any fish to eat them (I've been taking this slow because it's mainly been me experimenting with aquascaping and trying not to rush since I am a beginner, so I wasn't planning to get fish anytime soon). I'm having nightmares images of thousands of dead larvae floating around the tank/settling on the bottom and don't know what we will do to clean them up afterwards? Vacuum them up? I have Monte Carlo as a carpet so I try not to vacuum it too much because its roots are still so little and it dislodges easily.
I'm just not sure what to do or what to expect, so any help that can be provided will be really appreciated! All tank parameters are good and all its inhabitants are very healthy so far. I'm just at a bit of a loss. Thanks in advance!
Last Christmas, I got all the equipment etc to set up a 20 gallon tank (after much hinting to my family).
It was set up end of December and I did quite a bit of aquascaping with it. Lots of lava rocks (including a cave), plants, a good quality light and filter and heater, active substrate etc. I let it cycle for about 3 months and by then I was struggling with algae (balancing the light and fertilizers plus new plants proved challenging, since this is my first try at this kind of thing). My plants were doing well despite the algae, but I read up on algae eaters and ended up getting 5 tiger nerite snails. They didn't even begin to touch the algae, even with the light dialed back and stopping with the fertilizer for a while. So I researched some other algae eaters to add as well and ordered 10 amano shrimp. They arrived with 2 extras and I added them to the tank about 3 weeks ago. They're keeping up with the algae perfectly with enough left over consistently that I am not concerned about them starving. I'm also supplementing with shrimp foods and snacks, and keeping the calcium up in the tank.
About a week ago, the males started running around the tank like crazy at least once a day for several days in a row. I researched this, concerned they were unhappy, and found most people online said it was likely because the females had released a hormone to signal it was time to breed? Well, a week later, and all three females are very, very full of eggs. (I /think/ there are only three females, but with all the plants and hiding places, it's impossible to see all the shrimp at once to count LOL). There's no doubt the three of them are pregnant - I have seen them all hanging out together at the same time, all three with full bellies.
Sorry! That was a huge buildup. My question is: What do I do when they hatch? I don't plan to try to save the larvae because a) I don't have a tank to move them to, b) I'm very disabled so I'm not sure I could manage following the (tricky) steps needed in my physical condition, and c) everywhere online says it's very tricky and I am a complete beginner at this. LOL. Everywhere says "don't worry, they won't survive", but what do I do when I have anywhere from 9,000 to 15,000 dead larvae in my tank when these three females drop them? I don't have any fish to eat them (I've been taking this slow because it's mainly been me experimenting with aquascaping and trying not to rush since I am a beginner, so I wasn't planning to get fish anytime soon). I'm having nightmares images of thousands of dead larvae floating around the tank/settling on the bottom and don't know what we will do to clean them up afterwards? Vacuum them up? I have Monte Carlo as a carpet so I try not to vacuum it too much because its roots are still so little and it dislodges easily.
I'm just not sure what to do or what to expect, so any help that can be provided will be really appreciated! All tank parameters are good and all its inhabitants are very healthy so far. I'm just at a bit of a loss. Thanks in advance!
