Hello And Goodbye

On Friday night while inspecting the tank I noticed 2 more snails, so now I have a total of 3 snails in the tank. Two of them seem to be hanging around the thermometer (which currently reads 26 degrees Celsius). I have turned up the temperature to help the acceleration of the bacteria that is needed to keep that tank running smoothly.

I have had to remove the Fittonia 'Superba Red' and the Dracaena sanderiana (Red Striped Dragon Plant) tonight as both plants were starting to decay already. The leaves from the Fittonia 'Superba Red' had decayed from the stem and were floating around the tank. I had also noticed an abundance of red worms in the water (introduced from the Cabomba aquatica (Green Cabomba, Giant Cabomba)) and they were attacking the Dracaena sanderiana (Red Striped Dragon Plant), eating the decaying parts. 

I am a bit worried about the red worms as all my internet searching for the last 3 hours has not turned up much, so I have posted a question on a forum to see if I can get any answers. I am hoping that they will not be a fish parasite of some sort, but rather fish food.   

First unofficial guest

I decided to give the tank glass a clean as I thought the glass was starting to look a bit cloudy. Using the algae magnet, which are two magnets, one with a rough fabric for cleaning the glass on the inside of the tank and the other with a smooth fabric that is used on the outside, I was able to remove the beginnings of the algae and dirt that was starting to accumulate on the glass. This proved to be quite necessary and I will make this a weekly routine in summer, probably a day before I do a gravel clean and water change, giving the removed bits time to settle on the bottom so that they can be removed with the clean.    

While cleaning around the thermometer, I noticed a small snail attached to the thermometer, making it the first unofficial guest to be staying at the Fish Hotel. It probably came with the plants I bought and I will probably find more with time. They can add another dynamic to the tank, as long as they do not get out of control. I am sure a few will also become a fish take-away when the fish start arriving, but I am starting to get ahead of myself.