How Well Do Nerite Snails & Otos Eat Algae? ...And An Update On the Krib Fry Tank
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- Folks, I did a video about a year ago on how well Otocinclus catfish eat algae. In a way this is like part 2 of that video, as I wanted to emphasize how effective Nerite Snails and Otos can be with not only routine cleaning but also battling algae blooms.
After my Krib fry tank was set up and cycled, I went through a nice beneficial bacteria bloom, but it was the brown diatom algae bloom that was larger than usual - that's when I hired my "diatom destroyers," the Nerite Snails and Otos. Guess I'm going to have to give them a raise....you'll see how they did in the video.
Also have an update on the "kids," the Krib fry who have all, apparently, joined the new fraternity, Kappa Kribma Fry.
Keep tankin!
Mike
Is nerite snail and zebra snail the same? Love your tank...don't you hate when your plants melt...
Lflower1 Starts - Yep, you are absolutely right - there are different types of nerites, so the "Zebra Nerite" name simply refers to the black and brown zebra like stripes on their shells. Glad you like the tank and thanks for the kind words! Plant melt can be frustrating sometimes, but it can be looked at as a positive as well....it's either the plant acclimating to its new environment (a good thing), or it's perhaps try to get rid of old leaves for new growth (also a good thing) - but when the whole plant melts away....😖😤yes, I do hate that 🙄
Otos are good for diatomaceous algae. Nerite snails are good for green spot algae.
My girlfriend has her tank (against my wisdomous(??) advice) near a window with some sunlight sparkling in the morning, so she has some algae problems, nothing scary, just not very pretty.
I showed her this video last Sunday. Next thing I know we were at the local fish store with a bag of four Otos :) She tought they were a little ugly at the beginning, but now we both love them! We drip acclimated them according to your instructions and so far, four days later we have no losses (fingers crossed). The guys are feasting all around the tank along with her mollies and are super fun to observe!
So thank you Mike, for the wonderful videos. I never knew what these guys are, how to introduce them to the tank, etc.
I will give you a quick update on Brandy if you are interested? No. I will give you the update regardless if you like it or not :) Would love to share my experience, and since you're helping so much, I feel I could at least try and return the favour.
Some spam coming up in your e-mail.
LOL - aww...she first thought they were ugly? I'm glad they are growing on her! They are wonderful fish - if they make it the first two weeks, your should be home free. Glad you drip acclimated them! And my pleasure on the videos! Glad I could introduce Otos to you! Enjoy and will check the "spam" today ;)
One of the best aquarium reviews and commentary on Tube! Kudos!
Simon - that's really nice of you to say! Thank you the very kind words and glad you enjoyed it!
Very Informative and interesting video! I love your tanks!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Gail! They are doing ok!
Great update! Utterly amazing what a few Oto cats and Nerite snails can do, isn't it? The tank looks terrific (sorry about the micro swords though). Love the name for this aquarium. And that oldest fry is really starting to color up nicely. I'm going to call the whole thing a success (despite the micro swords). Another wonderfully enjoyable video!
Drew - Right? They are incredible - now I'll be "investing" in quite a bit of zucchini, repashy, and wafers to keep them well fed. Thanks for the kind words on the tank. Ahhh, the Micro Sword 🙄 If I'm Jimmy Kimmel, Micro Sword is my Matt Damon - I think we've had a 3 year riff....It just doesn't like me - maybe something I said? 🤔Thanks for the kind words on the tank, and I'm really glad you and your father are feeling better! 👍💯
There are one or two plant species that refuse to grow for me as well. Darn that Matt Damon!
My experience is that Matt Damon enjoys a good Aquasoil, a shallow tank, bright light and CO2. (Easy Right?)
Mike, nice update. Your cleanup crew did a very good job, and I see your S. repens is looking very good. Very impressed with the size of your krib fry and they look very nice also. Good Job!
