# Need an Animal to Eat Dead Plant Matter



## dbw27 (May 19, 2014)

Malaysian Trumpet Snail?

Argh - I do not want crazy reproduction. 

I also have two Assassin snails...muhahahaha.. on alert.

(since I do not think any pest snails are in there at this current moment, the Assassins eat bloodworms at this point in time).

Is there anything else I can put that will help clean up dead plant matter that will not eat my plants, etc.?

Thanks.

dbw


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## Kdog (Apr 13, 2014)

Shrimps. My RCS and Amanos eat them.


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## dbw27 (May 19, 2014)

I really really really really really want shrimp, but I also have African Dwarf Frogs who I fear would eat the shrimp. 

The African Dwarf frogs are very cute. I love them. I am wondering if like giant bamboo shrimp might survive them.  Ha.

Seriously, I have read online that ghost shrimp might survive them and since they are so cheap, I may give it a try. I really have to get rid of these White Skirt Tetra. They are Kung Fu Fighting.

dbw


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## RWaters (Nov 12, 2003)

dbw27 said:


> I really really really really really want shrimp, but I also have African Dwarf Frogs who I fear would eat the shrimp.
> 
> The African Dwarf frogs are very cute. I love them. I am wondering if like giant bamboo shrimp might survive them.  Ha.
> 
> ...


Kung Fu fighting - that gave me a good laugh! It seems a fitting description for those fish though.


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## lochaber (Jan 23, 2012)

Personally, I think snails are about perfect for this. I'm not sure if one set is specifically better then another, since I almost always have some mix of MTS, ramshorn, and pond snails.

I know they aren't a terribly popular option, but I've always liked them and found them useful.

I imagine having the assassin snails would rule this option out.


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## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

Anything that eats dead plant matter will poop, which will add the wastes back into the tank. You just need to do water changes to remove it.


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## OVT (Nov 29, 2011)

The circle of life: the dead feed the living.
Short term, we are all fertilizers in waiting. A cheerful thought.

Purigen could be 1/2 of the answer.

v3


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## klumas (Apr 15, 2014)

I'll have to agree with the snails comment as i too have mts, ramshorns, and pond snails. I bought an assassin to keep them in check and i really don't see too many bigger ones or find any evidence i have a ridiculous snail population.
And I'll note all my brown rhizome stuff went away as soon as i started using purigen, and i don't know if i just have less.mulm or if there is less buildup because there's no rhizomes in my tank anymore but my filters last a good week longer since i added purigen


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## jmsaltfish797 (Oct 27, 2012)

snails are usually the best bet. they are considered a "zero impact" animal in a tank. they dont really add to the waste, just process it to a more tank friendly form. but nothing is a substitute for regular upkeep.


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## cjstl (Mar 4, 2013)

Maybe a big snail, like a mystery snail could survive the assassins. But they'll eat anything else except baby MTS.


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## dbw27 (May 19, 2014)

I love the assassins. I think because I love their name. Do mystery snails leave eggs all over the tank that are hard to get rid of? 

I just have some dead leaf particles on the bottom that I am wondering if anything would eat instead of me manually taking it out like I have been doing. I do not see how water changes can help with dead leaf particles sitting on the floor of the tank on the substrate.

By the way, what is brown rhizome stuff?

Thanks. 

Dbw


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