View Full Version : new to most inverts
so the titles a bit misleading, im new to most inverts. and very new to plants. but im going to have an open heavily planted 20 gallon soon, and i want to get some shrimp, whats attractive, largish, fairly easy to get and can keep a colony in a 20?
just a small add on i can do any water specs needed im trying to find out why people love snails so much. and my water is usually at 0,0,5 so things like water quality isnt much issue.
What are your pH and KH? Snails for the most part need calcium enriched foods. Water should not be soft and acidic as this increases the incidence of shell erosion. There's a sticky thread for snail jello recipe or try to make plaster of Paris pucks (recipe in sticky). What snails are you looking for? Where are you located? Mystery snails (Pomacea diffusa), nerites and viviparids are legal and available. See our Classified Ads section for snail sales. The only reason we love snails is because they are entertaining to watch.;) I have P. canaliculata as well. These grow to baseball size. The downside with most apple snails is they eat plants so they are not suited for planted tank setups. P. diffusa are not plant eaters fortunately and are legal to sell and ship around. If you want the plant eaters such as canas, haustrums and marisas, obtain them legally within your state.
southerndesert
01-29-2009, 7:25 AM
Yes to recommend shrimp species will need your PH and intended temps as well.....
stezatois
01-29-2009, 7:25 AM
i have bamboo shrimp they get pretty big and are cool looking, but there are so many nice looking ones that its hard to say really.
im looking for snails i have a shrimp tank up and going i have a few bamboos cherry's and some vampire shrimp. great tank i love it. my water is regulated by my sand, ph8 never tested my kh ... ever but .... it doesn't affect my fish any i would say my waters pretty nutral, not hard or soft. and apple snails are a no no i love my planted tank and i dont want it eaten. im gunna doa snail only for a while, but if i get bored i also want somethign i can throw in with shrimp.
ohh im in Michigan b.t.dubs, theirs not a whole lot illegal out here but carp and plants that ive seen.
AquaGem
01-29-2009, 3:08 PM
Not all apple snails eat plants. Brigs (mystery snails) are apple snails that don't, and they reach about golf ball size. They come in some very cool colors as well :) They need a high ph. Oh, and nerites are fun. They eat algae which is nice. I love snails because they are colorful, different, have personality, and get up to some crazy stuff. Oh and what nice is brigs lay eggs above the water line so they can easily be taken out, and nerite eggs wont hatch in fw.
alright, so it sounds like nerites or some of the mystery snails seems my best starter for this tank. eventually i want to try my hand at some assassins but i think first i should infest a tank with pond snails and mts.
so if im doing my homework right then nerites are salt water but can be adapted. to brackish and fresh. ( which doesnt to be honest sound healthy) so what are some that have been successful in fresh?
stezatois
01-29-2009, 4:37 PM
agreed, brigs only eat dead parts of plants. I have a planted invert tank with no problems. i have shrimp and brigs with a few fish, and 3 nerites. the nerites are permently attached to the glass and dont seem to bother with anything else really.
brigs are fresh snails, get to a good size and will be fine in your planted aquarium. Available in so many different colours too. they are fab.
so if im doing my homework right then nerites are salt water but can be adapted. to brackish and fresh. ( which doesnt to be honest sound healthy) so what are some that have been successful in fresh?
Almost all the nerites sold are already accustomed to FW. Arakkis and msjinkzd sell them.
Cuvier
01-29-2009, 9:20 PM
so if im doing my homework right then nerites are salt water but can be adapted. to brackish and fresh. ( which doesnt to be honest sound healthy) so what are some that have been successful in fresh?
Most nerites are pretty euryhaline (even ostensibly "marine" species often occur in tide pools subject to wide fluctuations in salinity). Apart from some totally freshwater species (e.g. Theodoxus fluviatilis) which are mostly absent from the aquarium trade, many naturally occur in freshwater and brackish water as adults (being tied to the sea only through a marine veliger stage).
The species available to the average aquarist, I believe, are largely if not overwhelmingly collected in freshwater.
sounds like brigs are good for lanted tanks ( because i dont have to clip dead stuff when it occurs.