An Algae bloom within a tank is a hobbyist’s worst nightmare. Everyone at some point has noticed the windows/ glasses of their tanks change color from transparent to green. We are reluctant to clean such tanks but we do it because we love our tanks and we want to be able to see through them. The greening of the tank is a sign of an algae bloom and one that is often caused by longer light hours or exposure to direct sunlight. In some cases an algae bloom is caused by higher concentrations of nutrients as well. Despite the various causes of an algae bloom, one thing remains certain; it is costly to eliminate it. It is also time consuming as a lot of work is involved in cleaning the glass from side to side.

Safer and environment friendly alternatives have been suggested such as using aquatic animals to clean the algae green glasses. These freshwater invertebrates include Siamese Algae Eaters, False Siamese Algae Eaters, Flying Foxes, and Chinese Algae Eaters. Some freshwater shrimp have been recommended and are also now being recognised as being very effective when it comes to eating some algae. Most freshwater shrimp feed on algae but not enough to completely clean off the greener looking tanks. Snails such as the Ramshorn have been seen as an answer to reducing the greening of the water.

The freshwater aquarium and its invertebrates are always evolving as new species are being introduced to the tank. One of these specific new species are the Nerite snails. For the record, some Nerite snails are known to live in brackish conditions but seem to have no problem adjusting to freshwater. These snails come in different shades of color with many shapes and sizes. They have distinct sexual organs and can successfully breed in brackish water only. Chances of them multiplying are slim to none unless one tries to breed them in brackish water. These freshwater Nerite snails excel when it comes to cleaning tanks with algae. They specifically feed on algae and it is often recommended that when first being introduced to a freshwater tank, algae should be present so that they do not starve to death. These snails do everything that other freshwater invertebrates do not do: they feed on anything that has algae and slowly but gradually clear off the algae. If one wants to avoid an algae bloom from spreading to their glasses, then the perfect controller would be the freshwater Nerite snails. If one wants to get rid of already existing algae on their aquarium glasses, ornaments, plants etc, then the perfect cleaners are the freshwater Nerite snails.

These freshwater Nerites do such an amazing job to the extent that one is left considering whether to put several of these in multiple tanks. Those with planted tanks need not worry as their plants will not be victimized, uprooted or eaten. When it comes to cleaning and controlling algae, these snails are unmatched. They take their time eating off algae within a given area before moving. As their effectiveness begins to show, one almost wishes they moved a little faster to other areas of the aquarium that are blooming with algae.

The Nerite snail is the lazy man’s solution to cleaning a tank with an algae bloom. These snails are almost perfect but there is one catch to their effectiveness, they leave behind “feeding prints” and will likely go back to remove some of them if they feel there is no longer enough algae. The effectiveness of the Nerites in a tank with an algae infestation will begin to show minutes after it has been introduced into the tank. They will graze on the algae as if they are goats feeding on grass. To increase their effectiveness within a tank, a few should be added depending on the dimensions and size of the tank. Some Nerite snails feed on blue/green algae something that other snails ignore.

A list of some Nerite snails include; Tiger snail, Zebra snail, Porcupine snail, Olive Nerite snail, Bumblebee snail, Red Nerite snail, Abalone snail, Spiral Horn snail and all Horned snails. There are a lot more Nerite snails than the ones on this list.