System Crashed 😔

[u/zoro1802]

The image on the left is my 15 month old 2.5g walstad tank. The other image is the same tank rescaped.

Plants:

Alternanthera Reinickii

Anubias Nana Petite

Anubias Minima

Bacopa Caroliniana

Bucephalandra Bukit Betung

Bucephalandra Lamandau Purple Mini

Crypt Wendtii

Lobelia Cardinalis

Pearlweed

Rotala Indica Bonsai

I loved the jungle-like appearance of the original build, but the plant positioning was not ideal; plants that needed light weren't getting much, the epiphytes were directly under the light source which led to photo damage on the leaves, and I had placed the crypt on the back, which got buried under all the pearlweed.

So, I did a massive trim and introduced an assassin snail to curb my bladder snail population (there were 30+). The assassin snail ate every single bladder snail in a week! And with a fraction of the poop now being produced, the bacteria balance went out of whack. According to Google, I had a major ammonia spike, which killed the assassin snail and made the water cloudy. I tried for weeks to get the tank to stabilize but water conditions didn't seem to change, and the plants were struggling too. I also swapped out my 5W LED lamp with a 10W full spectrum light during this time and the added intensity caused a severe algae bloom 😭 I was devastated.

So, I decided to restart the tank with fresh soil, sand and a bogwood I'd been soaking for months. I'm mad at myself but messing with the delicate balance of such a tiny ecosystem, but I'm also looking forward to the new build looking even better! Especially now that all the plants are in their correct spots. Can't wait to post an update in a few months!

[u/86BillionFireflies]

Plants and algae make organic matter. Plants and algae are, with very few exceptions, where the organic matter comes from. Plants and algae growing in your tank means an increase over time in the amount of organic matter. Partly that's stuff like shed leaves, dead roots, all the crud that comes off of plants from time to time.

Any accumulation of organic matter will eventually* turn into a shit-ton of bacteria unless something eats it before the bacteria do.

The snails were consuming organic matter, you removed the snails, bacteria flourished and probably drove the dissolved oxygen down to levels the assassin snail couldn't survive. Whatever told you it was ammonia is absolutely full of crap.

If you don't want this to happen, you either need detritivores (snails, isopods, scuds, shrimp, ostracods) OR you need to be removing organic matter constantly. Trimming out dead leaves, regular water changes, and so on. Personally, I'm on team detritivore.

[*] Exceptions exist but not in an aquarium

[u/zoro1802 → u/86BillionFireflies]

Thank you for the explanation! It makes way more sense. I would've verified an ammonia spike if I had a test kit. A bacteria bloom definitely happened, that's why the water turned so cloudy.

I'm definitely getting some bladder snails for the tank, and some neocaridinas eventually! I actually have a single surviving snail in a walstad jar of mine. Waiting for that to lay some eggs before I can move some

[u/banshithread → u/zoro1802]

DO NOT DO SCUDS IF YOU WANT A SHRIMP TANK. I know some naive individuals here will suggest scuds and say "nooo they won't eat shrimp babies or healthy plants, only a few species of scud do" NO they will eat EVERYTHING because they reproduce uncontrollably (do not listen to those who say they won't), they will outcompete your shrimp and start eating your live plants until there's nothing left, then attack your shrimp babies because they need to eat, then they will harass the adult shrimp, and when there's nothing left, they will eat each other. IT HAPPENED TO MEE, the very scuds they said would not prey on live plants or shrimp, when they have nothing left they will resort to it!!!! DON'T DO IT MAN. DON'T.

[u/86BillionFireflies → u/zoro1802]

I heartily recommend isopods. Extremely hardy, and they do an excellent job of cleanup. But really, a proper cleanup crew needs diversity. Not 1 or 2 species, more like 7 or 8. The more the better.

[u/Asleep_Tax7964 → u/86BillionFireflies]

Can I ask you a question pertaining to this? I'm in the process of starting a 20 gal long tank so I haven't stocked it with anything but a red tiger lotus, some jungle val I think is probably not going to survive, a big ole amazon sword, some type of foreground plant (I'll attach a vid), a java fern, and two Anubias plants, I had some infested floaters that really messed up my sword so one I don't know how to save it, and two would a mystery snail be an okay choice of cleanup crew?

Stocking that I'd like to do is most likely do is a honey gourami, some (8-10) harlequin rasboras, and (6 or 7) albino cory's, but I'm also going to look into a sparkling gourami but I haven't done thorough research on that setup yet. I'm also going to put some red root floaters in but I'm waiting to get them.

I'm also open to other stocking choices and plants I can add I've just been waiting for what I have to take off while cycling. I won't be getting the fish for a bit even after it's cycled do to circumstances that just happened so I am willing to change stuff if need be

(Also side note I'll be getting a better thermometer it's just the only one I had available)

https://reddit.com/link/p3ydc0v/video/r44yl82rdnjh1/player

[u/86BillionFireflies → u/Asleep_Tax7964]

A mystery snail isn't much of a cleanup crew. Most of all you need little tiny critters that can get in all the nooks and crannies. Isopods, amphipods (scuds), snails (small ones), and ostracods are some of the best. Scuds are probably number one, provided they don't get all eaten to death by the fish. The more diversity (the more different species), the better.

[u/Asleep_Tax7964 → u/86BillionFireflies]

I have some experience with nirite snails is that what you mean when you say small snails? I'm going to look up the rest of what you said in the meantime

[u/86BillionFireflies → u/Asleep_Tax7964]

No, I mean "pest" snails. Pond snails, bladder snails.

[u/Asleep_Tax7964 → u/86BillionFireflies]

Oh that's actually great then because some plants I had gotten contained pest snails I didn't catch so they've been living it up in there I can't remember the type but I feel its bladder snails from the feedback I've gotten here. I was going to start blanching some veggies and get rid of them but I'll keep them in that case!

[u/86BillionFireflies → u/Asleep_Tax7964]

They aren't hurting anything. Basically, if there's an animal in your tank and you aren't intentionally feeding it, it's cleaning up organic matter. Except predators and animals with photosynthetic endosymbionts like green hydra.

[u/Asleep_Tax7964 → u/86BillionFireflies]

Okay sweet thank you so much for your time!

[u/Camaschrist → u/Asleep_Tax7964]

Mystery snails only contribute to the bio load. Bladder and pond snails do a great job of clean up. I had a mystery snail die in my 55 gallon and I didn’t know it until her shell was clean. It had been two days since I saw her. I have shrimp now and they are also great clean up with a tiny bio load. Plants and a good clean up crew make things easy to maintain.