Jeff

Same. I just consider them part of the ecosystem - however many there are. I don't understand the term 'pest snail' ...lol

I don't go with the dirted method, as the dirt eventually runs out of nutrients. I use gravel. Also, IMO, fish poop gets to the bottom easier with gravel vs dirt, for plants.

A razor blade should work.

This is the best I've ever seen and tried. It's so good - better than any mag float type of device you'll try. What makes it so good, is it goes easy on the silicone in the corners. https://www.aquariumcoop.com/collections/cleaning-supplies/products/algae-scrubber

Ok; poly fill can never hurt. It helps quite a bit, to help keep your water clear. Also - yeah...I would cut your light time down to anywhere from 6-8 hours.

Off the top of my head: - do you use poly fill in your filter? If so, do you take out the old and replace with new when you do water changes? -how long are your lights on for each day? -have you considered more plants - like floaters to help out compete this algae and other algae problems you've had?

I think the starting point, IMO, to have a jungle style tank is to have lots of tall plants - including the back wall covered with them. If this was my tank, and I was doing a jungle style like you want - I would cover the back wall with Pogostemon Stellatus Octopus - it's a fast grower, and fills in spaces like that pretty well....or you could do Valliseneria. From here - whichever one you chose for the back wall, I would use the other one to put on the sides and/or have a couple in the middle with the other current plants you have. Lastly - how long has your tank been seasoned for? Shrimp need a very seasoned tank. I just wanted to throw that out there, if you didn't know.

Yep. Cory always mentions to put the diffuser as low as possible in your aquarium, for this reason.

Frogbit is my favorite floater. It doesn't matter if it gets splashed with water.

Same to EricksonAquatics. The ACO sponges are mircale workers. So much better than any algae scraper out there, imo. I was hesitant to get one - but so happy I eventually took the plunge.

No prob. I was actually looking into setting up a Discus tank for a while...which is why I was reading reviews, etc. I backed out, because I wanted a more diverse community planted tank.

I've never kept or purchased Discus. However, I've read a lot of reviews that mention Discus Hans as a very reputable place online.

Awesome find; thanks.

I'm cycling my 55g quarantine tank, with two ACO sponge filters. I've got the med trio ready for when I get fish. So, I'm won't be needing salt. I've got pvc pipe for hiding places. I'm interested in having plants in there. I would use the Easy Planter only. No substrate in the tank. Would any of the med trio hurt plants if I were to put some in the tank?

I would skip gravel vac'ing. You're pulling up fish poop which is good food for your plants. Other than that - consistent water changes are always a good thing.

I know someone mentioned Repashy gel. But, you can always feed it as the powder as well.

Tell us more about your tank: how long it's been set up? Fish, lights, filtration, Nitrates?

Thanks y'all. Was hoping it would be a community fish with that bright orange color. Unfortunately not, and it needs a 120g 😭

I saw it on the Steenfott Aquatics background loop during their stream; and I've never seen them before.

The Co-Op light is affordable too. I highly recommend that one.

Algae wouldn't move the second you put your hand near it, imo. All the clues make it seem like mulm. Mulm is a good thing for your aquarium. If you don't like the look of it, then gravel vac is the easiest way to remove it.

Mollies have that longer, slender body like that. Mollies FTW

Do you have a link for this? Sorry...thread from the dead...but looking into a store bought option. Hand grinding in a plastic container is a lot of work.

A quick update on this. I went with the alternative Co-Op website recommendation of trimming it, and planting it as a 'bunch'. Added an airstone to the tank, and....poof! THRIVING

It's definitely a bucket list place to visit for myself. My wife has a work conference in Seattle next year. Hoping that she can go. If that happens, I'm getting to the store someway somehow.