Thanks much, Jim! You were right about the S. repens! I think the Micro Sword (which has never liked me) will be coming out and I'll do only S. repens in the front. Going to have to make room in the budget to give the clean up crew a raise 😉 The fry growth has certainly been surprising - once they are about 3 months old, the growth really takes off. Stay well, my friend!
Imagine having Otos, Nerite and Amano shrimp damn must've been a super good cleanup crew
I have a nerite, 5 amano and 7 otos in my 29 gallon community tank with guppies, neons and kuhli loaches. Let's just say I'm not worried about leaving the lights on too long, algae doesn't stand a chance.
@@MatttJ80 It is not the light. It is a shortage in one or more nutrients that gives algea trouble.
What algae eaters would you recommend for a tank that has a male betta?
Jennifer - Otocinclus will be great with Bettas. I have three of them with my Betta. Nerite snails are also great. Other traditional algae eaters like Siamese Algae Eaters, Bristlenose Plecos, etc may to too rambunctious (the siamese algae eater) or clumsy (the bristlenose) to pair well with a betta. You can also get Amano shrimp. They are bigger than many other shrimp and your betta shouldn't go after them - and they are great at eating algae. Hope that helps!
Micro swords didn’t do well in my tank. Amazon sword, chain swords, java moss and Anubius are all doing wonderful
Glad I'm not the only one! I can't grow Micro Sword...doesn't matter what substrate I use, maybe my lights just aren't strong enough...it's just the one plant I can't grow. But I'm with ya - no problems with Amazon swords, java moss, chain sword, Anubias...maybe micro sword is just a lot harder to grow that most people think? It could also be that CO2 is a must, and I don't have CO2 in any of my tanks...one of these days :)
dmichaels fish den I don’t use Co2 either just a planted substrate and dose flourish excel once a day. Might buy some root tabs here soon though just to see if they make a difference
I think you'll enjoy the root tabs - they can certainly make a big difference!
Love Nerite snails and had one escape my tank last winter but none since then. Ottos do a great job but they don't live long for me even with a steady supply of algae. My ph is around 8.4 and the lime deposits are a huge problem. Love the baby Kribs & the tank looks great!
Coralocean - thanks for the kind words! The tank is coming along! So you had a Nerite escape artist huh? Your own little Houdini? You wonder what's going through their little brains when they try to escape....I'm not sure I've kept enough for a long enough time for any to escape yet, but I am picking up Amano shrimp off the floor all the time and throwing them back into the tank - once they escape they seem to never try it again.....Wow - you have a super high pH...that might be hard for the Otos to acclimate to - you'd probably have to drip acclimate them for 30 minutes or so, but I'm sure they can acclimate. If it helps, I do supplement their diet with zucchini, repashy food (soilent green) and algae wafers, so I keep a varied diet and I'm thinking that's why they tend to do pretty well in my tank....but my pH runs 7.4 - 7.6. Ever thought of keeping African Cichlids? You're water is perfect for them!
Are nerites effective at cleaning plant leaves like ludwigia or staurogyne repens. Would an oto be better at that?
Larry - it's a little hard for them on ludwigia, since they don't have much leaf there - but they will try. Otos would be a little more efficient for ludwigia, in my opinion. Same with the s repens - never know though...sometime a Nerite goes on a tear and runs over s repens like a lawnmower...but that's more the exception. I would agree with you that otos would be more efficient for both 👍
Love love this video! I have a 9 gallon fluval. How many nerites should I add? Also will just one Otto be ok? I've heard some say they are school like fish. Can just 1 be happy by itself since it is on a smaller scale of a tank.
Amanda - glad you enjoyed it! With the Nerites, I'd say two would be great - They'll surprise you how fast they move (for a snail, of course), so they can cover quite a bit of ground and help you keep the tank nice and clean. If you do end up with a male and female - just know they may lay some eggs - they will look like little white specs - but they won't hatch. They will only hatch in brackish water...so don't be worried about all of a sudden having 100's of baby nerites infesting the tank. Yeah, the Ottos kind of like to have a little "crew." They are happier that way. I've tried to keep one in a tank...but everytime they've never lasted too long - (they kinda "lose that lovin' feelin" ya know?) . If you can, I would do at least 2 in the 9 gallon - you could do even 3, which would be best. They don't take up too much room. Doesn't mean you can't do one....they just seem to last a little longer in groups :) Hope all that helps!
