Getting rid of Plant Debris

[Chris_S]

I've got a 10 year old tank, heavily planted, and I have a hard time keeping
up with all of the dead plant debris and general gunk that builds up on the
bottom. Even with pruning it is hard to get at all that stuff, because of
all the plants.

Are snails good for that?

Here's my specs:

55G tank
DIY CO2
Eheim 2227 W/D (Bio)
Eheim 2224 (MechFilter)
2x55W 6700K PowerCompact
Heavily planted
Large Angels
Temp = 80F
pH=6.0
GH=2.5 Deg (45ppm)
CO2=6ppm
NH3=0.0ppm (amo)
NH2=0.0ppm (nitrite)
NH3=25ppm (nitrate)
PO4=1ppm (phos)

Thanks, Chris.

[SteveG]

You haev to MAKE SURE that you get this type of snail: Pomacea (pomacea)
bridgesii

http://www.applesnail.net/content/species/pomacea_bridgesi.htm

"Chris_S" > wrote in message
...
> I've got a 10 year old tank, heavily planted, and I have a hard time
keeping
> up with all of the dead plant debris and general gunk that builds up on
the
> bottom. Even with pruning it is hard to get at all that stuff, because of
> all the plants.
>
> Are snails good for that?
>
> Here's my specs:
>
> 55G tank
> DIY CO2
> Eheim 2227 W/D (Bio)
> Eheim 2224 (MechFilter)
> 2x55W 6700K PowerCompact
> Heavily planted
> Large Angels
> Temp = 80F
> pH=6.0
> GH=2.5 Deg (45ppm)
> CO2=6ppm
> NH3=0.0ppm (amo)
> NH2=0.0ppm (nitrite)
> NH3=25ppm (nitrate)
> PO4=1ppm (phos)
>
> Thanks, Chris.
>
>
>
>
>

[Eric Schreiber]

"SteveG" > wrote:

>You haev to MAKE SURE that you get this type of snail: Pomacea (pomacea)
>bridgesii

Strongly second that! Only buy an apple snail for a planted tank if
you know for a fact that it's a true bridgesii. A canaliculata snail,
which looks similar (and is often labeled as bridgesii at the store)
will mow everything in the tank to a nub.

"Chris_S" > wrote

>I've got a 10 year old tank, heavily planted, and I have a hard time
>keeping up with all of the dead plant debris and general gunk that
>builds up on the bottom.

I've been having good luck with a siphon hose. Not a large diameter
siphon tube used for cleaning gravel, but rather a 1/2" flexible
tubing, like large airline hose.

Just running it around the base of the plants and poking it into the
denser tangles cleans an amazing amount of debris out, without
disturbing the plants or critters much.


--
www.ericschreiber.com

[Chris_S]

Thanks for the picture. Well I bought 2 snails the other day, and the lfs
did not even mention the type of snail they were. Not sure they knew. They
are big.

I just looked up the pictures for the Canaliculata, and going by the shell
shape, I think these are Canaliculata. Guess I should take them out.

But I don't think they do much of anything. They have not hardly moved at
all. They sit in one place all the time. One lost his footing and is now
just floating around on the surface.

I ordered a Multivac too. Don't know if they are any good, but thought I'd
try it. Have not been able to do much with my Phython hose during water
changes. The plant junk jams up the sink nozzle.

Chris.




"Eric Schreiber" > wrote in message
...
> "SteveG" > wrote:
>
> >You haev to MAKE SURE that you get this type of snail: Pomacea (pomacea)
> >bridgesii
>
> Strongly second that! Only buy an apple snail for a planted tank if
> you know for a fact that it's a true bridgesii. A canaliculata snail,
> which looks similar (and is often labeled as bridgesii at the store)
> will mow everything in the tank to a nub.
>
> "Chris_S" > wrote
>
> >I've got a 10 year old tank, heavily planted, and I have a hard time
> >keeping up with all of the dead plant debris and general gunk that
> >builds up on the bottom.
>
> I've been having good luck with a siphon hose. Not a large diameter
> siphon tube used for cleaning gravel, but rather a 1/2" flexible
> tubing, like large airline hose.
>
> Just running it around the base of the plants and poking it into the
> denser tangles cleans an amazing amount of debris out, without
> disturbing the plants or critters much.
>
>
> --
> www.ericschreiber.com

[Eric Schreiber]

"Chris_S" > wrote:

>Thanks for the picture. Well I bought 2 snails the other day, and the lfs
>did not even mention the type of snail they were. Not sure they knew. They
>are big.

Most stores don't know the species of the snails they sell, and simply
label them "apple" or "mystery". Some of which really do get as big as
an apple.

>I just looked up the pictures for the Canaliculata, and going by the shell
>shape, I think these are Canaliculata. Guess I should take them out.

Look at www.applesnail.net for not only pictures, but line drawings
that detail the minute differences between species that will help you
identify them, as well as 3D rotating diagrams. A very cool site.

>But I don't think they do much of anything. They have not hardly moved at
>all. They sit in one place all the time. One lost his footing and is now
>just floating around on the surface.

This is not unusual when they're first put in a tank. Figure they had
a rough time in shipping, perhaps imperfect conditions at the store,
then got moved one more time to arrive in your tank. They're probably
just a little stressed. Mine were pretty dull at first, too, but once
they got comfortable, they started zipping (snail zipping, sure, but
zipping nonetheless) all over. A good sized apple snail with tentacles
fully extended and waving about is actually quite pretty.


--
www.ericschreiber.com

[Neil]

> "Chris_S" > wrote:

<snip>
One lost his footing and is now
>just floating around on the surface.

Sounds to me like it could be dead. Pick it out of the water and have a look
inside.

[LeighMo]

>One lost his footing and is now
>>just floating around on the surface.
>
>Sounds to me like it could be dead. Pick it out of the water and have a look
>inside.

IME, this is perfectly normal behavior for apple snails. They have lungs as
well as gills, and when their lungs are filled with air, they float. They seem
to like doing this. Generally, as long as their shells are closed, they're
alive.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/

[LeighMo]

>One lost his footing and is now
>>just floating around on the surface.
>
>Sounds to me like it could be dead. Pick it out of the water and have a look
>inside.

IME, this is perfectly normal behavior for apple snails. They have lungs as
well as gills, and when their lungs are filled with air, they float. They seem
to like doing this. Generally, as long as their shells are closed, they're
alive.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/