MorbidFinch

A little late in the day for math don't you think😋? I was doing between 25% and 50% daily, and removing what I could by hand from the glass and plants etc.

I use 75 watts Jagers in my 10 gallons and they work very well. I have more of a temperature variance between my room and the tank though, so 50 would probably be fine for most people. I've had good luck with the Eheim Jagers in general. Not the most compact though I'd concede.

The correct answer is "it depends", as annoying as it sounds. How heavily planted, and how do your water tests look (nitrates especially)? Generally water changes are used to keep those nitrates manageable, so that would be a starting point of information on how much and how often to change.

I recently fought an algae fight. My battle was won with reducing the intensity of the light, shortening the duration of the light being on, reducing plant fertilizer (heavily planted tank), and daily water changes. The internet says that algae can actually utilize the blue lights where plants generally cannot. I would have the light out completely and avoid just the blues.

I've gotten my 20 long completely cycled and the algae under control just in time for the guppies. As long as another blizzard doesn't delay them 🤨.

They are not the same species (Chinese one is Cipangopaludina chinensis vs Pomacea bridgesii, so different genus even) and I was also surprised they were mentioned in Wisconsin. Hopefully the similar common name doesn't cause problems.

Thanks. I'll have to look into that. In the past I've contacted the author's of papers like this directly and they usually share them quite freely. Maybe that's still the case. Right? Can't have a snail but feel free to have 20 assault rifles.

Thanks for the thoughts. I've already started trying to track someone down, or more accurately, track someone down to track someone down. I actually tried persuing this in the bit of dialogue I had with the State. I figured that there had to have been someone who has put an invert forward for review, with as popular as they are in the hobby. That's where I put forward my short list and was told there had never been an invert suggested before. Then I learned this process is very vague and difficult to navigate. I'm going to see what happens though and learn from it. I was going to maybe crowd source some like-minded people in Maine but no luck so far.

Air temperatures for the lows average in the teens generally, but in the ponds and lakes it varies quite a bit. Some of the information on the Maine state website seems to say that at the bottom of lakes the water can stay at 39 degrees even in the winter.

Thanks. I was hoping on more thoughts on that. Maybe just start with the two that they said seemed reasonable and see how the process goes. I haven't keep shrimp so I wasn't sure how similar, for instance, all the Neocaridina would be. I think starting with one species and working up to the whole genus makes sense though.

LOL. Most online retailers will sell and ship them (I've been told), but they won't do restricted plants (go figure). And you're right, it would be easy enough to travel over the border and stock up, I just generally try to respect local laws, especially when there is good reason behind it. Maine actually has a list of what is allowed, and it has no inverts at all. Technically any animal not on that list is illegal to possess. I feel it's because it's easier to just say everything's illegal, and then start an allowed list, than the other way around.

They don't in store. Their website is generally wrong in that regard.

Hi folks. I would like to have snails and shrimp in my freshwater tanks, but unfortunately in Maine (where I live) these are not technically legal to own (not one species of invert at all!). I’m hoping you can help. I’ve been in contact with the state department that oversees this, and the primary concern would be the invasiveness of species. In my preliminary dialogue where I posited a few species, they seem to think that Nerite snails and Amano shrimp seem to have a low chance of become invasive in the wild and worth putting forward for further review, so good news there. There is a formal process to have species considered, and the more information the better. My Google-fu is respectable, and I have lots of resources on how to keep these animals happy and healthy. What I need more of is information that would build a case as to how these tropical freshwater inverts would have a very low likelihood of establishing themselves in the Maine wild. Intuitively you would think as cold as it gets in Maine in the winter, that tropical animals wouldn’t stand a chance, but I need as much solid scientific information as I can gather to support this directly. My initial petition would probably be some of the most popular, common, and loved species: Mystery snails (Pomacea bridgesii), Nerite snails (Neritina sp.), Amano shrimp (Caridina multidentata), and Neocaridina shrimp (Neocaridina sp.). I’ve grouped the Nerites and Neocaridina together as they seem to be generally either very similar or treated as a group in the hobby as far as care and water parameters are concerned. I know that species such as Mystery snails can be invasive, but I’ve only found evidence for this specific species in tropical areas that quite closely resemble their natural habitat. If you have information otherwise though, please also share it as well. I respect the state’s efforts in this, and only want to put forth those species that seem reasonable. I’m having difficulty finding information that seems to be specific to this. If you have information or experience, or know of an expert in the biology or ecology, of these animals, and would like to help us aquarists in the frozen tundra have these awesome animals in our tanks, we would appreciate it. Thanks in advance for any resources you may have or suggestions. I know this is a bit out of scope for the forum.

I'm going to chime in on the "me too" train. I bought some val from the Co-Op, and some dwarf sag in November. The sag immediately shot up to the top of my 29 gallon, at least 18" tall, but my val is still maybe 4". It's funny because I placed the val in the back and the sag in the mid thinking their lengths would be reversed. Both have runners though so I think they're doing okay.

I tried with a cheap 200 tooth blade and the cut was decent but not great. I like that material though as a lid, so I may try a different blade or possibly something to mitigate the plastic chipping.