Wow that is awesome! I'm getting some Nerite snails too!
They are GREAT snails and hard workers. Glad to hear you are getting some! They will keep your tank nice and clean for you :)
Thanks for the scientific video. Getting a couple of these for my 29 gal. My timer stopped working properly on my light. This caused a little BBA to flourish. Need some added help getting rid of it.
My pleasure, Jadrick! Glad the video was helpful! They will work hard for you! One tip though - they aren't as good at getting BBA, so you may want to look at a Siamese Algae Eater (SAE) for that. I have a few more recent videos on SAE's eating BBA, showing them in the act. A 29 gallon tank gives you plenty of room for an SAE 👍 Hope that helps!
Considering the water marks and the amount the water level has dropped, I guess regular water changes during cycling would have helped as well
Nerites cleaned the algae-covered rocks and driftwood in my 50gallon in a week. Like almost spotless clean. But they have problems eating the algae on the plants. The Neocaridina that I have are too tiny to make a dent. I need to get otos.
Nerites and Amano shrimp are my goto algae cleaners.
Absolutely! They are great!
really good review and I keep a flying fox they also do a good job,,, and for that tip on the kribencis and your plants look 👍👍💯🌱🌿
Thanks for the kind words, George! I've actually though about getting another flying fox for this tank - that's a great idea. They do a wonderful job with algae as well, especially the young ones. Hope you are doing great, my friend! 👍💯
Could the otocincles be kept with meat eating plecos such as L134? Will they stick to their vegeterian diet or am I risking them getting a bloat and perish? Also, would they be good tankmates with leopard frogs?
My ottos tend my plants, nerites the rocks and decor, both the glass, and my one bamboo shrimp does the water
Thank you for this video came at a perfect time I have a terrible algae problem that I have been battling for months . water changes weekly lights on for 6 hours daily. 4 Otto cats not cleaning like yours. Thinking about getting a few nerite snails. How big will they get. What would you feed them after the algae is gone?
i have clowns but when i had the pest snail they didnt bother eating them and had to re do my tank to get rid of the pests do you think i can put snails in the tank most of my clowns hide
Will Otos harm my young adult Mystery Snails?
I totally agree about the Otocinclus and the Nirite snails!! That's just what I've got in my tanks!!
Absolutely!! They are great!
How was the eggs of nerites experience? Was is bothersome? I like them but i dont like seeing eggs and having snail-bloom
What is the pleco doing in there????
Beautifully done Mike, a joy to listen to and watch. Your Channel is tipped for Stardom me thinks :)
Thanks much, Colin, as always for the continued support! Lol - whether the channel is tipped or not, it's always nice to know you can help a few folks as they start to get more and more into the hobby. Hope you are well my friend! Will touch base over the weekend!
Ultimately, in today's age of digital distraction, if you can provide content and production values, you can do anything my friend :)
What do you suggest for hair algae?
Green hair algae or black beard algae? If black bear algae, a Siamese Algae Eater will eat that and love it 😀 Green hair algae is a little tougher - Siamese Algae Eaters will eat a little bit of it. Amano Shrimp will absolutely eat it. Have you tried Amano Shrimp? Green hair algae can grow and get out of hand quickly, but you can remove a lot of it with your hand. However, you want to try to diagnose WHY you are getting the algae - I've had a few outbreaks and I got rid of it by reducing my lighting time, going down to 5 hours a day. That allowed the other plants to still grow and outcompete the algae. Hope all that helps a little! 👍
@@dmichaelsfishden thanks for the reply. The hair algae is white underwater, and brown when I take it out. I've had the tank set up for less than 2 months, with a bunch of live plants, but I keep reading that new tanks are susceptible to hair algae. But over the last week, I've cut my light time from 9 hours to 6. We'll see how it goes.
