Confetto

I bought Zamboni on Dec 28th. How fast do the shells grow?

He eats Hikari Crab Cuisine & algae wafers and whatever Vibra Bites Miso doesn't eat.

First, Thank all of you for the previous snail advice & information y'all have given me thus far. My crash course in snail-hood continues. Full disclosure: my snail enjoys paragliding across my tank on the frogbit like Mary Poppins and lets go... Quite often. He also climbs up the heater and drops off - not provoked or startled. The distance is 6-7 inches. I noticed today that Zamboni's shell looks different from when I brought him home. There's a vertical line and a horizontal ridge that wasn't on him. Is this shell growth or a BASE jumping injury? I took him out and checked his shell and it doesn't seem broken. Do I have cause for concern? This photo is fron 12.29 when I got him.

Following this post. I too, test with (Tetra) strips and get one reading, however when my LFS tests my water with the API it's a different reading.

I can just toss a bit of carrot into the tank?? Are purple carrots ok?

I've had Zamboni (mystery snail) for about a week now and I believe things are going well. He has tackled a lot of the algae issue I was having and Miso (betta) for the most part, has accepted his new tank mate. I find him floating around the tank attached to my frogbit like Mary Poppins/Yondo! When I bought Zamboni, the CSR at my fish store mentioned nothing about feeding & care for snails - "just toss 'em in" they said. That much I know is not true. I'm feeding Zamboni a mini algae waffle every other day. The back wall of the tank does not get scraped so there's plenty to nibble. I know he'll need calcium for shell health... Should I get Zoo Med Nano Banquet Food Blocks or mini Magic Shell? And how often does he need them? My alkalinity level in my 3gal runs very low - less than 40 ppm. pH is neutral, nitrite and nitrate levels are safe & the GH level is 75 ppm (soft) according to my Tetra testing strips. I have assorted anubias and a bucephalandra that I treat with Easy Green once a week.

Zamboni survived Night One. He's been more active and a pooping machine! I haven't seen Miso go after him today, however he is still curious about his new roommate. I'm hoping he'll lose interest and Zamboni and Miso can coexist in my countertop ecosystem.

I brought home a mystery snail this evening to serve as a zamboni to assist cleaning my 3gal tank. Thirty minutes in, my betta discovered his new room mate. After an hour, Miso pounced at the snail. Zamboni has stayed in his shell for two hours now & Miso is circling him like a vulture.. er, a shark. Will the bullying continue? Will my betta lose interest or is this going to turn ugly? Is the snail too small? Do I need a larger gastropod?

Frogbit doesn't work because my betta snuggles the roots and they fall off. 🥴

Do you have it floating? I love the look! I have minimal success with frogbit, but love roots dangling from the top of this tank. How do I grow this?

What is the plant that is growing up & out of your tank? Very pretty.

Merry Christmas from Miso

I was using Aqueon plant food in my tank and I don't believe it was doing anything. Just bought Easy Green feet and hoping to get better results. I have two anubias, bucephalandra, Hornwort and frogbit in a 3 gal tank with a Betta. This is my first attempt at a planted tank and I know betas are poop producers. Hoping to discover the right balance of nutrients for my plants to grow.

Your tank is lovely! For floating plants I do frogbit. With a slow current, it'll clump up in corners of the tank and provide shade or a hammock for my betta.

What is the difference between plant food and fertilizer?? I am currently using Aqueon aquarium plant food in my tank. I dose once a week (3 gal tank, just shy 5ml) and I'm guessing everything is good ??? After watching a few videos and reading posts here, many hobbyists seem to love Easy Green. So what's the difference? What am I looking for to gauge success? Do I have too many plants in my small tank that require more nutrients? I mainly have beginner plants. I'm focusing on rhizomes and floaters. I have small river rock as my substrate. I have struggled with frogbit, but half the issue is my betta loves to cuddle the roots and knock them off. I get new growth, however there's some mel ting from time to time. Currently, I don't mind buying a new handful of frogbit every so often, but I would love more success. I love the look of dangly roots and Miso seems to be a fan of them too. Perhaps a hearty pothos plant would achieve the look I'm going for. I bought a small bucephalandra on a whim about a month ago & finally noticed new growth. Same with my hornwort/mystery plant. He was a hitchhiker with my last batch of frogbit and has already grown an inch, new roots and a new sprout. Clearly my fastest growing plant (or weed) in the tank. I completely understand that there is a balance and finesse growing aquatic plants. Full disclosure, I struggle with regular house plants, too. So many of you have posted pictures of gorgeous planted tanks, and I want to get there too.

