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Perfect! Thank you. I think I'm starting to get a little more confident with all of this. 🙂

Thank you for your advice, @AllFishNoBrakes. Normally, I'm more of a go-for-it kind of person, but in this case, you're right. Crawl before walking. I can imagine being frustrated with algae issues getting out of control, and it's probably easier to learn how to balance in a standard tank. The only tank I've had is this current beginner, non-planted tank, and I got frustrated with my one occasion of green water and tried many non-chemical options to get it under control before temporarily resorting to a UV filter to take care of it, and it's been fine ever since. Again, I know I'm straying from the original topic, so I'll just ask this one thing and then start another thread if I need help: After getting another tank, prepping with proper substrate, deciding on plants and inhabitants, etc., I'm thinking my first step will be to add a sponge filter to my existing tank (currently has a HOB) for a while with the intent of transferring that to the new tank to get a jump-start on cycling, which I think I've read is what people do sometimes when they need to quickly set up a hospital/quarantine tank. Is that an okay thing to do, or should I get the cycle going from scratch like I did with my current one? Thanks.

Checking it out now. Cool channel. Thanks!

Yep. I'm trying. This is what I said in an earlier exchange with @Cinnebuns: Since then, I've had more luck getting them to eat the Crab Cuisine by getting it more in their proximity and doing it at night, though I'm still trying to find a good way of creating something that only the snails (and not the fish) can get into for food. I can confirm that the snails did get some of it this time. 🙂 I'll continue with blanched veggies also, as I've been doing all along. I also picked up some Cholla today for the next Nerite. Thank you for the advice!

Yea, I was aware that of as I've seen it lots. In this case, they were staying up there together for an extended period, which I hadn't seen before and only concerned me because of the recent deaths of the Nerites, but things seem back to normal now (except for the dead Nerites) 😏 😆 Good to know. The fish showed no signs os distress. Yep, the first thing I did was check the those levels. All good. And I removed the Nerites right away (I know they hadn't been dead very long) and followed up with more testing in the days that followed. Still good. 👍 Yes, I completely agree. Once I saw how quickly they worked, I realized that it might be one too many. If we get another, it will only be one (there's a Highlander joke in there somewhere 😏). Thanks for your advice. As a general follow-up... The mystery snails seem to be acting more normal now. Actually, I've noticed a clear delineation in the color on their shells now; they're darker and seem slightly thicker on one half of them. I did a search in the forums here for similar questions and photos that matched what I'm seeing, and it seems that is probably a good sign. I'm not concerned, but if anyone here is, I can post a photo. Thanks again!

I want to thank everyone for their help on this. This group is so darn helpful with so much knowledge and support (I've been reading other threads last night and this morning). I never thought I'd be as fascinated by this as I am (freshwater invertebrates more so than fish). I guess I have my 9-year-old son, who feels the same way, to thank for that since he's the one who asked me to set up a simple tank for him. I just read Diana Walstad's "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium". I may be getting out over my skis too soon on this considering that I have no experience with aquatic plants, but I'm tempted to jump into that kind of natural, low-tech (if that's the correct term) system. The lower-maintenance appeals to me, but more than that, it's the challenge of the balancing act and adjusting variables to see how things happen. Though, I've also read about frustration and failures at times. I just worry that I'm biting off more than I can chew with my limited experience. I considered a small tank or jar, but I've also read that something a bit larger (~10g) would be an environment that is somewhat more forgiving and less prone to rapid swings because of the larger volume of water. I know I'm switching topics in this thread (sorry), so I won't carry that discussion too much here. In fact, after more thought and research, I'll likely create a separate topic asking for opinions. For example, from my reading, especially because I'm more interested in shrimp, snails, etc., I worry that fish would complicate matters (as a disruptor for maintaining the others--especially shrimp--unless I can create an environment for them to become inconspicuous), but from what I gather, they seem like they are necessary to provide the nutrients for the plants (or maybe I'm wrong about that). If that's the case, then I'd be looking for fish that are both non-aggressive and resilient. And speaking of resiliency, in the beginning, I'd probably go for that, too, with shrimp; I hear cherry shrimp are a good starter. As always, thanks!

Wow, a place that only the snails can get to sounds like a perfect idea. I can’t picture exactly how the soap dish thing would work, but I’m sure I can search and find it. Is the GG gel definitely safe for long-term submersion? Also, glad to hear that I was steered right with the Crab Cuisine. 🙂 Thanks again. This forum has been great! (And I only joined 7 hours ago. 😆) Wish I’d found it sooner.

