Hello all!!! I have a 55g setup with a sand substrate and have been in search for some MTS to keep the sand stirred up and to take care of some pesky algae that has been in the tank since I have gotten it. The only problem is that I can not find any locally at any LFS. Where else could I look for them? Thanks in advance for the help!!!

First of all, welcome to the forum! Where are you located? It would help us give you better advise.

Thanks!!! I am in Nashville, TN.

I checked the member map, it looks like there are some members closeby. Perhaps they know of a good supplier in your area. I'm nowhere near to you, or I'd offer you some. I got them by accident from an LFS.

Nice try FishFinder. You won't be able to unload any of them that easily. I watch carefully on the pants that I buy or I would already have far more than I do. So far only one of my tanks has become contaminated by those pests. I keep reading about how they turn the substrate and aerate it but they don't tell you that they breed faster than pond snails.

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Fishless cycling

Yeah...but....MTS are much more beneficial than pond snails. ;o) I don't mind if they hijack in as I welcome them. They mainly stay hidden til lights out anyway. I just sent out a big batch. Let me check and see if I have any more that I can spare.

That would be awesome!!! I have searched everywhere for them! I've checked every Petsmart, Petco, Super Petz, and all of the LFS, and even asked if they could order some to no availe!

I have been looking at the pros and cons about it and I don't really see any cons. The only way they take over is if I over feed, or the algae gets bad enough.

in a planted aquarium the MTS is your best friend, they only reporduce in huge numbers because the tank is dirty, thats the ONLY reason they reproduce, no filth no more snails, they will stop breeding as to not run out of food as well.


This isn't exactly true. MTS will breed in any tank as long as you have a male and female. They really don't eat much algae, but will keep the substrate cleaner by eating left over food. And if you really want to see how many you have just don't feed the tank for a couple of days and the walls will be covered with them. Then they will eat the algae that is there.

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220 Tank build
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html

Yes I knew that, but if you have gone through what I have the last couple of days you would understand my thinking is a little off.

My grandson had open heart surgery today, but thankfully to all the prayers for him around the world he is going to be fine.

Now that I have had a nap and a little more awake and lucid.

What I was trying to say, about your saying that it is only dirty or overfed tanks that they get over run isn't true. I have seen some very clean tanks get over run with them. It doesn't take much food for them to multiply. All it takes is one time for a few bits of food to be missed, or even a dead leaf to be missed and wham they are multiplying like mad.

Your statement read like you were implying that oldman must have dirty tanks. And I have seen plenty of pictures of his tanks and he keeps them very clean.

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220 Tank build
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f15/sta...late-3253.html