What inverts to get?

[duanea]

I have a tank with just fish and fake plants. I would like to get some invertebrates but dont know much about what kinds are best in different tanks, with different fish etc. I have 2 angels, 3 neons tetras and a cory and no plants. Do I need to have plants? Any suggestions about where to start?

[wesleydnunder]

Snails would work, and you don't need to add plants, but you do need to feed the snails. With angels I wouldn't try shrimp as the angels can be predatory. What size is the tank?

Mark

[Emg]

Well......like Wes said, shrimp might not be an option with angels in there, but.....ghost shrimp are pretty cheap usually.....you could get a few and put them in, see if the angels leave them alone or not......if you get some larger ones they might do ok.....just a thought....

[Trixie]

Just keep in mind that the angels, when they get bigger, might snack on your neons. They are kind of famous for that.

[DaisyTattoo]

A mystery snail would work, but yes you would have to feed it. They don't live on algae. And I agree that eventually the neons are gonna become angel snackies.

[duanea]

I know everybody keeps telling me that!! and I love the neons and the angels, im sure its gona become a problem but ill cross that bridge when I come to it!!

my tank is 65L (which is around 16 gallons I think!) I have got algae so maybe I could get a snail or invert that likes to eat it that way I wont have to keep wiping down the inside of the glass!

[Trixie]

My favorite way to get rid of algae is not to add to the bioload by introducing another creature, it is to try and eliminate what the algae likes. If you make it less hospitable for the algae, it will leave (or lessen, anyway). Algae likes light. How long do you have your lights on each day? The best way to monitor that is by using timers. I found that when I had my lights on timers, I had been leaving my aquarium lights on much longer than I should have. Also, more frequent or greater volume water changes might help. And lastly, it is almost impossible to avoid having to just go over the glass with a scrubby or magnetic scrapey thing. I do this mid-water change. It's quick, efficient and I know I do a good job...
HTH.

[joephys]

Well, you can always just look at the neons as being tasty treats for the angels

As for the algae, trixie is right. Adding something to eat algae isn't going solve a problem. It may do something to help keep it from spreading, but mostly it will just make the algae look uneven. Feeding less, doing more water changes and keeping the light down if you have alot of light is the best way to combat it.

[wesleydnunder]

Originally Posted by Trixie

...magnetic scrapey thing...

This is a technical phrase that's widely accepted throughout the hobby.



Mark

[duanea]

Yeah I dont leave my light on much now and do about 50% water changes every week. I think the problem is that sunlight comes in the window during the day. The tank is not on a window sill or anything but the room gets a lot of natural light. Im leaving the curtain closed as much as possible and cant move the tank because Ive nowhere else to put it! I think i would still like to get an invertebrate regardless of the algae! I like the look of red ramshorn snails from pics ive seen on the net. Anyone any experience with these?

[Trixie]

Just get a live plant. You will have more than you will ever need.

[joephys]

Sunlight is probably one of the main causes of the algae.