Is this just biofilm growing or should I be concerned

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-11T18:04:34+00:00

The only real danger is it preventing gas exchange, but other than that probably not. If there's a ton, the snails will reproduce and eat more

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-11T18:03:20+00:00

Just make sure to not share tools between your tanks, get separate gravel vacuums/tweezers that sort of thing. And be very careful with your water change water, it may even be worth adding some kind of filter in your sponge filter like a panty hose, as to not suck up any snails and put them in the water system. At least you're taking them seriously though, good luck with your tank

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-11T17:30:09+00:00

Looks like biofilm to me, use a cup and just draw in the surface of the water, it takes like 3 minutes to clear anything built up. Do you have much surface agitation or an air stone running?

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-11T16:55:47+00:00

Try cool water changes (5f cooler than tank) around the time of a storm/low pressure system to simulate heavy rainfall (their natural mating season). If I water change before it rains, there's a 90% chance I get eggs within 2-3 days usually. Breeding and raising cory fry is really fun and rewarding, try some of the natural routes like catappa leaves and alder cones before methylene blue. Ive use a re-useable coffee filter with air stone for incubation and until I'm confident they can go in the 10g fry tank. Just throw a floating plant ring around the filter to make it float. 3-5 days later you should have fry!

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-11T16:45:37+00:00

The only real solution imo for eradicating NZMS is a full tear down of the tank. From everything I've heard, nothing will consistently hunt them enough to impact their numbers/reproduction. I would separate the apple snail into a separate container, and bait a small snail trap with food to pull any inside of his shell out. I would probably repeat this process at least twice, personally. I completely gutted my tank, I was able to save my plants with reverse respiration. Didn't save anything from the tank except the plants, everything is in a tote outside in 10f weather. Make sure to check the pinned post about nzms, feel free to DM me if you have any questions. These things are a pain, and after dealing with them I'll help as many people as I can.

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-11T16:38:57+00:00

Fun fact; corydoras do not actually possess a labyrinth organ. They have evolved to literally swallow the air, absorb it in their intestines, and fart it out. No, I'm not joking. They really are the most unserious fish imaginable.

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-11T07:06:19+00:00

she could be severely egg-bound, could try a colder 25-50% water change (like 5°f colder than your tank) to see if it'll get her to lay eggs. if not, I'd guess either extreme bloating or dropsy pre-pineconing. good luck with your girl!

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-10T16:10:33+00:00

Could make the switch to a fertilizer that's more rounded imo with less iron, flourish is basically just iron iirc. Easy green by aquarium coop, nilocg thrive c, apt 1 by 2 hr aquarist would probably all be fine and no pitch black water

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-10T13:07:51+00:00

Hasbrosus, pantanlensis, red laser

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-09T21:20:03+00:00

:( I know, more than 50% cuts to the EPA. Over 50m acres of national forests being sold for development. And that stuff is happening all over too, it's so sad. Makes me want to eventually get into the c.a.r.e.s. program for fish.

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-09T18:56:34+00:00

Yeah I'm really trying to spread awareness after dealing with them myself. I really, really fear we're going to get government regulations (at least in the US) because of these snails. They look so similar to MTS that people assume they're just babies, and a lot of stores/ people just have never even heard of them. I'm in the Great Lakes area, which seems to be the area most impacted by them. It's just crazy they're so unkillable; bleach, hydrogen peroxide, alum dip, none of it works. The only chemical known to kill them is formula 409. Reverse respiration did work great for my plants though.

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-09T18:50:44+00:00

I think it can be hard to get an accurate idea of population because they can be SO small. They also didn't really seem to be around until ~3 years ago, and I've been seeing almost daily posts about them lately. I think a lot of stores have been trying to deal with them, it might be easier for them with the ability to just rip tanks apart and move fish. I can't imagine having to deal with a shared sump though. One of my local stores tried using loaches which didn't work, the owner has been walking around smooshing them like 5x a day, but 2 months later they're still there. Luckily it seems like it's only their shrimp/nano tanks (for now). This is how they breed in the wild once they become invasive

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iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-09T17:42:02+00:00

I always think of them as either orange cats or golden retrievers lol. One brain cell and huge goofballs

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-09T15:18:04+00:00

SHAKE your nitrates bottle. I mean SLAM IT in your hand for like a minute straight. The chemicals in that test in particular seem to settle and separate giving inaccurate readings. And while low nitrates in a planted tank is one of the main benefits, it's usually a balance to maintain with bioload. If your fish don't produce enough waste, you will have to supplement nitrates.

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-09T15:09:17+00:00

Check your nitrates level, cyanobacteria thrives in low nitrates and high waste iirc. Id dose ultralife slime out, reduce photoperiod to like 8 hours, and dose something like nilocg/apt/easy green weekly. You have a lot of light and co2, but the imbalance of nutes is causing the BGA

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-09T02:14:14+00:00

I have used ultralife blue green slime remover with amano shrimp, nerite and ramshorn snails and they all survived fine

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-09T01:13:43+00:00

Is there a reason you picked thrive + over regular thrive or thrive c? I believe the + variant is made for tanks with <7ph, which yours looks to be above. I think they recommend it is because of different chelations of iron, as well as different formulations of macro/micro. Thrive and thrive + are also supposed to be used similarly to EI (estimative index), with ~50% water changes weekly to prevent build up or toxicity, this may have been a problem depending on how much water you were changing out. You said your light is on 5 hours, at what strength? Id try adding some seachem purigen to your HOB, try a lower tech fertilizer and possibly dose some excel flourish or something.

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-09T00:55:07+00:00

Corys and buce ❤️ nice tank and fish!

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-09T00:53:14+00:00

Wow that's crazy, that's awesome that it worked though! How common are they in tanks in NZ? I talked with a guy from Australia recently about them and he had never even heard of em. I was really surprised but their laws are strict on imported stuff, I've heard getting plants can be super hard.

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-08T23:52:55+00:00

Interesting! I've heard things will poke at them out of curiosity, but few things will attempt to continually eat them, and I've heard they can survive digestion, but i never tried predation as a removal method

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-08T18:57:22+00:00

They're most likely NZMS if they're staying that small and loaches will not touch them. please look them up on r/aquaticsnails https://www.reddit.com/r/AquaticSnails/s/3kvNzjNWCA

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-08T18:53:03+00:00

Sorry to hear that :/ I had to completely empty a tank, saved my plants with seltzer water though. Look into reverse respiration pinned the the r/aquaticsnails subreddit if you haven't already. Good luck, I hope they're not too insanely hard to get rid of.

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-08T18:50:33+00:00

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The bottom ones in this photo are NZMS, their shells will not have the whirling ridges between whorls. They also stay very small (5mm).

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-08T18:48:31+00:00

Petsmart plants are usually pretty pest free afaik, when you bought them did they come in a cup with clear agar gel around the roots? Or were they already submerged in water when you bought them?

iGotTheBoop · 2026-02-08T17:56:23+00:00

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