Any fishkeepers here? Saltwater or freshwater

[Silock]

Got rid of those plants. Not worth the hassle of keeping them separate, so I just tossed them. Replaced them with another Water Sprite and two Pygmy Swords.

Also, got a Blank Mystery Snail to help keep the algae under control and to keep the mulm to a minimum. Not sure if they help with substrate turnover or not.

Got my DIY CO2 reactor working (I think). Yeast proofed much better than the last batch, so it should be producing CO2 by tomorrow. Just in case of a leak, I used aquarium sealer on the tube/cap connection.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Silock

Got rid of those plants. Not worth the hassle of keeping them separate, so I just tossed them. Replaced them with another Water Sprite and two Pygmy Swords.

Also, got a Blank Mystery Snail to help keep the algae under control and to keep the mulm to a minimum. Not sure if they help with substrate turnover or not.

Got my DIY CO2 reactor working (I think). Yeast proofed much better than the last batch, so it should be producing CO2 by tomorrow. Just in case of a leak, I used aquarium sealer on the tube/cap connection.

Snails are hit and miss when it comes to algae. They'll keep the green stuff down to a certain extent. They won't help with the black stuff (unless they're Nerite snails) but then again, nothing else really will either. Snails the reproduce might eventually contribute to algae, since they are poop machines.

Also, outside of Melanoid snails (burrowers), they probably won't affect substrate turnover much at all. Then again, that's what a small gravel vac is for.

On the DIY yeast reactor, keep in mind that most drink bottles (juice, gatorade, etc.) use polyethylene in the caps. Silicone caulk won't stick to it at all. Eventually, you will leak at the insertion point (it might leak right off the bat).

Instead, drill your insertion hole in the cap about 1/16" SMALLER than the outside diameter of your airline hose. Cut the hose at an angle to create a sharp point that will stick in the hole and pull it through. The mechanical seal created has worked perfectly for me every time, no caulk needed.

Also keep in mind that airline tubing will corrode under constant exposure to C02 - regular cheap tubing will get brittle after just a few weeks and silicone tubing will eventually too, although it takes a bit longer.