The Fonz has seemed a bit overworked lately and as a result, he won't stop growing!  The word on the street about these Chinese Algae eaters is that they can grow up to 8-12 inches long!  So as to slow his massive growth spurt and help him to keep the tank clean, we decided to call in some troops!  Today we purchased a "mystery snail", which is really what they are called, and a little Chinese shrimp.  So far the shrimp has been busy working over the tree and the snail, well, true to his reputation, he has made it about 3 cm in an hour.  Hopefully by the end of the week he will have found the glass so he can assist the Fonz in his cleaning duties! 

Now that it is the end of the week, I am happy to report that the snail has indeed found the glass and is indeed cleaning it!  We have named him Gary (groan, groan, I know, but really what else can you name a snail anymore??) and have found Gary to be quite an interesting little character.  He can defy the laws of physics by balancing himself on a tiny piece of grass and levitating.  He can float in the filter current with the greatest of ease.  He can go into all-wheel snail mode across the gravel, albeit very slowly. Although he is helping out the Fonz, he has inadvertently caused more work for him to do, as the Fonz has deemed the snail shell to be in need of grooming!  You know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men!