My nerite always eat my plants... I can see holes in the leaves at the bottom (or middle, sometimes he climb them, the most sensitive stems break...) and this isn't esthetic lol but I've nothing to do for it, i guess.. maybe cutting the first leaves
Novel - they can sometimes do that.....one thing that helped me, and that has prevented them from eating plants....I try to feed them zucchini and green beans. Just plain ol' green beans that come out of a can in water, no salt added. This gives them a little "roughage" to eat so they don't feel compelled to eat plants :) I try to provide them some type of green vegetable once a week or so - spinach is also great :) Hope that helps a little?
Thanks, I tried spinach and beans already, and some others vegetables but he never touched them :/ I add rocks from my other 90gal tank, they have algae on them so my snail clean it and I put new ones after, but he still eat my plants he climb everything everywhere, he also try to go in the filter lol, I mind if I should put him in my other tank (no snails in it) and buy some shrimps but I have a betta so I don't know yet 😅
Novel - oh man...he's a hungry adventurous guy..lol. I know they like some plants more than others - they have a hard time eating plants with thicker leaves, etc...and yep, I get the filter thing - mine climb all over the top of the tank sometimes as well. I have to put them back in the water. yeah, if he likes your plants that much, the best solution might be to move him to another tank. I have 7 nerites right now, and though they mostly act just the same, occasionally you get one or two that totally just do their own thing like they are rebels 😅
Lol I have to put him back too when he get out. And yes but the problem is, the other tank have the same plants and more, he will eat them too anyway, even if there's a lot more space, at the end it will still appear 🤔 I have to deal with it i guess !
Don't forget to mention Mr pleco
How do these snails and fish breeds fair as tank mates with Platy, Blue Electric Acara and Pleco. I have basically what is a thriving community tank but need a lil extra help with algae issues.
Nerites and Otos would be GREAT tankmates for your fish. They don't bother them and every fish I"ve ever kept just ignored the Nerites and Otos, so absolutely no problem there. I only had one Betta, once, who had some kind of vendetta against Nertie snails and always tried to attack the Nerite...but that is what their shells are for 😉 Didn't phase the Nerite at all. The other thing I like about Nerites is that they won't breed like crazy and over-take the tank. They will lay eggs, but the eggs won't hatch unless they are in brackish water, so they will all be dormant. Both the Nerites and Otos will be a great help on the algae side 👍
My Nerite snails die suddenly in all my aquariums... They're the only crustacean or invertebrate to do this, any ideas??
By any chance did you add anything which content copper ?
What name music please ?
wow! incredible :)
Right? They may be small but their appetites are mighty 💪Hope you are doing great, my friend!
Which algae eater eat all type of algae
Vigo - unfortunately, I don't know of any algae eater that eats all types.....every algae eater has their favorite type of algae as a snack....but - in some of your tanks if you go with a combination of otocinculus, siamese algae eaters, bristlenose plecos, nerite snails, and amano shrimp - you have a lot of different types of algae covered there :)
@@dmichaelsfishden which algae eater eat green algae and hair algae
Siamese Algae Eater 👍
but with this phase of cycle, the ammonia and nitrite is still present, wont that stress out the fishes ??
Not if you cycle correct. This algae bloom is natural. It happens with most new tanks. I put a few algae wafers in and let them "rot." They broke down and created ammonia.
Then I used beneficial bacteria in a bottle in the tank. The bacteria fed on the ammonia created by the food. As usual, after that the algae bloom came. But at the time there was no ammonia or nitrite. The tank had already cycled
Will the both live ok with tiger barbs and do they always eat the algae or do they stop as they get older
tiger barbs are well known fin nippers. would probably not bother or notice the snails, but they might harass other fish.
Nice, thanks for the info.
My pleasure OTC Fish Keeper!
