Anita

You are a magic shopper! Don't lose that source. 😎 You did indeed! My friends would reveal to all that I am OCD about researching, well... pretty much everything. They will also tell you I am overly cautious about chemicals and what not. I certainly agree that we need to be more conscientious with our chemical disposal. Between you and me, poor @KyleKVK's head is probably spinning. Warm regards @darkG 🥰

Fill 'er up! Wheeeeeee...😆

Yes, please learn from my mistakes! Your pond residents will thank you. 🐟🌿🐌

@JamesB My apologies, it has been a hectic weekend! Haha, the pressure is on for me to provide something useful! 😎 No worries! Seems like you could try giving Hugo some food. I might suggest you do it when you can watch how he behaves. Observation is your #1 tool for diagnosing animal problems, because as you know, Hugo cannot tell you how he's feeling. I would also suggest you not worry about filming and focus all your attention on just watching him. Take notes, if it helps you remember small details. Pick a time when you can watch him during and for at least 20 minutes after feeding. Remove the blanket at least 30 minutes before feeding, so he doesn't spazz out with all movement he isn't used to seeing. Imagine Hugo is in one of those prison films, where the guy comes out of "the hole" (solitary confinement) after 10 days. 😵Let Hugo settle down and then give him a very light meal, 1/3-1/2 of what he usually gets. Feed him a couple bits and then watch him. When he finishes, feed him a bit more. And so on... I think at this point, you might want to leave the blanket off. After all, your plants won't like being in the dark! If he doesn't have any problems with the small meal, slowly start increasing the amount of food until if seems like he is back to a full meal. You will have to figure out how much more to give him at a time as you go. That is why it is so important that you watch him! Treating Hugo's Fin Rot Hmm, I think you should hold off on adding anything to the water, including API Stress Coat (see my note below). For now, let's gradually get Hugo back to eating full meals again. OK, I did some digging into what medications are available in Canada. Again, big disclaimer that I AM NOT A VETERINARIAN. But I think we can agree that you are feeling a bit cornered by your lack of options. I am going a little overboard with the geek-speak because I think, if you can follow me, it will help you figure out some options. Also, the links provide the references I used to come up with these three points. So bear with me here... Point #1: I found two medications specifically used to treat bacterial and/or fungal infections in aquarium fish. I believe you can purchase either of them in Canada. One is kanamycin sulfate (an aminoglycoside antibiotic), which is sold as Seachem Kanaplex. The other is sulfathiazole (a sulfa drug*), which is sold as Seachem Sulfaplex. The bad news is it also seems like these two medications are hard to find and incredibly expensive. Perhaps another supply chain shortage caused by the pandemic? Point #2: I looked at API Stress Coat and geez, I am not impressed. The only active ingredient listed aloe vera, so I have no idea how API gets away with the claim that it "Removes chlorine, chloramines and heavy metals." Uh, as far as I know, aloe vera cannot do any of those things. It may have mild antiviral, antibacterial properties. Point #3: I also looked at a few other medications and unfortunately, most of them look like homemade remedies bottled up and packaged with a pretty label. $22 CDN for a 4 oz bottle of 1% cajuput essential oil? 😣 Ouch! You Canadian aquarists have it rough! Hey, so it is 1 am my time, haha! I am off to slumber land. 😴 Use the links to do some research of your own and let me know if anything is confusing. *Historical side note: Sulfa drugs were used to treat bacterial infections in humans prior to the discovery of antibiotics.

Sorry for the late response, it's been a hectic weekend. You can use 3% peroxide straight out of the bottle. I suggest letting it dry because the drying process also helps kill the algae. No need to rinse it off because as @darkG noted, no "nasty compounds" get left behind. A small amount (measured in milliliters) of H2O2 can be poured into an aquarium to kill algae. I have done this and also have used a very dilute (much, much lower than 3%) solution of H2O2 solution as a dip to remove algae on plants. Hmm, yeah, I'm not too sure about this. I guess, personally, I would not recommend using 6% or 12% peroxide. At these concentrations, the peroxide is a pretty strong oxidizer and definitely could burn wet skin. For example, hair bleaching products contain 6%-10% peroxide. And you will notice that stylists always wear gloves when highlighting or bleaching someone's hair. Higher concentrations of peroxide could also bleach your carpet, upholstery, or clothing if you spill any. Not to be an alarmist, but here is the material safety data sheet (MSDS) for 6% hydrogen peroxide. Nor do I think you can save money buying 6% and 12% peroxide. For example, I believe you will discover that one 16 oz bottle of 6% costs roughly $15, compared to two 16 oz bottles of 3% (roughly $2-$3 apiece). As soon as you crack the seal on the bottle, the peroxide reacts with the atmosphere and begins to degrade. The higher the percentage, the faster the rate of degradation. It would a shame to spend the extra money on 6% peroxide that six months later is considerably weaker than what you paid for. At any rate, we do seem to agree that you don't need anything stronger than 3%. The peroxide breaks down during the soak, so you cannot reuse it. Just pour it down the sink. Good luck! Please let us know how it works for you! Photos would be awesome. 😎

