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How much algae wafer should I give my 2 nerite snails? Do they cloud the water? I have been recovering from surgery so my husband has been taking care of my 6 gallon betta tank. He was giving a wafer a day and I think it may be too much. It looks like there’s leftover wafer so I’ll need to do a water clean and get the excess out.  Otherwise, I don’t know what’s clouding the water. I did just redo the entire tank the day before my surgery because there was what looked like hair algae in it. I’m disappointed that I had to start a new cycle. I don’t know what else to do and felt rushed. I was going to put in a bio soil substrate but didn’t want to rush it plus I hadn’t learned enough about it yet, so I put in gravel. I’ll probably want to do a do over again after my 2nd surgery recovery. Or u may just leave as is. The surgeries were unexpected. 

Edited by apleiadean42
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On 8/23/2024 at 2:41 PM, apleiadean42 said:

How much algae wafer should I give my 2 nerite snails?

Your right one wafer may be too much. You could feed half a wafer or less. 

On 8/23/2024 at 2:41 PM, apleiadean42 said:

Do they cloud the water?

Depends on the brand. I personally never had wafers cloud the water. @apleiadean42

Edited by Tlindsey
Miss spelling
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On 8/23/2024 at 5:57 PM, Lennie said:

I have not seen one eating any sort to this day

You may be correct. I have had tons of mystery snails and just a few nerites. Nerites always seemed more fragile for some reason. Possibly the fact they were running out of food. Not as much algae. I know all my mysteries eat everything. Including high protein fish remains. They have been known to find the algae wafers before Cory’s. 

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On 8/24/2024 at 6:26 AM, Tony s said:

@Lennie I wondering now, if switching to a higher plant based wafer would work. Something like northfins algae wafer or veggie flakes. The primary ingredient in Hikari being fish meal. 

The best one I have is Tropical’s Hi-Algae XXL tabs I guess. They have above %52 algae and 5 different algaes in it. This is my fav for fish like bristlenose too. 

It may take time fish to convert to a healthier diet but it happens with some work and patience

Ingredients: algae (Spirulina platensis 36%, Ascophyllum nodosum 8%, Laminaria digitata 6%, Chlorella vulgaris 1.2%, Lithothamnium calcareum 1.2%), cereals, derivatives of vegetable origin (including oak bark meal 1%), molluscs and crustaceans (whole shrimps meal 4%, krill meal 3%), fruit (apples 4%), vegetable protein extracts, fish and fish derivatives, yeasts, oils and fats, minerals (including zeolite 1%). Additives (per kg): Vitamins, pro-vitamins and chemically well-defined substances having similar effect: vit. A 35 400 IU, vit. D3 2 100 IU, vit. E 135 mg, vit. C 515 mg. Compounds of trace elements: E1 (Fe) 41.0 mg, E6 (Zn) 11.5 mg, E5 (Mn) 8.5 mg, E4 (Cu) 2.0 mg, E2 (I) 0.2 mg, E8 (Se) 0.2 mg, E7 (Mo) 0.05 mg. Antioxidants.

Analytical constituents: crude protein 41.0%, crude oils and fats 6.3%, crude fibres 4.1%, moisture 10.0%

 

 

 

 

I personally dont like Hikari’s algae tab. Or better to say I like to feed my animals of any sort when I can clearly see the ingredients in in it. 
Hikari algae tabs dont even have algae as the first ingredients in it.

Ingredients: fish meal, wheat flour, wheat germ meal, starch, dried seaweed meal, dried bakery products, alfalfa concentrate, alfalfa meal, brewers yeast, soybean meal, fish oil, krill meal, spirulina, garlic, chlorella, stabilized vitamin C, vitamins, minerals. 

Crude Protein: min 33%; Crude Fat: min 4%; Crude Fibre: max 3%; Moisture: 10%; Crude Ash: 17%; phosphorous: 0.8% 
 

 

I fed it to my snails so time ago when I got it to not waste the product  and money but one pack is even outdated left forgotten. I like the current ones I feed more.

Sadly no fish ever liked new life spectrum’s algae tabs in my case even snails mostly didnt touch it 

We dont have nortfin here

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On 8/23/2024 at 4:57 PM, Lennie said:

I have not seen one eating any sort to this day. I had like 11 nerites and I have 4 different algae tabs and I prep snellos

so my vote goes to none

What do you give them to eat? I put in a carrot and I saw them on it some, then I put in 2 slices of blanched zucchini. The next day is when my cloudy water and hair algae problem started.  A few days ago I did a water change, replaced most of the water. I’m starting to see a little of that same clear algae form in the tank again. It doesn’t seem this was part of my cycling process before…

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Every Nerite snail I've owned would not touch any wafers.  They just ate the biofilm/algae off everything in the tank. (Want to feed them a little more, leave the lights on a little longer).

 

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On 8/26/2024 at 2:15 AM, apleiadean42 said:

What do you give them to eat? I put in a carrot and I saw them on it some, then I put in 2 slices of blanched zucchini. The next day is when my cloudy water and hair algae problem started.  A few days ago I did a water change, replaced most of the water. I’m starting to see a little of that same clear algae form in the tank again. It doesn’t seem this was part of my cycling process before…

Nothing. I added them to established tanks with lots of wood pieces and rocks and didn’t clean glasses or at least left some sides untouched. I also offer leaf litter when they start decaying snails may graze on them

And I always understock them and have no competition on the available natural geowth to graze. So no other well known algae eaters of the same algae type like otos or bn that may graze on similar growth to not have any competition on the food source. Borneo loach was OK,as they cant eat even eat stuff such as diatoms like otos can do. 
 

 

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If there isn't quite enough algae in the tank to support them perhaps a bit of Repashy Super Green,  The gel it forms will make it much easier to control portions too.  

You mentioned clear algae....I see that form on wood especially in a newer tank.  I just leave it alone and the critters in the tank eat it.  It goes away. 

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On 8/23/2024 at 2:41 PM, apleiadean42 said:

How much algae wafer should I give my 2 nerite snails? Do they cloud the water? I have been recovering from surgery so my husband has been taking care of my 6 gallon betta tank. He was giving a wafer a day and I think it may be too much. It looks like there’s leftover wafer so I’ll need to do a water clean and get the excess out.  Otherwise, I don’t know what’s clouding the water. I did just redo the entire tank the day before my surgery because there was what looked like hair algae in it. I’m disappointed that I had to start a new cycle. I don’t know what else to do and felt rushed. I was going to put in a bio soil substrate but didn’t want to rush it plus I hadn’t learned enough about it yet, so I put in gravel. I’ll probably want to do a do over again after my 2nd surgery recovery. Or u may just leave as is. The surgeries were unexpected. 

I hope post op is going well.

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On 8/23/2024 at 4:57 PM, Lennie said:

I have not seen one eating any sort to this day. I had like 11 nerites and I have 4 different algae tabs and I prep snellos

so my vote goes to none

I agree with this 

Most nerites will not eat any commercial foods or even veggies. It doesn't hurt to try but be prepared for them to ignore it. Instead, you can try 2 things. 1.  Keep the lights on to encourage algae growth of 2.  Get some cholla wood or leaves. They will eat that. 

Edited by Cinnebuns
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I give my shrimps a wafer as well as my cory's and other ground dwellers ( although the entire tank goes banana's for them)  They don't cloud the tanks at all,  can be sitting and be a snack on the bottom for a long time no issue

Snails don't seem to be attracted to them though,  they seem happy enough with the glass algue and wood.

Edited by Ravelle
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