[licenselessdriver]

I've kept my 50x30x 50 cm tank for 2 years. 15 shrimps currently and i used to feed them spiralina powder once a week.
I stopped as for the past couple months, every surface in the tank has been filled with brown algae!

I read online that opae ula eats the brown algae? is that true?
I am reluctant to get a filter as i read that shrimps hate them, and they seem to be having eggs despite the tank being dirty asf. Every batch of eggs, only 2 hatch though.

I did water test for nitrite and ammonia, seems okay.

So what do i do about the brown algae? should i just scrub them? but this just clouds the water and they keep coming back. will that cloudy water pose any risks?

Do i use a filter despite risks?

[odin]

Do you have any photos so we can see what we are working with here?

I’d be tempted to buy a few nerite snails.


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[licenselessdriver]

Here's the photos. https://imgur.com/gallery/9PKsa7N
I have tried nerite snails before. Some survived and ate up all the algae but left a lot of poop. I'm not sure the poop is good for the tank either.
As my country temperature goes from 27 to 31 celsius sometimes, i have had nerite die in their shell! leaving their rotting corpse dirtying all the water. bad experience lol

you can see the tank 2 years ago here.. in the back ground https://i.imgur.com/RfWVAx7.jpg

[odin]

Ahh ok, well you could reduce feeding and light and try to get some macroalgae for your tank. With regards the breeding it would help if you had more places for the shrimp to hide. Try getting some more caves or pile up a few tank safe rocks.


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[Vorteil]

I would do a 25% water change and wait a month and then do another 25% water change. Stop feeding for the time being. What do you feed?

[Owlbit]

A note on the snail poop, I found my shrimps eat the snail poop, which is a good thing. I can't imagine having an opae ula tank without at least one nerite. It is not good though if they are dying in the tank for some reason.

The only time I fed my shrimps is when I noticed the tank looked too clean and pristine. Then I just feed a little here and there until the tank looks a little dirtier (greener). For my tank, it seems a feeding once every 2 weeks keeps things looking nice.