And the snails are back! 😍 Saturday morning I added another mulberry leaf and a medium grape leaf, and Repashy Super Green made with Drosophila. The mulberry leaves are definitely getting nibbled on—and the amount eaten seems like more than just the guppies and shrimp. 🤞 Saturday evening I added three small Aquatic Arts pellets, which were gone by Sunday. But who knows who ate them. Probably the guppies, haha!😋 Sunday morning, the guppies got flake food. I added a micro-food solution—bee pollen and Mikrobs (microbial inoculant) dissolved in water—using a long "turkey baster" feeder to squirt the micro-food solution just above the gravel. I decided to keep the temperature permanently lowered to 76° (two degrees cooler than the initial set up). These videos were taken on Friday and Saturday. Looking good!

I am seeing good things happening in the tank (see photos below), so hopefully... 😇

Epilogue: How did this happen? I was thinking the Anubias was showing signs of nutrient deficiency—small pin holes in the leaves. So I did what I always do with my other guppy tanks, I added two squirts of Easy Green one day, two squirts of kelp solution the next day. I do this much for my other two guppy tanks, so I didn't give it a second thought. And then, since I was in plant care mode, I decided to give the Vallisneria some root tabs! At any rate, the under-gravel filter (UGF) probably sucked up the extra nutrients from the root tabs and spit everything into solution, i.e., into the rest of the aquarium. du-OH! Like I said, too smart for my own good sometimes. 🤪

What @Streetwisesaid! Absolutely out of this world! 👽🪐

Right? The odd thing was that the shrimp and guppies were fine. During the nitrate spike, all the teeny baby shrimp were swimming around without a care in the world. Sheesh! Ah, very busy indeed. And I get to carry water up from and down to the basement in buckets. Thankfully, it is only a 10-gal aquarium! I was also surprised when I got them. Yes, they are big! Like a Mystery Snail crossed with saltwater Conch, haha! 😜Although, that shrimp in the GIF is quite small, probably less the 0.75 inch long. The guppies are young too, so only about an inch. I just hope I haven't permanently injured them. At least my water has a high pH and is quite hard. I believe that gives me a bit more wiggle room with nitrogen toxicity, than low pH/soft water.

Saturday evening (5 minutes ago). The snails are moving around the tank again. Hopefully, Snail Armageddon has been averted. 🥴

Continued from the previous post. Friday morning: one day and two 50% water changes later... As mentioned above, I remove the dead snail. I also inspect the largest snail. VERY GENTLY, I push on the operculum with a soft plastic pipette, and it reacts. OK, so still alive. I remove all the food—squash, mulberry leaves, and grape leaves. I pull out the food dish, wash it, and return the empty dish into the tank. No one gets fed today. Friday evening, one more 50% water change... I also test for ammonia. I add one small mulberry leaf and place the small snail, who has been the most active, in the dish. About 30 minutes later I noticed this (see below). So, I place the large snail on the food dish too. No other food. The guppies are not happy. Today, Saturday morning. No water change since last night... Both snails have moved off the dish during the night and are resting on the gravel. I feed a small pinch of flake food. The guppies are ecstatic! I add one Glasgarten Mineral Junkie pellet to the food dish.

Okey dokey. I have some good news and some bad news to share. First, the bad news. I am sad to report that the medium-sized snail did not make it. 😢 On Wed, I noticed it had not moved at all for nearly a day. By Fri morning, it was still in the same spot, so I picked it up and checked inside. As you can see in the photo, operculum has dropped off and the body is rotting inside the shell. You can also see a couple of pond snails feasting on the bounty. I also did a sniff test. Ugh! Yup, putrid snail meat. 😖 Now, what I hope is the good news, although it is highly likely that this poor snail's death is my fault. For a smart person, I can be incredibly DUMB! Hopefully anyone visiting the forum will learn from my mistake. The gorey details... Back up one day to Thursday morning. I notice the largest snail had also been stuck in one place for more than 12 hours (overnight). As @OceanTruth wondered, the snails are active during the dark period. Every morning leading up to Wednesday, the snails would be in a different spot from the night before. Hmm, so now I have two snails not moving. That means something. What could it be? Aw nuts, TEST THE WATER ANITA!!!! YIKES!! What the &*%^)&(*&$#3?<$???!!! 😱 Hang on guys. Fresh water is coming! Deep gravel vacuum and 50% water change... I just finish filling up the aquarium when I notice... A ray of hope! I also notice the Java Fern is showing what looks like leaf burn, like a houseplant that has been over-fertilized. Aarrgg. I check for other nitrogen sources, aka, green-dead-or-dying plant matter. I pull the Java Fern and trim off a bunch of dead and unhealthy leaves. I remove about 20% of the leaves, then return the Java Fern to the aquarium. I pull out all the Water Sprite and put it into a bucket of aged/treated water. I skim up the floating dead/loose leaves from the aquarium. I sort through the Water Sprite and return only medium-large, whole plants to the aquarium. I turn the temperature down to 75 degrees. Continued in the next post....