Great to know! Thanks. Yea, that’s what I’ve read a lot. I’ve tried algae wafers (most commonly recommended) and Hikari Crab Cuisine (recommended for snails by the guy who runs aquariumbreeder.com). With the former, the fish eat it faster than the mystery snails do, and they make a mess after a half day or so (I remove remnants after 24 hours); with the latter, the fish go at it but don’t seem successful (too hard, maybe), but I’ve yet to stick around long enough to see how it holds up. The Nerites won’t touch either of them. 🤷‍♂️ Oh, that’s great to hear. I’ve been avoiding driftwood because of hearing about the tannin leaching and discolored water. I’ll have to try that when I get another Nerite. Thank you again!

That's great advice that I think I'll take. Might be time for an airstone just to be safe. Thanks. Seems like a great place. 🙂 Good to know. I haven't seen any shell cracks, but it might be a good idea for me to buy a tester for dGH. 😄 Yea, I was completely surprised at how entertained I was with the mystery snails (I like them more than the fish 🙂). The Nerites, not so much, but I was getting them mostly for their extra algae-scrubbing capabilities. It's possible that I just didn't provide enough for them even though I tried supplementing. Ugh. These two were definitely picky, and I've heard others have similar issues. Sounds like you got lucky or are just good at training. 🙂 Thanks for your help!

Thank you! And thanks so much for the reply. I bought an AquaClear 20 with the tank a year ago, but shortly after, I stopped using their brand refills and started using my own: For mechanical, I use some filter floss topped with an Aquatic Experts pad that has filter floss and a polishing pad; for chemical, I formerly used charcoal but have since switched to Purigen that I add to appropriate sized extra fine mesh media bag; for bio, I use Matrix in a coarse mesh media bag. I clean the filter and replace the media regularly (I let the bio run much longer, though), but never all at once. If water quality is the issue, then it's something that I'm not yet testing for. No, but I did consider that the other day when I read about a possible oxygen problem. I just assumed with a 10-gallon that water movement from the HoB filter running wide open would be enough. Am I wrong? Oh, wow. Very good to know. That gives me hope that things might not be as bad as they seem. Apologies for the ignorance, but how does driftwood help? Is it just more space to accumulate algae for them to eat? Thanks again! This was very helpful.

Hi, all! I’m new here and am looking for some advice. My son has a 10 gallon tank that I helped him set up about a year ago. It has 4 fish—combo of mollies and platies (or is the plural platys?)—that have been doing well all along. We got some algae buildup, so I was told snails would be a good idea. At the time, I didn’t know much about them, and I was sold a couple of mystery snails. They did an okay job on the gravel but not so much on the decor objects in the tank. After digging into more reading, I decided to get a couple of Nerites (wishing that’s what I’d started with). The Nerites did an amazing job. I know that 4 snails is a bit much for that size tank, so we supplemented the mystery snails with blanched veggies and other snail food, which they loved. Just as I’d read, the Nerites were picky eaters, so I was hoping they’d concentrate on the algae while I got the mystery snails to focus on the other food. All seemed to be going well, and I decided that it might be a good idea to provide some added calcium for shell health. A few days ago, I added one (even though it calls for several) small Wonder Shell to test results. A day or two later, one of the Nerites was dead. It was older, so I thought it might be coincidence. A day or so after that, the other Nerite died. The mystery snails seem okay except that they seem to be spending more time near the top waterline. I tested the levels of amonia, nitrites, and nitrates, and they all look good. The only two things I’ve read that raised my eyebrows were: 1) Someone used a Wonder Shell and ended up with dead snails because he said his water was already very hard and the thinks the Wonder Shells gave him an overdose of minerals. My water is not soft but doesn’t test as very hard either. For top-offs and water changes, I use tap water with Seachem Prime to dechlorinate. I’ve removed what remains of the Wonder Shell in the meantime. Unfortunately, I do not yet have a reef test kit for measuring calcium, phosphate, etc. 2) Someone suggested that snails at the top could mean low oxygen. I don’t yet have a way to test that. I assumed that a hang-on-back filter with a good water drop would sufficiently move the water enough to keep the oxygen levels up in that size tank. Does anyone have any advice or have an idea of what happened (or is happening)? I’m grateful for any help. Thanks!