Why isn't fish keeping easy :(

[Welsh]

I love the sand substrate in my tank but im losing my patients rather rapidly, everytime I do a water change and suck up any debris on the sand the next day its back to square one not only that but today I have noticed brown algae on my thermometer and my SNAIL. I do my water changes reguarly so why is this happening, is it the plants? I'm not even sure what the crap on the bottom of the tank is, no fish could possibly poop as much as that surely and I don't feed my fish too much so its not food. My corys don't seem to be helping either.

Other than water changes is there anything else I can do, I don't want to be adding anymore chemicals to the water as I already add Aquasafe and plantamin. I am so stressed out, all I want is a nice looking tank lol.

[BeautifulBettaFish]

yea the sand lloks great but ive heard its a pain ,gets stuck in filter too :(

[Welsh]

My filter's fine, its just the sand thats a pain lol I cant even use a gravel cleaner on it, although I am tempted haha

[Oldfishlady]

If this is a new set-up my guess is what you are seeing are diatoms and that is a normal part of a new system and should resolve on it own in a couple of months, also, old bulbs can cause the brown algae as well and overstocking.

For sand cleaning I hover over the area that needed to be cleaned and kick it up with my other hand as I vacuum (filter off), also, sand can always look dirty IME, I don't let it bother me so much because I want that mulm for my plants and it looks natural, I let the mulm build up to near an inch in some places and the shrimp love to feed and hide in it. IMO it is part of my little ecosystem in a glass box....

[Welsh]

I have OCD so it's killing me lol. Do the shrimp eat the ''mulm'' then? I have had the tank for about a month all set up but I have had the sand in the tank for the last 2 weeks, I do hover when I do my water changes until the sand is like new but literally by the next day its pretty much the same as before and it only builds up over the days to my next water change.

[McAttack]

Can you take a picture so we can see what you're talking about?

[Oldfishlady]

Sound normal for sand IMO/E...it can be a pain especially if you like the look of super clean....thats why I embrace it...lol....you know...can't beat...join it...lol...I do understand OCD
On one of my tanks I suck the top layer of sand off on occasion and then replace it, I don't use a regular vacuum to do it because it take too much, I use my little homemade vacuum that I made with air line hose and chop-sticks and take a small amount just the top layer......but still the brown comes back within a day or two regardless........

[Oldfishlady]

Forgot to add....yes, the shrimp are grazing in the mulm, I don't think they eat it per se' but the micro-critters that are in it.....I know I have a population explosion of shrimp in that tank...to guess I would say well over 100 red cherry shrimp in that 55g that I use for breeding (Ancistrus sp) longfinned albino BN pleco and use for Betta fry grow out, it about 95% planted with soil substrate and play sand cap.

[McAttack]

Originally Posted by Oldfishlady

Forgot to add....yes, the shrimp are grazing in the mulm, I don't think they eat it per se' but the micro-critters that are in it.....I know I have a population explosion of shrimp in that tank...to guess I would say well over 100 red cherry shrimp in that 55g that I use for breeding (Ancistrus sp) longfinned albino BN pleco and use for Betta fry grow out, it about 95% planted with soil substrate and play sand cap.

Sounds awesome actually! I love watching shrimps run around and wave all the food into their mouths.

[Welsh]

I want to have RCS in my 12 gallon but with 5 fighter females I'm thinking its not a good idea.

There must be a fish somewhere that eats all that rubbish at the bottom haha. I can put up with the little algae on my snail and tank that's easy to clean but the sand is a nightmare lol.

Another question, I have plants that were in my male betta tank when he died of fin rot, it might sound a bit silly but I was wondering whether I could still use them for another male that im having tomorrow?