Hi, this is only the second video of yours that I've watched and you now have a new sub. I found you during my otto research. I'm thinking of getting 5 for my planted 15 gallon flex. It is completely covered in diatoms. I do remove the plants and hand clean them (pita) , but after a few months of doing this I believe it's time to get some help. I have 7 male guppies, 4 amano shrimp and a small colony of cherry shrimp. Everybody seems very happy. However my concern is getting supplementary food to these fish when they need it. Guppies and amanos are so greedy. They devour any wafers, pellets or veggies I put in there in no time at all. I'm worried that because the ottos are so peaceful and shy that they won't get near the food. I can't cope with the idea of fish starving once the majority of the algae is gone. I realise these fish can survive on biofilm and the unseen algae that is present but I want them to thrive, not just survive. I would also like to say that, you are a superb youtuber, you always seem to answer everyone who has a query and you do it very throughly. Nothing annoys me more than creators who ignore the comment section. Sorry for the ridiculously long comment. Btw, I'm in the UK so lucky enough to be able to get tank reared fish. Which is good because I would not buy wild caught.
Hi Denise! Thank you for finding me! 😉Sorry for the late reply. Thanks for checking out the videos and glad you enjoyed them! Thank you also for the sub and welcome aboard! Proud to have you. Lol...yeah, it's frustrating pulling plants out to clean them. Let the Otos do the work for you - I think you'll enjoy them and they will work hard for you...You make some really good points and you are absolutely right in needing to supplement the Otos diet - I have a bunch of greedy fish in my tank as well, so I'm trying different things to get extra food to the Otos when the aglae is low - what works for me really well: They LOVE LOVE zucchini - I think probably more than algae at this point, so you can add small slices on a suction cup clip and they will adore you for that. You can do the same with spinach and romaine lettuce - they like veggies....By putting veggies on the side of the tank with a clip, they are a little harder for the other fish to get at (they will stick peck at it) but they don't devour the veggies. I've been doing that for awhile now and it works well with the Otos. 😀 Other than that, stay tuned - I'm hoping I finally found a solution with Repashy foods for feeding Otos - if it works I'll share it on the channel...
THANK YOU for the kind words about being a youtuber 😀 I do try to answer almost every comment. I really appreciate anyone who takes time out of their day to send me a message, so I always try to answer back, and I'm hoping the answers continue to be helpful. Let me know if I can help further 😀
@@dmichaelsfishden . Hi, thank you so much for the detailed answer and the great feeding tips. I'm going to try with two or three otocinclus for a start and see how I go on. Hopefully I can add to the clan in a few weeks if all goes well. Thank you again for the help.
@@denisepollitt1021 My pleasure! Good luck! 👍
I think I’m going to some ore merited. I have a zebra and she’s so pretty and no troubles at all.
Caution, Only the Olive Nerite Snail is a freshwater snail. The other nerite varieties are saltwater snails that will live for a short time in your freshwater tank.
U just left them in there for 2 weeks with no additional food?
Lewis - sure did. The brown algae provided all the food the nerites and otos needed. But only for the first two weeks. Now that the algae is gone, I feed them zucchini, algae wafers, repashy, green beans, etc...to supplement their diet. They still graze on algae but there isn't nearly enough algae in the tank to give them enough food now.
Got it, thanks for the reply. This video is very helpful as I’m going to build my first planted tank. 👍
Great to hear! And good luck! You'll love things on the planted tank side 👍
nice video thanks!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching!
please tell me how can you keep snail inside aquarium and not crawling out
You can put a lid or have a big rim, make sure the conditions of the tank are good that may be why they are crawling out if not I guess you'll just have to put a lid
Nice 😉👍
Thanks, TM Aquatics! Appreciate you checking out the video!
Btw - you've got quite a channel! Look forward to watching your vids! Great work
how do you keep the snails from escaping the tank?
mukhlisz - the nice thing about Nerite snails is that they aren't really escape artists. So far, in my experience keeping Nerites for about 2 years,, I've never had one try to escape the tank (unlike Amano shrimp - I've found them walking on the floor and have had to thrown them back in the tank countless times). Just to be safe though, I don't fill the tank all the way up - I leave about an inch of "air" on the top of the tank. 👍
@@dmichaelsfishden I've read that Amanos will try to escape if they don't like the tank conditions and the males get a bit frisky and can jump when there is a female in heat.
