Uberhoust
Fish Herder
Since I started raising fish again a few years ago I have been very careful to keep disease and pestilence out of my aquariums. The one detrimental aspect of this tight control is I have never gotten any beneficial hitchhikers from plant additions. I would like to make my aquariums more holistic in what lives in them, in particular I would like some snails, or freshwater limpets, or some other detritivores in the aquarium. Both because I believe they help with the closed ecosystem in the tank but also because my wife and I find most invertebrates interesting to watch.
I currently have 3 nerite snails that actually eat quite a bit, but I have lost one about 6 months ago, the dead one had shell erosion on the apex of the shell.
What I am looking for is a snail or other invertebrate that I can add to an aquarium that can thrive in a softwater tank. Currently I have three tanks.
pH 6.8-7.0 All three tanks
Nitrate typically 2.5 to 5.0 but have been as high as 10 occasionally
GH - 2 degrees
KH - 0-2 degrees (varies a bit with water supply lower in winter, higher in summer)
All tanks have various swords, vals, and some java fern
Substrates - Play Sand (variable particles but averaging about 0.75mm), Silica Grit (1mm particles), and Fine gravel (2mm particles)
Preferably I would like snails that don't aggressively feed on the plants.
So far my selections by reviewing other sites include the Malaysian Trumpet Snails, and Bubble Snails. My outside ponds, using the same water, have native snails (bubble like) but they have a dormant period during the winter, so I don't know how well they would do in the aquarium.
Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.
I currently have 3 nerite snails that actually eat quite a bit, but I have lost one about 6 months ago, the dead one had shell erosion on the apex of the shell.
What I am looking for is a snail or other invertebrate that I can add to an aquarium that can thrive in a softwater tank. Currently I have three tanks.
pH 6.8-7.0 All three tanks
Nitrate typically 2.5 to 5.0 but have been as high as 10 occasionally
GH - 2 degrees
KH - 0-2 degrees (varies a bit with water supply lower in winter, higher in summer)
All tanks have various swords, vals, and some java fern
Substrates - Play Sand (variable particles but averaging about 0.75mm), Silica Grit (1mm particles), and Fine gravel (2mm particles)
Preferably I would like snails that don't aggressively feed on the plants.
So far my selections by reviewing other sites include the Malaysian Trumpet Snails, and Bubble Snails. My outside ponds, using the same water, have native snails (bubble like) but they have a dormant period during the winter, so I don't know how well they would do in the aquarium.
Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.
