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Algae problem has been getting worse lately. The slime algae has covered all the walls again, but now there is thread algae growing at the bottom, green water (diatomic algae) and a hard type of algae that seems to be growing on the heater.

I am thinking that the cause of this might be the death of a shrimp, perhaps multiple. I did a 55% water change today. Will wait and see if it gets better in the coming days. If not, I am considering stripping the tank down to see how many shrimp are left, then rescaping it.

I am also definitely looking at getting a snail, because the algae is too hard to control at this point. I am thinking about the horned nerite/bumblebee horn snail (Clithon corona), but this article says they live in fast flowing streams in nature and require moderate flow, and my tank does not have any flow (https://fishkeeper.co.uk/databank/fr/mi ... orn-snail-). Also, my tank is rimless, so I am worried they will climb out. While there is a glass lid, it does have enough space for a small snail to escape.

As for the java moss, it did not grow, but did not die either. I think the java moss introduced the thread-type algae to the tank, but I cannot be sure because the thread algae growing on it doesn't look identical to the stuff growing at the bottom. I think I will take it out now, and experiment with it more later.

How much light does the tank get?

It gets 11 hours of 3W light per day.

Maybe cut down on the duration so less algae growth.

Hey @Halocaridina , I would leave the tank setup and as opae ula related mentioned to reduce the hours to slow down algae growth. I would also buy a zebra nerite snail as it will clean all that up pretty fast and keep it under control. They are cheap and grow to a size that shouldn't fit through the gap in your tank to escape, also don't worry about any water flow as mine are quite happy and live fine in a setup similar to yours.

If you start over you will lose all the maturity of the tank that you have created already. Also do you feed the tank very often?


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opae ula related wrote:Maybe cut down on the duration so less algae growth.

I will set the timer to 8 hours and see if it makes a difference. I want to make sure the chaeto gets enough light, will this be enough?

odin wrote:Hey @Halocaridina , I would leave the tank setup and as opae ula related mentioned to reduce the hours to slow down algae growth. I would also buy a zebra nerite snail as it will clean all that up pretty fast and keep it under control. They are cheap and grow to a size that shouldn't fit through the gap in your tank to escape, also don't worry about any water flow as mine are quite happy and live fine in a setup similar to yours.

If you start over you will lose all the maturity of the tank that you have created already. Also do you feed the tank very often?


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Did you add the zebra nerite in straight away or acclimate it slowly? I am worried that since the zebra nerite is a larger snail, it may quickly run out of food in a 10L tank. Also, I read that zebra nerites are particular with regards to water quality. The water quality in my tank is still not very good. I will try to do nitrite/nitrate/ammonia tests tomorrow. If the snail dies either due to lack of food or water quality, I fear it could crash my tank again.

No, the last time I tried to feed was when I posted in this thread on 13 November, and that was just one granule. They were not interested. I have not fed since then.

Also, I have noticed that since my tank is stagnant, the water temperature on the thermometer varies significantly depending on where the thermometer is placed. Is it a good idea to get some sort of small pump? I have read this can help with algae problems as well.

It will be fine to just add them, they do well in brackish and freshwater and I've found them very hardy. I just put them strait in the brackish tank from purchase (they came from petsathome) from their fresh water tanks.


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odin wrote:It will be fine to just add them, they do well in brackish and freshwater and I've found them very hardy. I just put them strait in the brackish tank from purchase (they came from petsathome) from their fresh water tanks.


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Thanks, I will look into them.

I edited my post w/ a little more information.

There's no harm in adding a small air stone and pump, just don't have it so high it blows the shrimp around lol.


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As of today the algal bloom seems to have cleared a little, the thick layer on the top is gone and the growth on the sides is not that much. I have been seeing very few shrimp around. Either there has been an die off, or they are hiding. Sometimes they hide deep within the chaeto.

I also just dosed another vial of biodigest.