What Is This On The Side Of My Tank?

EmRose · May 9, 2013

Hi,

I have this on the side of my tank. Any ideas? I'm thinking its a snail egg possibly? My tank has live plants. I noticed one last week fall into the gravel as a fish swam by but didn't get a good look. A week later I have another one.

I've had my tank about 5 weeks (8 since set up). Added live plants about 2-3 weeks ago. Added new fish a week ago.

Thanks

Ah, the photo hasn't uploaded by the look of it. It's a really small light pink thing.

NeonBlueLeon · May 9, 2013

A picture would indeed help.

Do you have snails in your tank? In fact, to help out, just give us your tank specs and inhabitants. I'm guessing this isn't cause by bad chemicals so no need to post water params, but if you want to why not.

EmRose · May 9, 2013

I think the photo uploaded?

No snails. It's a 54 litre with; 7 neon tetras, a fighter fish, 2 gouramis, a angel fish and a shrimp.
I'm fairly new to all this so I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "specs"

Thanks for your reply

Sophie · May 9, 2013

Looks like a baby snail. Is that two tentacle things coming out of it? Could just be my eye sight!

https

/www.google.co.uk/search?q=snail+eggs&aq=f&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=bxGMUYGIJaen0wXek4DwBw&biw=1536&bih=796&sei=chGMUZT_BsHC0QX1xoHwBA#um=1&safe=off&hl=en&tbm=isch&q=aquatic+snail+eggs&spell=1&sa=X&ei=dxGMUY-eG6eP0AX4r4G4Dw&ved=0CFAQBSgA&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.46340616,d.d2k&fp=30cee5172293b329&biw=1536&bih=796

Look like any of these?

Live plants are more than likely to bring snails in with them. Pretty much unavoidable.

Livewire88 · May 9, 2013

Looks like a baby snail to me

EmRose · May 9, 2013

Yeah it does.

What do I do about it? Will it grow to a proper snail or die of?

NeonBlueLeon · May 9, 2013

See if you can get a picture showing the shell shape, if possible. I know it's very small.

This will help us ID it unless you can ID yourself. Some snails are nice to have in a tank, some will overpopulate and overrun a tank.

EmRose · May 9, 2013

One of my fish have knocked it so its in a really awkward place to take a picture now.

It has a see through outta shell and is a deep red colour inside. If that helps? It also has very thin tentacles coming out. The link posted up above has a picture of one on that page (the first one that's not in a cluster of them)

NeonBlueLeon · May 9, 2013

Tank specs means size and type of the tank. How many liters/gallons, is it freshwater/brackish/marine, is it coldwater/tropical, etc.

I think we're pretty sure it's a baby snail. My guess is he was a stowaway from a live plant, or a live plant had a cluster of eggs when you bought it. If the shell is flat-ish and disc-like, it could be a ramshorn snail.

EmRose · May 9, 2013

NeonBlueLeon said:
Tank specs means size and type of the tank. How many liters/gallons, is it freshwater/brackish/marine, is it coldwater/tropical, etc.

Thankyou

I shall remember this.

Thanks everyone

fluttermoth · May 9, 2013

Hi Emrose, :hi:

to the forum

You have a ramshorn snail. They will breed (they can store sperm to use later, so you only nee one, but you probably have more that you haven't seen!), so catch it and get it out if you can.

I'm afraid I'm going to have some bad news for you... you have multiple problems with your tank. The angel fish will get far too big, and possibly the gouramis, depending on what species they are. You can't keep gouramis and Siamese fighters together; they're very closely related and the fighter will probably attack them.

Another problem is that your tank isn't 'cycled'. That means it doesn't have a colony of good bacteria living in the filter; the bacteria eat the ammonia produced by the fish and turn it into less toxic substances; first nitrite, which is also toxic, and then nitrate, which is only toxic at very high levels, and which we keep low with water changes, in a cycled tank.

You're going to need to get some test kits, so you can make sure no ammonia or nitrite is building up in the water; until then, change at least half the water, every day, making sure the new water is warmed and dechlorinated.

Sorry for the bad news, but don't worry, we're all here to help

Sophie · May 9, 2013

And the Angel when big enough will more than likely eat the Neons and shrimp depending on Shrimp specie :3

EmRose · May 9, 2013

I thought I had thoroughly read enough before I started this but obviously not.

I am aware of the angel fish... Bad move on believing the man who sold them to me. Currently trying to re home him and quickly. Didn't know about the gourami, will post the species tomorrow got it written down. I also have two sunset platys. Don't plan on getting any more in the tank. The Siamese fighter seems quite content now? It hid for the first couple of days but its ok now.

How do we know the tank isn't cycled? I did what I read on the forums, set up the tank and leave it for a few weeks before adding a fish. I then left them for two weeks before adding one fish at a time.

Thanks for your help.

1 golden gourami and 1 soindian gourami

fluttermoth · May 9, 2013

Just running a tank won't cycle it; you need to be adding an ammonia source to do that, and testing to see when the ammonia and nitrite drop.

Is that second gourami an Indian? If so, they're both going to get too big for your tank, I'm afraid.

Don't worry; many people have been taken in by the salespeople in fish shops; we see it practically every day!

Try and rehome, or take back, the angels and the gouramis, get yourself some test kits, and keep up the daily water changes :good: