Planted shrimp tank

[Koikid88]

I recently added a 20g long tank to my collection (being the smallest tank)

and I've come across a problem I haven't dealt with in my other planted tanks. (Which are more stocked with plants than the 20g, to scale)

Half of the plants have a web-like string algae covering them. Very unsightly.

It's only the top half of the plants in question, making me think the light plays a factor in it.
But, there are other plants the same height, if not taller, mixed in that don't have anything growing on them and look healthy.

It's not just a certain type of plant, as some of the same plants have it and some don't. (I split up some of the bunches I had, so it's literally the same plant)


What type of algae is this? (Among the 10s of thousands of algaes)
Is it harmful? (No evidence so far that it is, just ugly)
How can I get rid of it? (Without chemicals, preferably without removing by hand)

I know fish won't eat most types of string algae, but hey there may be some I don't know about?


Inhabitants : 10 Blue, Fire, Sunkist & Green shrimp (No bigger than 3cm)
1 Rabbit snail

Parameters:
PH 7.6
Amm 0 obviously
Nitrites 0
nitrates 5-10

 

[Koikid88]

Most of it is on the Cabombas, if that has any relevance

 

[FastFly67]

PG: Algae - An Overview - PlantGeek.net
this is a good guide for algae and how to control/get rid of it
not sure how new you are to inverts so I'll put the warning out there that copper will kill inverts. from what i understand, a tank that's ever been treated with copper containing products can almost never house inverts again. don't know if it's because the copper is absorbed into the silicone or what. just a word of warning
hope that helps

 

[Koikid88]

Really? Never heard that before, thanks for the tip.
Luckily nothing that has even contacted copper (from my knowledge) is or has been in the tank. Althought it was a used tank....

They've been alive for almost a month now.

 

[FastFly67]

Really? Never heard that before, thanks for the tip.
Luckily nothing that has even contacted copper (from my knowledge) is or has been in the tank. Althought it was a used tank....

They've been alive for almost a month now.

Sorry, should have been a bit more clear. Alot of algae killing products out there contain copper. hence the warning.

 

[pdw1731]

PG: Algae - An Overview - PlantGeek.net
this is a good guide for algae and how to control/get rid of it
not sure how new you are to inverts so I'll put the warning out there that copper will kill inverts. from what i understand, a tank that's ever been treated with copper containing products can almost never house inverts again. don't know if it's because the copper is absorbed into the silicone or what. just a word of warning
hope that helps

Bah! I was setting up to do a planted invert tank but I am using Seachem Flourish. It wasnt until afterwards that I learned about the copper restriction when it comes to inverts

On to plan B

 

[Aspencer]

Bah! I was setting up to do a planted invert tank but I am using Seachem Flourish. It wasnt until afterwards that I learned about the copper restriction when it comes to inverts

On to plan B

The amounts of copper in flourish are too small to hurt your shrimp...I have used flourish in my tanks and my shrimp still breed a lot.

 

[Fdsh5]

I use flourish too and have had no problems for a year now

 

[FastFly67]

An article on copper
Copper sulfate | The Skeptical Aquarist
It touches briefly on copper and inverts but also touches on copper and plants. if you google 'copper and freshwater inverts', there's a plethora of articles mentioning the two.
One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give: Don't believe everything you read on internet forums. Do your own research.

 

[Koikid88]

An article on copper
Copper sulfate | The Skeptical Aquarist
It touches briefly on copper and inverts but also touches on copper and plants. if you google 'copper and freshwater inverts', there's a plethora of articles mentioning the two.
One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give: Don't believe everything you read on internet forums. Do your own research.

For sure, I never just go by 1 sites advice. As knowledgable as you guys are, I always weigh many different articles and comments lol
I'm going to manually remove the algae as Plan A, since it's only a 20g.

If it grows back, I will look into other alternatives.

Also, is it ok if I just squish those clear snails while they are small, and let the shrimp eat them?

One of the recent plants I put in brought snails into the tank, but I've kept them under control and only see a couple tiny ones a day..
I squished them and the shrimp started eating them on the bottom.
(Sorry for being in the wrong thread, but it is some what relevant to this topic)

 

[Tanktop]

I would keep an eye on water quality if you're squishing a lot of pest snails. I tried the squish technique but in the end resorted to 2 assassin snails which have been very effective. I haven't seen any "naughty snails" ( as my 3 yr old calls them) for 2 months, but see the occasional new empty shell so there are still some in there.