Luckily none of mine have tried to escape... yet.
@@MichaelClark-uw7ex oh they absolutely are little devilish escape artists. I've found many walking along the floor after climbing out of the tank. They are curious and like to explore so definitely make sure you have a tight fitting tank hood!
Do you supplement the otos' diet or rely solely on the algae to keep them fed?
Deprekkas - great question! I absolutely do supplement their diet. The "free for all" algae buffet they get after the bloom only lasts a few weeks. After that, while they do still eat algae in the tank, I feed them zucchini slices, repashy food, as well as algae wafers. Their diet definitely needs to be supplemented to give them the nutrients they need.
Thanks for the reply. I got my first otos about a week ago and they're still working on the tank algae. I plan on supplementing with zucchini & repashy as well. My cories dogpile the algae wafers so I doubt the otos will ever see a crumb from those.
Lol - a cory is as a cory does...they do dogpile algae wafers. Congrats on your first Otos! After the first 2 weeks, if they are still doing well, they will live awhile for you - They love zucchini - If you put a slice on a food clip and suction cup that to the side of the tank (middle of the tank or a little higher) the Otos should have that all to themselves. They love Soilent Green repashy as well, and with that, you can put several small squares around the tank so the cories and Otos will both have different small squares of food they can go after. They are great little fish - enjoy!
Thanks! Really appreciate the advice :)
Is that a albino oto?
Hi Joe A - that's a regular Oto. It's more "whitish" as it was just put in the tank when I took the video - the acclimation process is still stressful for them, and when Otos are a little stressed, they lose their color - common in most fish when they are a little stressed. After a few hours, the Otos colored up great, with their usual black and grey coloration - great question, though! Thanks for checking out the video! 👍
nice healthy tank
Thanks for the kind words, Richard! The tank is coming along well - Appreciate you watching!
Love your videos!! 💖
Thanks for the kind words, Con Con! I appreciate you watching! Glad you are enjoying them!
Nice update. Plants have really taken off. My State is pretty restrictive on imports and Nerite Snails are illegal. I have started liking variegated plants and the Hygro Sunset is on my wish list but cannot purchase that either. I might give those root tabs a try. Thanks again for following up with the results of using new products.
My pleasure and thanks much, Rod! I've been impressed with the NilocG tabs - this is faster growth than I've gotten from Flourish tabs or API root tabs....what state are you in? I'm surprised Nerite Snails are illegal! Wow. I wonder why? Have they gotten invasive? Definitely try that Hygro Sunset - VERY easy to take care of and grow and, in my opinion, one of the best looking plants that will perform well without CO2 - Is that also not allowed where you are? Would you be able to purchase online?
I live in the 50th state. Pretty restrictive import rules. I am 99% sure Hygro Sunset is on the Federal list of invasive species and is not to be shipped across state borders. You never see it listed on online stores. I have looked at the NilocG tabs in the past but he has been out of the Thrive tabs for awhile. I will order the capsule on my next order.
Rod S ahh - yes things are much different in the 50th state. I’m sure you have a lot of plants like that. I’m envious though. Absolutely beautiful there. Too bad you can’t get the Hygro, and true, there aren’t many online sites that have them though I may have seen them on H2O plants’ site once or twice. When NilocG has more Thrive tabs in stock definitely give them a try! The MTS capsules are great too 👍👍.
Nice video. Otos and nerites really are a great combination.
Thanks for the kind words, Anthony! Hope you are doing great, my friend - nice it's cooling off a little, finally, in So Cal....😎
@@dmichaelsfishden I'm pleasantly surprised. We usually get a late summer heatwave.
No kidding - I'm with ya. Nice to take the mothballs out of a jacket or two :)