Icicle

Hello!

I was going to get a small snail to help with the algae in Finley's tank.
However there is no store around here that carries them.

Does anyone know if it's possible to order one of these little guys?
I'm in Canada.

Thanks!

Luniyn

Don't know about shipping snails from US to Canada (if there are any regulations about that), but this site sells them (just type in "snails" in the search box at the top).

COBettaCouple

you could get 2 otos for algae too, it's a little over on the bioload, but probably less waste than a snail.

tan.b

whatever you do, dont get pond snails!! they breed like mad and dont need a mate to breed. all you need is one and they take over the tank! and snail killer doent kill them (didnt kill mine anyway, so i'm stuck with them forever it seems!) a few other species are hermaphrodites too and can breed rapidly, so research well before you get one. oto's are far better!! also take a look at the causes of algae to try and reduce the rate of its growth. too much light? too much phosphate in the form of over feeding the fish? too much light and or nutrients will increase the rate of algae. you could try a 3 day blackout as the algae cant photosynthesise without the light. this wont harm the bigger plants as they have reserves! also try adding more live plants if you can. they will compete for the nutrients and win the battle, thus leaving the algae very little in the way of nutrients and thefore be unable to thrive.
good luck
tan

Icicle

Tan.B - That's exactly what I did in my 55 gallon! And it worked really well. I don't have any real live plants in my 5 gal though.


Can you put an Otto in with a Betta?

COBettaCouple

Mostly that works out well.

tan.b

i think otos and bettas are ok. i think rose/chickadee has oto's with hers? i dont have either, so just going on what i've read here!

griffin

i think it dependson the betta. i know mine attacked the otos i put in there, but i know some other people have otos with their bettas. it all goes back to "it depends on the betta" i'd think it's worth a try as long as you have a back up

Toddnbecka

A combo of ramshorn snails and live plants are great for keeping a betta tank (or bowl) clear of algae. Just don't overfeed so the snails are hungry enough to eat the algae, and don't run amok in numbers.