Snails and Red Cherry Shrimp?

[TripleB67]

I'm looking for something to help keep my cycled 5 gallon aquarium clean, and be intereting to watch.

I currently only have 1 neon in the tank (other 5 died from putting too many in at one time) but plan to either put 3 male guppies (leaning this way) or a betta in the tank (relocating the neon).

From what I've read, and what you've told me in my thousand other posts, cory cats are too small so Red Cherry Shrimp or Snails seem to be the way to go.

I guess one concern I have with both of these is their ability to multiply rather quickly.

Are there snails that are great for a fresh water 5 gallon tank that do not multiply? If so, what type?

Overall, would snails be beneficial to a tank like mine?

Concerning the Red Cherry Shrimp, how many could live comfortably in a 5 gallon tank with either the guppies or the betta?

I currently do not have any live plants in my tank...large 'barrel' type decoration that the fish can swim through and hide in, an artificial plant, and then a fake small turtle.

Would I need to add live plants for either the snails and/or the red cherry shrimp? If so, what type?

Thanks for your help and patience.

TripleB67

 

[librarygirl]

Nerite snails are the best; they're interesting to look at, don't get too large and can't multiply in freshwater (you might find eggs on the glass or plants now and then but you can just pick them off, they can't hatch in freshwater so you won't be overrun with them). I have 3 in a 40 gal. You could try one in a 5. Mostly they'll eat biofilm and invisible stuff that you can't see and they graze on the glass too and will keep it pretty clean.

RCs are pretty small and have almost no bioload so you could probably put as many as you wanted in there. Depending on the fish you get too, any new baby shrimplets might get eaten and will keep the population in check. Just make sure the tank is cycled (no ammonia or nitrite) and keep nitrate low as shrimp can be fairly fragile when it comes to water conditions. Also shrimp get sucked into filters very easily so you might want to cover the filter intake tube with a prefilter sponge or a mesh bag or cut up a fish net and attach it around the intake to prevent the shrimp from getting inside (although sometimes they find their way in there anyway; each week during your water change just check the filter thoroughly and put any you see back into the tank).

 

[Fishhappy]

Apple snails are great and don't multiple on their own like other types of snails!