[Unauthorized snail breeding LoL]

There’s a great journal from @Chick-In-Of-TheSea on their journey of how/when to hatch them out, cleaning, feeding, etc. It is very entertaining and educational. I will find it and post it. On YouTube there’s Lav’s Snails that has some good content too on what to expect.  
 

Good luck and keep us posted!

[What do you see when you look at the tank....]

Blue-eye lemon Pleco would look great against that dark background and substrate. Grace is a beauty!

[Unauthorized snail breeding LoL]

Hi @Confetto, wow that’s a big clutch!  I’m a newbie to incubating mystery snail clutches and just finished my second clutch. My first clutch was big but only 7 snails hatched (3 survived). My second clutch was much smaller, only the size of a chick pea and 23 hatched out of that one. All were in a 4 gallon and let me tell you things got funky in a hurry. I was feeding a lot and those hungry mouths are eating and pooping a lot. It was very stressful siphoning out old food every day and checking and double checking for any babies I may have accidentally siphoned up. If you’re going to raise them, I’d definitely go with a 10 gal minimum. I think I read a clutch can potentially have 150+ babies.

Is Zamboni the only occupant in that 3 gal?

[How to slow down pump flow on Fluval Flex 15g]

I had to put two pre filter sponges over each of the output nozzles. I no longer keep a betta in my Flex 9.  

[How does one move Amano shrimp from one tank to another?]

Definitely try Hikari Crab Cuisine pellets to bait your trap or net. It is irresistible to Amanos. Plus, when fed regularly it’s comical watching them dart in to grab the pellet and sometimes try to grab more than they can carry 😆

[Found a Big Mystery Snail Clutch This Morning]

Posting an update on my snabies. Of the surviving 3 (2 ivory, 1 blue), I think they’re big enough to move out of their 4 gallon and into my established 10 gallon that I’m prepping to be their permanent home. By prepping I mean removing all adult ramshorn snails. The 10 gal is lightly planted and used to have nothing but ramshorns and a juvenile BN Pleco that was rehomed and one adult gold mystery snail. 
 

Question for @Guppysnail @Chick-In-Of-TheSea @Cinnebuns any any other members please chime in. With the current size of the babies (plump thumb) will the other full adult gold mystery snail potentially cause any harm to the youngsters?  Not knowing their sex, could the larger gold snail (if male) harm the younger/smaller babies (if female) if they mate??  Should I wait until the babies are bigger?  The 4 gallon is getting cramped as there’s an additional 13 snabies from another tiny clutch I didn’t expect anything from after incubating (the clutch itself was only pea size) but I got 13 little magentas I think!  

[Canister Filter Outdoors]

Sound advice, thanks @mynameisnobody  My 100 gal pond is an experiment to see that 1) I would enjoy an actual outdoor koi pond as much as my indoor aquariums, 2) I could grow the pond plants and 3) still being a little hesitant to digging up my back yard to install an in-ground real pond.

The fluval canister was $124 at a big box, but rated for much smaller water volume (45 gal max). I was looking for supplemental filtration so it worked out. Think I’m going to get a UV deck box to protect my fluval while it’s seasoning before I bring inside for the fall. But I think the pond guy filter can handle the volume and take the outdoor abuse so it’s worth the money. Next year!

[Canister Filter Outdoors]

Great tip @mynameisnobody I skipped the actual pond stores thinking the filters and pumps would all be overkill for a 100 gal above ground stock tank in my patio. Plus my thinking that the canister would be indoors for 9 months out of the year (in Chicago) wouldn’t damage it. Did you bury your simplyclear?  My “pond” is in my sunken patio which is already 5 feet below ground. 

[Canister Filter Outdoors]

On 8/27/2023 at 5:36 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

The big concern is UV and Rain.

Thanks. Was hoping to just get through Sept and maybe October before I bring everything inside. I will get it protected asap! Thank you. 

[Canister Filter Outdoors]

Hi forum members. I just installed a Fluval 207 to my goldfish patio pond (100 gal) for some extra filtration and water movement. There  have been two large sponge filters all spring/summer. The pond has been running since late April and now there seems to be a lot of sediment or silt on the plants (hornwort) and the roots of the water hyacinth. Plus I’m going to move the three goldfish (comets and a koi) inside in the fall and will then use the hopefully seasoned canister inside. 
 

So my question is more around protecting the canister from the elements while it’s outside for another month or two. I thought about a 5 gal bucket with a lid and dremmeling holes in the lid for the tubing. Also thought of a piece of tarp. 
 

Anyway, please let me know if you think this set up needs adjustment or could work as is. 

[QUIET HOB recommendations for 10 gallon and 5 gallon?]

I like the Dennerle Eckfilter. Not hob, but have adjustable flow, silent, shrimp safe, well made. I stopped using their cartridge and just cut to fit coarse sponge pad and stuff it in.  I have one in a 10 gal and in two of my 6 gal cubes.  All three have a betta .

