# My unorthodox fish tank (long and probably really boring) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 21, 2019, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-unorthodox-fish-tank-long-and-probably-really-boring/843800 "2019-11-21T23:52:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-unorthodox-fish-tank-long-and-probably-really-boring/843800/21 "2019-11-24T01:47:04Z")
I signed up for the facebook group. Also I’m a grandma as Shelly… > [@I made an ecosphere.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/43): > > OOhhh I got a snail! > > I went deep into the forest and plucked a moss-covered rock out of a creek bed and put it in the tank and now I have a snail. I don’t actually think he was on the rock though. It isn’t that big and I did rinse it off and pick off small twigs and such. I think I would have seen him. I’m guessing that he’s been in there all along and I’m just now seeing him. > > His name is Shelly. > > The plants got too unruly so I had to trim them down a bit and now the Hydra is gone. I didn’t trim the leaf he was on but I guess I disturbed him enough to dislodge him. …has had babies. I’ve kept her in the 2 gallon because I didn’t have the heart to do anything bad to her but I didn’t want her in my 10 gallon and there have been many egg sacks. I admit to wrecking quite a few but, just now, I see a tiny baby crawling up the side of the tank. It’s about the size Shelly was when I first spotted her. Those Tetras are stinking cute! They so tiny and have such bright eyes and lovely coppery bodies. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-unorthodox-fish-tank-long-and-probably-really-boring/843800/22 "2019-11-24T02:38:59Z")
Be prepared for a population explosion of snails, IIRC, Shelly is a pond snail (small football-ish shaped shell?), pond snails are _quite_ prolific, as you’ll find out rather soon their egg casings look like little transparent blobs of jello, and under ideal conditions with no predators (Get to 'Da Choppah!), you _will_ have a population explosion soon, you’ll probably begin to hate the little buggers 😉 I would normally recommend you pick up some [Dwarf Puffers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jh4FPPhH14&t=596s) to control the snail population when it gets out of control (it will…) , but since you also have shrimp, the puffers would decimate them as well, they love to eat snails and crusteceans, in fact, most fish that would eat snails would also see your shrimp as a tasty snack. if you did get DP, you’d also have to set up a second smaller tank to breed snails as they only eat live food (snails, shrimp, worms), and step up to a bigger filter on your main tank as DP are _VERY_ messy eaters and produce waste higher than their body volume, those tiny 2" long puffers produce the bioload of a 4-5" fish ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2019, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-unorthodox-fish-tank-long-and-probably-really-boring/843800/23 "2019-11-24T03:57:44Z")
Here’s a great shot of an Amano hanging out in a cave. They go in there and start excavating, kicking out all the detritus: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49113047118_114f1dc743_b.jpg "Amano cave") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/56821557@N06/49113047118/in/dateposted-public/) It’s almost impossible to get a good shot of the Tetras on my phone camera but, if you look at the gravel, you can get a bit of a size comparison: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49113046688_5f2004a18f_b.jpg "Tetras") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/56821557@N06/49113046688/in/dateposted-public/) ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2019, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-unorthodox-fish-tank-long-and-probably-really-boring/843800/24 "2019-11-27T02:42:08Z")
Holy snail babies! How is babby formed? Just ask Shelly! She’s forgiven though because she’s turned out beautiful - she looks like a humbug candy: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49129950613_9233fa0a90_b.jpg "Beautiful Shelly") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/56821557@N06/49129950613/in/dateposted-public/) She and her progeny are confined to the 2 gallon tank. The 10 gallon is doing great except my tetras have eaten virtually all of the copepods. I am going to get some brine shrimp eggs and make a hatchery so I can feed them to the tetras because they really love hunting. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2019, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-unorthodox-fish-tank-long-and-probably-really-boring/843800/25 "2019-11-27T02:48:25Z")
> [@](#): > > It’s so rewarding to take little creatures and make them happy. The tetras were fine at the store but they were in big, completely bare tanks with nothing but fish in them. They were pale and just sitting in the bottom of the bag and now they’re nice and coppery, hunting and rubbing up against each other all happy. how wonderful is that? good for you & I’m glad you are enjoying yourself. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2019, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-unorthodox-fish-tank-long-and-probably-really-boring/843800/26 "2019-11-27T04:46:29Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > Holy snail babies! How is babby formed? Just ask Shelly! She’s forgiven though because she’s turned out beautiful - she looks like a humbug candy: > > [Beautiful Shelly | cowardmelissa | Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/56821557@N06/49129950613/in/dateposted-public/) > > She and her progeny are confined to the 2 gallon tank. The 10 gallon is doing great except my tetras have eaten virtually all of the copepods. I am going to get some brine shrimp eggs and make a hatchery so I can feed them to the tetras because they really love hunting. Shelly looks lovely. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2019, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-unorthodox-fish-tank-long-and-probably-really-boring/843800/27 "2019-11-27T13:42:49Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#): > > … > I can’t find a single other person, in real life or online, who has done an aquarium like this. … Keep looking - they are out there. I used to be heavily into planted tanks, participating in several on-line forums and in-person groups. The natural, dirt-as-substrate folk are at one end of the spectrum. I got rid of all my large, high wattage, CO2, dosed tanks and am down to a 3g on my desk here at work. A 7W bulb. No heater or filter (due to workplace restrictions). Over the past couple of years my Endlers and cherry shrimp died off and I didn’t replace them. So now I just enjoy the crypts, anubias, and java moss. ---
**Author:** ![FloatyGimpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/floatygimpy/32/7750_2.png) [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-unorthodox-fish-tank-long-and-probably-really-boring/843800/28 "2019-11-27T16:54:46Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Keep looking - they are out there. I used to be heavily into planted tanks, participating in several on-line forums and in-person groups. The natural, dirt-as-substrate folk are at one end of the spectrum. > > I got rid of all my large, high wattage, CO2, dosed tanks and am down to a 3g on my desk here at work. A 7W bulb. No heater or filter (due to workplace restrictions). Over the past couple of years my Endlers and cherry shrimp died off and I didn’t replace them. So now I just enjoy the crypts, anubias, and java moss. I stopped trying to look because every time I post anything about found, untreated wood/rock/plants everyone replies that I’m crazy. Then they go on to ask their own questions like “hey I have this pest - how do I get rid of it” and “This fungus is growing in my tank - what do I do?” I want to say “why go through all the trouble of treating everything that goes into your tank (removing all the beneficial bacteria in the process) only to still have ‘pest’ issues?” The only thing I wish this tank didn’t have is the hydra that I saw last night. Hydra are awesome and super cool to watch - but not in this tank where I have teeny tiny Ember Tetras. The Hydra won’t kill them but they could get a nasty shock. So I got a syringe and sucked that little bastard out. I’ve never had a healthier aquarium than this one. Here’s an old (and a bit embarrassing - I hate my recorded voice) video of my last aquarium from 11 years ago. I’d forgotten but I see I was obviously already leaning towards a more natural look. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RkmgrLIsSWM/hqdefault.jpg "Fish Tank") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkmgrLIsSWM) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2019, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-unorthodox-fish-tank-long-and-probably-really-boring/843800/29 "2019-11-27T18:56:06Z")
Your tank looks good. Hydra can become invasive, especially if there are brine shrimp available. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-unorthodox-fish-tank-long-and-probably-really-boring/843800.md?page=1)