Help!!!!

[instinctloh]

Bros,

I just started off for my planted tank and I face lots of problems now.

Last Sat morning, I just filled up my 2' tank and put the gravel in and let the water settle down and the HOF running (During the day).

On Day 4 which is Tue, I put my moss which i tied to the log and some mesh and planted only 2 dun know wat plants into the tank.
I put 2 Orange color sucker fish in. I wana let the water to stable down then I throw in my shrimps...

Since then till today i realised all this problems :

1) I dun know how the snails appears but i find my tank with lots of small snails???
2) Are they good or they are bad for the setup?
3) I have heard ppl tryin so hard to get rid of the snails by scoping up or buy puffer fish to get rid of them so they are bad rite?
4) If they are bad but why people still buy snail from shop to get rid of algae? Are they different species?
5) My water starts to turns cloudy greenish in color? This is algae water?
6) Currently using only the HOF but changing to my Ehiem canister this weekend. What else do i need? The problems lies on?
7) Do I do a 50% water change or 100% water change this weekend?
Does that means that I cant put in my shrimps?

The next set of questions that worries me the most !!!!

9) Before I put in my moss, they are very green and lush!!! But till today, they seems to lost their greenish and in fact they start to turn brown. Are they dying? I am also using a 2ft PL 55W light which I switch on before I go to work and off before I go to bed (<12hrs)

As I am quite tied up with my work, I initially plan to buy the Excel this weekend for my low tech tank and to add some more plants.. hainz....

All this driving me crazy that I woke up in the middle of the nite and really need advise on what to do.

Bros, another thing is that I just want to simplify the tank that I don't need to monitor those things that you guys mentioned like NH3, Ph etc... because i don't have all this kits... if I really need all those, then that means that either I have to give up this idea or complicated plants as I really do not have the time and energy to do it. I just wana a nice tank so that I can come back and look at it after work.

Really need help badly.... and thanks in advance.

I have just setup my canister and bought the excel and anti green liquid to clear the water... hopefully the water will be clear in no time and the excel can help my dying moss.... hehe

[blue33]

Do a blackout and green water will be gone.

[BlackShrimp]

hi there,

dun worry too much. enjoy the process.

Regarding the snails, u can get a small puffer to get rid of them. But i usually wait for them to grow. they are quite cute when they are still young. they are fastest when they are small too! so it is kind of fun to look at them 'racing'. after they have grown to a certian size, u could remove them easily because they are big enough to be hand pick. well that's what i do.

don't worry too much and don't lose sleep over it. it is an hobby after all.

sleep tight!

[instinctloh]

Thanks....

Will enjoy... will defintely enjoy... because the process is fullfilling....

Hopefully can post some pictures later.. but not now because still too bare to show... hahaha...

Don't know why... still so excited and can't sleep.

Keep waking up to see the water condition.

Hainz

[ongtw]

cool down bro,

your moss is turning brown most likely because you're not putting CO2 into it. dosing excel would certainly help in my opinion. as for the snails, they aren't that bad either. you could either follow what bro blackshrimp suggested or alternatively buy killer snail. I've forgotten the name but this species of snails wil kill the snails that you're having in your tank.

if i'm not mistaken the snails that you're having should most likly be malayan trumpet snails. i've initially bought 2 killer snails and my problem was solved . now the killer snails have bred me little killer snails and they're so darn cute

like what bro blackshrimped said, sit back and relax! enjoy the process bro..

[comet]

hmm, perhaps too much light causes the green algae? any fert?

No worries man, the snails are cute. Under low amount they are harmless. can remove them manually. They came from the plants you brought, eggs are attached on the leaf, is rather hard to prevent them entering your system.

Jia you!

[instinctloh]

Thanks bros for the advise...

I think the so call snails killers are the puffer fish.

I do thought of buying just one... but i don't know if the puffer fish will attack my shrimps which i intend to buy later.

Another thing is that I heard that mollies and swordtail are good to eat up the algae...well can the mollies and the swordtails attack my shrimps???

Thanks

[ongtw]

bro,

killer snail is another type of snails. they will devour your other snails in the tank.

[BlackShrimp]

i think ongtw bro is talking about helena snails. they are known to eat other snails. commonly they are known as zhut zhut snails, and also a local delicacy. i never tried before though.

hi ongtw! it has been awhile anyway.

[ongtw]

hey bro blackshrimp! nice to see you

how's your tank coming up? waiting to see

yes bro insticntloh, that's the snail i'm talking about.. not sure if its the same species where you eat them but i've tried those snails before.. yummy

[instinctloh]

Eerrr... that snail killer, beside snails, will they stay away from the shrimps?

What other damages will it does beside eating snails?

Thanks

[ongtw]

hi bro,

so far all they do is clear the snails and probably some algae ont he wall of the tank. my shrimps are all doing good

[cyclops]

The snail killer is quite effective. After you put them i you can then just start to count the shells of other snails.

[Quixotic]

i think ongtw bro is talking about helena snails. they are known to eat other snails. commonly they are known as zhut zhut snails, and also a local delicacy. i never tried before though.

They are not the same snails. "Chut chut" or otherwise known as balitong are brackish/saltwater species. Anentome helena is a freshwater species.

so far all they do is clear the snails and probably some algae ont he wall of the tank. my shrimps are all doing good

A. helena are first and foremost carnivores, or specifically molluscivores, so their main diet should consist of high protein food. They are not algae eating snails, so don't expect them to solve algae related issues.

The thread on A. helena, http://www.aquaticquotient.com/forum...ad.php?t=39643

[feide]

Dun worry too much about the snails if they are not munching on your plants / moss.
Here is a link, see which kind of snails you are having
http://www.fishpondinfo.com/snail2.htm
Some can be quite useful, they ‘circulate’ the soil when burrowing underground (just like earthworms)

[WaterH2O]

If the population of the snails is under control then is ok, I have snails here and there in all my tanks and I don't bother unless they get out of control.

I also not sure if your tank is densely planted enough since you are using a 55W for a 2 feet tank. Sure is a lot of light and at a apprximate 12 hrs period. Do a WC and cut down on the light. I am not good at moss because I think they are sensitive to temperature 25 deg is optimum for their growth but it also depends on waht type of moss you have.

[instinctloh]

Thanks bro,

I have some issues...

Seems like after doing a 50&#37; WC, the water is still cloudy...

There are only 2 golden sucker fish inside.. and nothing else..

But just don't understand why the water is cloudy and is only 5 days.

If I continue do Water Change like that, think my CO is going to scream at me as our PUB bill is really shooting up....

Ggggrrrrrrr.... wats wrong.. i just dun understand...

[Goodfish]

Just leave it,the sucker will not died,need to let the tank cycle for a while and it will clear up.

[ivanlo24]

If the water is cloudy (white), then it is standard for a new tank.
It needs to cycle. To clear it ASAP, purchase some "miracle babies". It does the trick for me. Over night, and the water is cleared up

[Verminator]

Honestly i think patience is the best remedy. Although these bio things you buy do the job, i still think letting nature take its course is the best remedy for most things. Especially in the initial set-up of a tank. I always wait 1 month before adding ANY livestock to any new tanks, just as a precaution. Plus its fun to play around with plant growth untill i add the fish.

The gardening is as much fun to me as the actual keeping of fish...