[New betta build]

Nice!  Who’s the lucky betta?

[Mystery Snail Question]

@CJs Aquatics I’m glad you posted this. Can I ask how you found the planaria and identified them?  I know what they look like blown up and magnified from online pics. But I’m trying to id som very very very small white fast moving wormy things on the glass of my baby mystery snail tank. I cannot see a pointy head or cross-eyed. They are so teeny tiny. But after reading this post I’m getting worried. 

[Update to my last post. So it turns out it isn’t my windows.]

Glad the noise may be resolved. I have a pleco in one tank that constantly rearranges the substrate including banging or rasping on a glass thermometer. The thermometer then taps on the wall of the tank and made a clickety clackety sound that took me a while to figure out. 
 

Very nice tanks btw!!

[Are my large tank fears irrational? Give me your stats!]

Hi @PineSong, I too have started planning the fall migration of my pond fish from their 100 gallon stock tank to a 40 gallon breeder in my basement.  This was my first season with the pond. I had debated getting a 50 gallon stock tank to overwinter the fish because I really like the  durability of those big Rubbermaid tubs and wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally banging a laundry basket or the vacuum against it. But settled on the 40 glass breeder because I’m really looking forward to actually seeing the fish from all angles 😁

[Found a Big Mystery Snail Clutch This Morning]

Hi @Chick-In-Of-TheSea I’m actually changing 50% of the water every day. Because I’m using a small python hose to siphon out the moldy food, a lot of water comes out too so it ends up being a 50% water change. Plus, with my work schedule, I’m cleaning and feeding after work and so food sits a solid 24 hours. Maybe I need to switch that up and do mornings instead like you suggest 

Question- would spring water help to add minerals to the water?

[Found a Big Mystery Snail Clutch This Morning]

The moldy pics were from a few weeks ago. The inactivity is from the last 5 days or so. When I got home today and cleaned them out, I tried rubbing a calcium chip in the water as opposed to just dropping it in. They woke up a bit but move like they’re frozen. Water is murky from the rubbed chip. Added extra IAL too. Tested water again and all within ideal ranges. Fed powdered Repashy (solient green) and first bites. Also soaked and mushed up a crayfish pellet. 

 

[Found a Big Mystery Snail Clutch This Morning]

On 7/29/2023 at 11:26 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

What are you using for your calcium source?

What do your other water tests look like? And temp? 
ammonia, nitrite, nitrate 

I have calcium chips from Crayfish Empire. They get mold spores the next day so I take it out. Uneaten food grows white mold spores too. I also have nano blocks and they get so moldy too. 
 

Ammonia 0

Nitrite 0

Nitrate 10

temp 77-78F

4 gallon cube tank with small seasoned fine sponge filter.

 

I have lots of IAL and first bites food, but thought they’d be on to bigger stuff by now. I received an order of pellets and cookies and snello kit from Crayfish Empire for later and for the adults. 

[Found a Big Mystery Snail Clutch This Morning]

On 7/29/2023 at 10:16 AM, Guppysnail said:

They may be lacking minerals they need for muscle function in the water. What are your ph kh gh. 

Ph 7.2

gh 300

kh 60

 

Tetra strip test from yesterday. 

[Found a Big Mystery Snail Clutch This Morning]

I’m concerned for my almost 7 week old snabies. They don’t move much. They still do not eat prepared foods or blanched veggies. They only “wake up” if I disturb them while siphoning old food. They are usually found in the same place from the night before and laying on their backside or side. If I touch them they flinch so I know they’re alive. When they wake up they still dont glide around. They just open up and stay put and then I find them later tucked up in their same spots. They are never on the glass wall. 
 

Is this normal @Guppysnail @Chick-In-Of-TheSea @Cinnebuns
 

The pic below was after I cleaned and placed all three on the leaf. 

[Betta fin advice]

Nice fish!!  Do you use catappa leaves?  Keeping pristine water conditions is the best preventative but isn’t a guarantee they’ll never get fin rot. Are there any sharp decorations in his tank?

[Anubias rot]

Hi @Scaperoot thanks for posting this as I am seeing the same thing in my tanks. They are older (2+ years) and one by one the leaves are separating from the rhizome and found floating at the surface. Some plants are glued to rocks and one was weighted with lead plant weight. I assumed the one with the lead weight may have been too smothered by the weight but can’t explain the others. 

[Aquascaping 101]

Hi. I watched a lot of videos from MD Fish Tanks and got hooked on how he scaped tanks of all sizes. Some basic and some intricate. All beautiful. 

[Plant Recommendations: 20 Gallon Long Blue Dream and Mystery Snail Breeding Tank]

You’re off to a great start. I’d add a check valve too. Agree 100% with @Scapexghost, the Ziss air stones are awesome. 

[Starting brand new 10 Gallon]

And know that during this cycling phase, things in your tank are gonna get funky. As in potential cloudy water, biofilm growing on surfaces, algae, etc.   All normal stuff that will pass. Be patient.