# Nerite Snails & Ghost Shrimp????



## DVader (Jan 19, 2014)

What we have:
5 gallon Marineland Eclipse 5 Hexagon tank that is complete cycled
1 male Veil Tail Beta & 3 Mixed Nerite Snails (don't know what the "mixed" means)
Carbon Cartridge & Bio-Wheel filtration
5 live plants (2 Java Ferns & 3 Anubius Congensis).......no artificial ones anymore.
1 Moss Ball
Aqueon Mini Heater (on sometimes at night, but off during the day now)
Thermometer inside tank
1 swim thru small décor

Now, for my Thread: 

Had 3 Ghost Shrimp. Two died (eaten?). Had to medicate our tank a few weeks ago and that might have killed two. Basically, our beta left the shrimp alone. Unfortunately, this past Wednesday, our beta's "fasting" day, I gave a fish flake to the one shrimp we had left. I walked away from the tank, came back a few minutes later and found half of the shrimp laying in the gravel. Our beta either got hungry or mad (he wasn't eating and the shrimp was) and........bye, bye ghost shrimp! 

Now, for the Nerite Snails......decided to get one Nerite a week ago, but found it attached more to the underside of the filtration system than eating ANY algae! We have some, but not a lot, of algae on the plexiglass of the tank and some black algae on plant leaves. Since the one Nerite didn't seem to be doing much, if anything, for the algae, decided to get 2 more Nerite Snails yesterday. NOW, this AM, found all three stuck to the underside of the filtration system. Took them off and back into the gravel and watched each go up the sides of the tank and back to where they were. What the heck is going on here???? Got a little algae on the tank sides and on plant leaves and these critters are hanging out under the filtration system!

BTW, our tank water temp is 80. 

Giving is some serious thought about getting a couple more ghost shrimp, since they were at least going up and down the plexiglass and running around on the gravel. I just wouldn't feed them on beta "fasting" day. 

Can anyone here tell me what the heck is going on with these snails?? If I have to give the snails away, will do. I want something that will take care of the algae........now, not years from now!!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

On your algae, turn your lighting time down.The black algae (BBA{my sworn enemy}) will haunt you for the rest of your life.Nerites should do the job as far as what any creature will.
I'll quote Navigator Black (permalink #56);"Algae eaters help those who help themselves.They don't clean.They eat what they need to survive and nothing more.So if they aren't keeping up,you have to figure out what you're doing wrong,not what they are."
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/wha...ou-look-11170.html?highlight=best+algae+eater
On the shrimp thing If the betta ate one I'll bet he eats another?You can't have just one LAYS potato chip!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Snails are snails. They will go where the food is. If the other algae is not what they want, then they will go where it is. Try cleaning the algae from the filter area and see if it sends them elsewhere. Sooner or later they will be done, I assume.

What light do you have and how long are you leaving it on for? Try cutting to no more than 6hrs and see if that helps.


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