I have an ivy cutting in my office which has sprouted roots, and seems to be thriving (picture attached). The only problem I have with it is the container (a Klein Bottle http://www.kleinbottle.com/top_mouth_erlen_klein.htm)
has developed a tremendous amount of algae, and is nearly impossible to clean. I remembered that there are certain types of shrimp and snails which eat algae, and wound up finding an article describing how to create a biosphere (http://cachefly.oreilly.com/make/wp_aquanaut.pdf).

My idea is to remove the ivy, place one of the Amano shrimp in the Klein Bottle with the plants, snails, and stones suggested in the article, then replace the ivy.

My question is, will the shrimp eat the roots of the ivy, or will it only go after the algae and Hornwort? Will the water chemistry required to support the biosphere damage the ivy?

Thanks

Interesting article on the topic here http://plantedspace.com/howto/set-up-design/item/5-low-maintenance-aqu atic-vase-or-bowl