Remember that unglazed terracotta is porous clay. So, whatever solution you use will be absorbed by the terracotta. Also, even though you can kill the algae pretty easily, the terracotta may retain stains, similar to having a coffee stain on your shirt. ☕ Because of this property, I would avoid using anything that could later leach out into your aquarium. So, I think vinegar and chorine bleach are a thumbs down. 👎 E.g., vinegar is an acetic acid solution. Acetic acid is pretty stable and does not evaporate. So if you use vinegar, the terracotta will absorb the acetic acid, which could later be released into your aquarium and drop the pH. 😳 I think I would try hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) first. In my experience, it works pretty well at killing algae. It is also mild bleach, so it might help get rid of the stains. The benefit of peroxide is it does not leave any chemicals in the terracotta. Whatever soaks into the terracotta quickly breaks down into oxygen (02) ⚛️ and water (H2O). 🌊 Soak the terracotta cave in a bowl/bucket containing 3% hydrogen peroxide overnight. 3% is typically what you get from the drugstore. Do not use a higher percentage! Let the terracotta dry. At this point, the algae is dead. However, if it still looks "dirty," you could try boiling it in water and/or hand-scrubbing it, as @H.K.Luterman. You can also try these in the reverse order—boiling in water then soaking in H2O2—but I suggested soaking first because that method is the least amount of work! And I am lazy, haha! 😉 Let us know what works for you! 🤓

Haha, @Daniel appears to have noticed my Monty Python reference. Baby Boomers unite!

I second this recommendation! 🥰 Come on Hugo! 🐟

Haha, well if they start reproducing it will certainly prove I found their sweet spot. At this point, I am shooting for the modest of goal of keeping them alive. I noticed that most YouTubers only have one, short video of their Pagoda or Chopstick Snails. On the other hand, you can find dozens of videos on Rabbit, Mystery, Ramshorn, Malaysian Trumpet, etc. Reading between the lines, I suspect this means people are not keeping them alive, much less breeding them. Also, I made a correction to the photo. The immobile snail is the middle-sized one. The smallest is definitely the most active; it is the one most likely to be active during a lighted period. The largest tends to stay put, not moving until I am not watching (i.e., during a dark period) like the game Red Light, Green Light. Or like the Dr. Who episode "Blink." 😄 When the lights come on, it is in a new spot. At any rate, I may have discovered the problem and will share details later. I just wanted to give a quick answer to your questions, which turn out to be indeed relevant (and handy) to my sleuthing. Bit of a hectic morning. After feeding the furballs, I discovered someone had an accident last night. So that needed to be cleaned up. Next came the snail tank. And now, I am off to have breakfast. It is currently 11:30a and I am starving! 🥴

@StephenP2003 ORD 😆 And of course, is only funny to a bunch of fish heads. Sort of reminded me of a park bench, where there's a couple snogging. And everyone is going by, pushing strollers, jogging, playing Frisbee, etc. Not giving the lovers a second look.😉

Photos taken today. I am growing concerned about the middle-sized (medium) of the three (this top photo). Hasn't budged in nearly 18 hours, which is not a good sign. 😟 Come on buddy! The largest of the three. He is OK. They do this a lot, just let their bodies hang outside the shell. Right side up, upside down. It is as if they are narcoleptic and fall asleep mid-crawl. I am willing to bet that by tomorrow morning, he'll have wandered off to another part of the tank. "No no he's not dead, he's, he's restin'! Remarkable snail, the Pagoda Snail, idn'it, ay? Beautiful shell!"

@OceanTruth ORD 😆

Why thank you! Yes, I picked up the handyperson gene from my Dad. Haha, I hear you! BTW, diamond cutters are MUCH easier to use than regular masonry bits. They cut more efficiently so you can use less down pressure; the pots are less likely to crack. Also, I soaked the pots in a bucket for two days before drilling/cutting.

This video is rated PG-13. Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13. 😎

Built some terra cotta hides for the snails. I wanted to give the Pagodas a dark hidey-hole and still avoid creating stagnant water. Trying to decide which style to use. 🤔 I am thinking about supergluing moss or plants on top.

Exactly! You wouldn't need it for a quick looksee. 👍 ORD 💜