[pseudorocknroll]

I know each type of snail requires/eats different things so I am wondering what snail would go best in a:

A) 74 degree, 20 gallon tank w/ 2 ACF's. My tank is 100% rocks, it's mostly the ornaments that are collecting algae!

B) 79-80 degree, 18 gallon tank w/ 2 ADF's. This tank is half rocks half bare bottom and it's mostly the rocks that are collecting algae.

What kind of snails do I need?! It's kind of urgent! Any help would be awesome!

 

[Sasami]

Are you looking for snails specifically to eat algae? Just be aware that snails rarely clear a tank of algae (the ones that do are often the ones that starve when the algae is gone, too). You'll also need to provide food for the snails as well as calcium for their shells.

It's far better to look into the causes for the algae (getting an animal to eat it is just treating the symptom) and to also remember that a small amount of algae is normal and beneficial.

That being said, freshwater Nerite snails (sometimes called Olive Nerites--just make sure they're freshwater since there are marine species) are probably your best bet. They won't breed in freshwater, love algae, stay small, and are generally hardy. I would get one or two per tank.

 

[Dragonrain]

Be careful with the ACF tank. My african clawed frogs will eat snails if they can fit them in their mouths.

 

[Sasami]

Be careful with the ACF tank. My african clawed frogs will eat snails if they can fit them in their mouths.

Oh, yeah, I totally didn't notice that one of the tanks had ACFs. I wouldn't recommend any snails for that one! They'll pretty much eat anything .

 

[pseudorocknroll]

we already had a snail in there once and they had no interest in it what so ever...they just wanted their worms (haha)

What about my ADF tank?

 

[Sasami]

What about my ADF tank?

Same suggestion I gave above.

 

[pseudorocknroll]

Oh! I'm so sorry I missed it! I read it and am excited for the advice.

I have a decent amount of algae so it will take awhile for the snail to get through it and once he/she does I will NOT let it starve! I'd just need to find out what it would need to eat.

The cause is just the higher temperatures in the ADF tank I think. We have our lights on a timer & only do 6 hours on so it can't be that. We clean their tank/do water changes regularly & have a working filter. Any other ideas as to what it could be?

Also, is calcium 100% necessary??? If so, how is it applied?

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[Sasami]

The snails will happily munch on algae wafers and may also take blanched vegetables such as lettuce and spinach. They'd probably eat dried seaweed (nori), too.

High temperatures and light alone can't grow algae. They need nutrients, too, usually nitrogen-based compounds (but phosphates can also grow algae--have you ever tested your tap water for phosphates, just to see?). How often do you do water changes and do you vacuum the substrate? Usually you can combat algae problems just by stepping up the water changes . It also sounds like you could have pollutants in the tap water itself.

Calcium is absolutely necessary for their shells. The ideal thing here would be to test your water to see if any needs to be added and if so, how much. Do you have any fish stores in the area capable of testing calcium levels in freshwater? If not, I would just add a drop or two every so often. You can buy liquid forms in the marine aquarium section of your local pet store. It should last you a while since very little needs to be added (the bottles sold are intended for reef tanks that use up calcium very quickly). Alternatively, you could try to raise calcium levels naturally by adding shells and/or crushed coral to the aquarium. Watch your pH level, either way. Adding too much at once could cause a pH swing.

 

[pseudorocknroll]

The snails will happily munch on algae wafers and may also take blanched vegetables such as lettuce and spinach. They'd probably eat dried seaweed (nori), too.

High temperatures and light alone can't grow algae. They need nutrients, too, usually nitrogen-based compounds (but phosphates can also grow algae--have you ever tested your tap water for phosphates, just to see?). How often do you do water changes and do you vacuum the substrate? Usually you can combat algae problems just by stepping up the water changes . It also sounds like you could have pollutants in the tap water itself.

Calcium is absolutely necessary for their shells. The ideal thing here would be to test your water to see if any needs to be added and if so, how much. Do you have any fish stores in the area capable of testing calcium levels in freshwater? If not, I would just add a drop or two every so often. You can buy liquid forms in the marine aquarium section of your local pet store. It should last you a while since very little needs to be added (the bottles sold are intended for reef tanks that use up calcium very quickly). Alternatively, you could try to raise calcium levels naturally by adding shells and/or crushed coral to the aquarium. Watch your pH level, either way. Adding too much at once could cause a pH swing.

I use prime to condition my water. All the parameters are totally fine ( I checked 3 days ago) That's what I am so confused about! I do water changes about every 10 days and clean the gravel once ever other change. What is my IDEAL PH level for my ADF and ACF tank?

 

[Sasami]

Prime doesn't remove phosphates, they may be present in your tap water. They aren't really harmful (for your tank) but they'll fuel algae growth. There's no need to go crazy trying to remove it, though, unless the algae is really bad.

I would aim for a weekly water change (and try to vacuum every time, frogs are messy!) and see if that helps. How much algae is there? Remember, some algae is normal. A sterile aquarium isn't a healthy one.

There's no real ideal pH level (although you want to avoid extremes). Instead, make sure it's stable. See what it currently is and keep an eye out for changes. Acidic water (pH under 7.0) can be a pain to deal with because animals can become more prone to disease and the beneficial bacteria don't really thrive. But even that isn't a death sentence or anything (if it was acidic enough to kill your frogs you probably wouldn't be able to drink it).