Sakura 500 Posted December 30, 2012 Now that Christmas is over, I've taken down all our Christmas decorations, including the aquarium ones! I put the fake bamboo plant back in the tank, and thought I would snap a few full-tank photos, since I haven't in a while. I've been cleaning the algae off all the surfaces except for the back glass pane, which is left for the nerites to clean. I must say, they don't do a very good job! I expected them to be better at cleaning up the algae, but that's okay. They're fun additions to the tank nevertheless. Plus a photo of my red spotted nerite traveling across the glass! 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dnalex 13,633 Posted December 30, 2012 Aw, tanks are back to normal, with two new residents? Are you going to move them out? I have to say, it's so unlike you to leave those huge patches of brown algae on the walls. I'm so used to seeing a pristine tank for pictures. Those snails are really spoiled. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ms.Jenny 555 Posted December 30, 2012 Stunning! On planted tank forums they recommend as many as one nerite per gallon to noticably control algae, in some circumstances they recommend this even in addition to other algae controlling critters like shrimp and plecos. So I think it's perfectly normal to have to help them out a bit. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tithra 4,917 Posted December 30, 2012 Looks beautiful as always As much as I enjoy your festive tanks, the simplicity of this is beautiful too 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Narny105 1,992 Posted December 30, 2012 I love the look with the four fish in the tank! Very pretty fish 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StarSapphire22 230 Posted December 30, 2012 Gorgeous. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Gustave Posted December 30, 2012 Stunning 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thatfancygoldfish 366 Posted December 30, 2012 loving your new watermark/ logo! beautiful tank too, it's really cute seeing all four of them together now! darn those snails too, they've been slacking off! 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Pearlscaleperfect 3,561 Posted December 30, 2012 How many nerites do you have? I have to say for heavier diatom growth I stock 1 per 10-15 gallons and that cleans it up within a week, then I move a few out when food gets low. I haven't seen any patches in my 30 in months besides my filter intake which they have trouble reaching. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daniel 5,668 Posted December 30, 2012 I always love seeing this tank! It's like chic modernism in tank form, I think it looks amazing. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fantailfan1 26,742 Posted December 30, 2012 Beautiful!! As always . . . I love the 2 "little guys" in their with Clover and Callisto. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
number20121 2,663 Posted December 30, 2012 Very nice and clean looking; the black background really works out well for you! I also agree about the nerites, as mentioned in another topic I am quite disappointed with their job as algae eaters. At least they are pretty and look cute in your tank as well, adding a dash of "different look" I can't get over Felix' cute coloring 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fantailfan1 26,742 Posted December 30, 2012 My nerites do a great job with diatoms . . . But I do have 4 in a 40 gallon. Occasionally one will go on a tropical vacation to my betta tank for a diatom buffet! I do notice that some eat more than others though. I rotate which one goes in the betta tank and a couple of them clean it right up and the others will take weeks . . . 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sakura 500 Posted December 30, 2012 Aw, tanks are back to normal, with two new residents? Are you going to move them out? I have to say, it's so unlike you to leave those huge patches of brown algae on the walls. I'm so used to seeing a pristine tank for pictures. Those snails are really spoiled. That is very true. I guess having these snails has made me a tiny bit more laid back, as far as keeping things spotless goes. hah Stunning! On planted tank forums they recommend as many as one nerite per gallon to noticably control algae, in some circumstances they recommend this even in addition to other algae controlling critters like shrimp and plecos. So I think it's perfectly normal to have to help them out a bit. Thanks Jenny! That's interesting. I was under the impression that they needed lots of space because they cleaned algae so efficiently! Anyway, that's alright, I really do like having them in the tank anyways. Looks beautiful as always As much as I enjoy your festive tanks, the simplicity of this is beautiful too Thank you Tithra. You know, It's actually a relief going back to the simplicity of this after the craziness of the holiday-themed tanks. I guess I'm a minimalist at heart! I love the look with the four fish in the tank! Very pretty fish Thanks Narny! Gorgeous. Thanks! loving your new watermark/ logo! beautiful tank too, it's really cute seeing all four of them together now! darn those snails too, they've been slacking off! Thanks Laura, I figured you of all people would notice the new watermark! <3 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sakura 500 Posted December 30, 2012 How many nerites do you have? I have to say for heavier diatom growth I stock 1 per 10-15 gallons and that cleans it up within a week, then I move a few out when food gets low. I haven't seen any patches in my 30 in months besides my filter intake which they have trouble reaching. I have two; a zebra and a red spotted. They do keep the overflow box and the two outflow tubes pretty clean, which is nice. The outflow tubes are kind of a pain to clean off. I always love seeing this tank! It's like chic modernism in tank form, I think it looks amazing. Thanks Dan, that's what I'm aiming for! Beautiful!! As always . . . I love the 2 "little guys" in their with Clover and Callisto. Thank you! You're so right to put "little guys" in quotations. I think I was just so used to seeing only Clover and Callisto (which at this point are both pretty huge!) so these two new fish seemed so tiny! I'm really excited to track their growth and changes over time like I was able to for Clover. Very nice and clean looking; the black background really works out well for you! I also agree about the nerites, as mentioned in another topic I am quite disappointed with their job as algae eaters. At least they are pretty and look cute in your tank as well, adding a dash of "different look" I can't get over Felix' cute coloring Maybe we just need to "overstock" the snails and then supplement-feed them with Soilent Green. But with goldfish in the tank, that would be a pain in the butt, with the goldies trying to get the Soilent Green before the snails even get a chance. But yeah, having snails does add an extra something to the tank. It's always fun looking for them, since they're so good at hiding. Even in my minimalist tank, it sometimes takes a while to find them! My nerites do a great job with diatoms . . . But I do have 4 in a 40 gallon. Occasionally one will go on a tropical vacation to my betta tank for a diatom buffet! I do notice that some eat more than others though. I rotate which one goes in the betta tank and a couple of them clean it right up and the others will take weeks . . . Maybe I just got two slacker snails! One (or both) of them recently started laying eggs in a few places, and that was interesting! It took me a while to realize what the tiny white spots were, even though I knew about nerites laying eggs! 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
