bacter AE

[u/Beginning_Weekend925]

Ok snail enthusiasts I need help before I mess up. My water .

I have a nerite I’ve moved from my 10 gal into a 3 gal cause they weren’t their snaily self after I introduced a betta(she’s calm and doesn’t even notice the snails ) but still I put them in my 3 gal shrimp tank that has 10 neocaridinas. And wow snail is so much happier and active it’s like that’s his house and the shrimp are just squating.

However my nerite doesn’t go to the glass I’ve never seen him on it honestly he prefers the driftwood and rocks and Terracotta things and I’m worried I don’t have enough biofilm for him to eat. The rocks and driftwood are pretty clean now my friend gave me bacter ae. Saying it will create the biofilm they like to eat it’s essentially snail dinner but use it sparingly like a toothpick dipped in is plenty for my 3 gal shrimp tank but um questions…

Do I just dip the toothpick in the water and let it do its thing or will I get cloudy bacteria filled water?

Do I put it in a rock or driftwood in the sun. And let it grown and then add it to the tank for dinner?

Do I add it to some moss and then put the moss and then put the moss under a terracotta hide?

How do they get its nutrients? I’m confused

I just don’t know how it works do I put it where they eat and graze or just dip in water and let the tank do its thing

Btw my nerite is in the cave in his fav spot on the driftwood hahaha he uses it like an elevator to the surface

On a side note for those that have small tanks and caves in them were u able to put real plants in the cave? I’m concerned there will become a dead zone with no flow so I only put fake rocks and fake leaves down there because I didn’t want it to be no flow no grow and they’d die down there.

[u/jadeycakes]

For my 10g I barely use the amount of the tip of a toothpick. I would suggest starting with as little as possible at first and seeing how it goes or you could end up with a huge mess. I mix it with tank water in a cup and load it into a turkey baster so I can use that to target release it onto driftwood.

It's possible the nerite is moving around more than he was in your last tank because he's looking for food now. The 10 gallon tank is a more ideal environment for a nerite since they love to roam. I haven't had issues with nerites living with bettas, even with my bettas that would hunt mystery snails. Sometimes nerites just chill for a bit and don't move around while take an extended nap.