I'm tickled you remembered my tank 🎲 Should I continue using a toothbrush to scrub the BBA off the leaves? Will harder pressure harm the plant? Will it spread to other places in my tank? I run my lights six hours in the morning and then another three hours at night. Miso has a floating log that travels around the tank and blocks the light from time to time. How do I test for vitamin deficiencies?

Yes. I contacted Chessex about their dice and if they were safe for fish. I needed to soak them in hot water before putting them in the tank. Those and the dragon skull complete the look. Miso can 'roll' the dice as they are heavy enough to sink, but light enough to move about the tank. He's a rogue sea elf ☺️

Hmm... For me, water testing strips or fish food.

I have been running a 3 gallon Aqueon tank since July. Miso - a tangerine koi betta - lives well in a planted tank with frogbit, two types of anubias, a bucephalandra and what I believe is a hornwort plant. I use a small sponge filter and generally my tank is quite clean. That said, I've noticed my anubias nana has some dark patches of what I believe is some sort of algae. I have tried to rub it off with a soft toothbrush and nothing happens. So I was thinking of getting a snail. I must say I'm not a fan of snails... It's an unfounded fear of my tank being overrun with them &/or they escaping. However, I need some sort of 'zamboni' to assist cleaning the plants & decor that I can't clean when using an algae scraper. Due to the size of my tank I can really only house one snail. And that is if my betta will accept a new roommate. I'm leaning towards a nerite snail as I have read that their eggs don't hatch in freshwater tanks (and if I get a male, this will not be a problem) Other than needing to add nano calcium tabs for shell health, what do I need to know about 1. What snail to get 2. Caring for a gastropod

Here's a better photo of Mystery Plant after reverse respiration in Seltzer water. I trimmed the extra long stem so it would better fit in my nano tank. Not knowing if this is a rhizome or a stem, I used a suction cup and placed every thing just of a bove the gravel. Now, we wait and see. The monster frogbit is HUGE compared to the original batch! With all this vegetation in my tank, I'm hoping there's enough bio-load to maintain all this loveliness.

I cannot believe how different Miso looks from the day I got him at the pet store. In four months, he is gone from a gorgeous orange candy corn looking fish to a handsome jewel-like beauty.

I bought some Frogbit from my local fish store today. I have bought frogbit from them a few months ago, but Miso (my betta) loves to knock the long roots off causing it to struggle. My new frogbit is HUGE! It was grown in another customer's fish pond and it's leaves are about the size of a 50 cent coin! More importantly, the roots are thick and stronger. My hope is it can withstand Miso snuggling it. Currently, I have the frogbit in two one gallon size Mount Olive pickle jars I use for water changes. I plan to rinse the frogbit tomorrow morning in fresh/tap water before putting some into my tank. Should I treat my tank with a dose of plant food? (Aqueon brand) Stats: 3 gallon tank, no CO2, one koi betta, two anubias plants, a tiny busephlandria and small patches of frogbit. The Mysterious Plant. In the handful of frogbit that I purchased today, there was a hitchhiker - a long stemmed piece of plant with tiny roots and sporadic leafy offshoots. (See photo) What is it?

Dream tank would have kuhli loaches, red tailed sharks, koi Bettas & blue crawdads.

That is the best description of my tank journey. Growing up, my father had multiple tanks & I watched those tanks like Saturday morning cartoons. Fast forward to adulthood, I had a desktop tank that hosted cherry barbs from time to time, but mostly bettas. My heart would go out to those unhappy fish in cups! And I had good luck keeping them with the little knowledge that I had. This summer, I tossed myself into the lion(fish) den and went head first into a small planted tank. It's been trial & error, with a lot of error, but my koi betta has been such a trooper with my crash course method of care. My betta has my heart, Miso brings me such joy! I'd like to get a much larger tank after the new year. I have discovered panda corys, kuhli loaches, a blue lobster & rainbow sharks and though most of them may not be tank-mates, that's the dream!

Whoa, that's a great idea!