[Neil8888]

Looks like a great set-up! I agree with the last poster's answers, but I'll just add a few points that might be helpful:

Water Changes: I've had a similar tank for years, with slightly more plants, and I currently do around 20% weekly water changes. Once your tank becomes more established and the plants start to expand, you can easily get away with smaller water changes.

Stocking: Once you get comfortable with doing water changes safely, I think you are fine with adding 3-4 more tetras. You could also definitely get a few more cherries and start a small colony (although most of the fry will probably become cory snacks). Adding a few tetras and cherries would probably put your tank at a "healthy max capacity"— my only concern would be the pleco. Not sure if it is full grown, but an adult 3-4" longfin pleco might push the bioload over the top, as they are big waste producers. It will definitely be fine while it is an adolescent, but as it grows you might need more gravel vacuuming to keep the waste in check.

Snails: freshwater snails aren't nearly as cool as some saltwater, but definitely look into mystery snails. They are by far the most entertaining in my opinion. They do produce a good amount of waste, though. I would be careful that the nerite you have discovered is not a pond snail / pest snail—they look very similar when they are small, and it is much more likely that you got a free pond snail with your plants, rather than a free nerite. An actual nerite would be a great addition to this tank to help with some of the glass cleaning.

 

[Neil8888]

Thanks! About how long does it take plants to grow like this? I know my saltwater tanks, the live rock and the coral took months to develop and grow. As for the stocking section - yeah the pleco I'm also wondering about too after doing a bit more research on it. Right now it's about a half-inch long and very tiny, and I do have a gravel vac, so I'll have to keep an eye on him and the bioload - good point.

The snail....heh, let me see if I can get a picture of that little guy and see if I misidentified him.

I would guess that's not a nerite. I am pretty sure that nerite species wouldn't have that much of their antenna or foot sticking out of the shell, and the "pointy" shape of the foot really looks like most of my pest snails. To be fair, I have never seen a "baby" nerite snail, just the adolescent size that you can buy them in, but I am 95% sure that is a pest snail.

For plant growth, it highly depends on what types of plants you have, I'd suggest googling your plants and growth rate. I have a 15 gallon with about 80% of the substrate covered with anubias, and some moss on different hardscapes, and that was fine with a full bioload of fish and 20% weekly changes. I'd definitely recommend getting some moss on that driftwood—A little moss won't drastically help the water quality, but it will help some, and it will look nice.

You will definitely be fine with a 1/2 inch pleco. They also grow pretty slowly, so it will probably be a few years before it becomes a problem. Also FYI, a lot of LFS do pleco trade programs, where you can bring in a pleco that has gotten too big, and trade it for a smaller one.

 

[Neil8888]

Well damn lol.....I guess I should pull that snail out soon then huh? And yeah the local family-run fish shop (not generic pet store) near me mentioned that when I bought it for a "just in case" situation.

Really appreciate all the advice so far.

Most would say pull it out. If you have low algae and low excess food, a few pest snails can look nice in my opinion, and not overpopulate the tank, but EVENTUALLY they will probably have a population explosion. Regardless of whether or not you remove it, I would get 1 or 2 real nerites, as they will help clean the glass better than a 1/2" pleco.

Happy to help! 15-20gal planted tanks with nano fish are so cool—I'm glad you are enjoying it!

 

[Neil8888]

Surprised no one mentioned this yet, but you need to pull your anubias up out of the substrate so the rhizome is exposed. The roots can stay planted but that rhizome needs to be exposed or the plant will rot in the substrate.

Wow—thank you for mentioning that. I have had anubias for years and always had trouble covering that part of the plant with substrate, because it would always push up and unbury itself. That makes a lot more sense now—I'm going to go uncover mine too now 😅

 

[Neil8888]

Dumb question - did a shrimp just molt? And if so, what do I do with it? Leave it there and let nature do it's thing, or remove it?

View attachment 1031837

Yes! Molting is usually a sign of good health, and younger shrimp will molt more often so they can grow.

It is fine to leave it in the tank. It is a good source of calcium, and the shrimp will probably eat it.