A number of things could be happening.  Below is a list of the most common causes for this:
PROBLEM: The EcoAquarium is near a bright light source.
SOLUTION: Move the EcoAquarium away from bright light source, add additional snails, or increase the frequency of water replacements.

PROBLEM: The snail is inactive or needs to be replaced.  
SOLUTION: Be sure that your snail is not simply resting after a long feeding.  Wait at least five days to see if he becomes active.  If the snail has turned upside down and the white underside is visible, then the snail needs to be replaced. Remove the snail and replace it with a healthy fresh water snail or snails.

PROBLEM: The bamboo has had become sick and needs to be replaced.
SOLUTION: Remove the bamboo and replace it with a healthy bamboo or other aquatic plant.

PROBLEM: The “Living Gravel” has become inactive.
SOLUTION: Using tap or distilled water in your aquarium, replacing your “Living Gravel” with other gravel, or thoroughly cleaning your “Living Gravel” will cause a disruption to your eco-system environment. Replace your “Living Gravel” by ordering a replacement packs or add a filter system to your aquarium.  In the meantime, be sure to monitor the ammonia level of your aquarium by purchasing a tester at your local pet store.

Essentially, the unique “Living Gravel” is acting as the natural filter for the water, filtering the dangerous ammonia left from waste material and converting it into nutrients for the aquatic plant.  The plant feeds off of those nutrients and converts them into nutrients for the water and the wildlife.  The wildlife then converts those nutrients into nutrients (waste material) for the gravel.  It is a balanced eco-system environment that is constantly cleaning and conditioning the water for you.  

As well, each aquarium should have an active snail, whose job is to roam and clean the inside surfaces of the EcoAquarium of algae build up.  As long as you are not overworking your snail by overfeeding the animals and keeping the aquarium away from sunlight and other bright lights (algae grows faster under these conditions), your snail should be able to keep up with cleaning duties.

As for changing the water, we recommend replacing the water (see “CARE AND MAINTANENCE”) every four months simply to give the EcoAquarium a fresh does of water. 

Keep your EcoAquarium near a heat source and cover with a warm blanket.  It is also a good idea to keep the EcoAquarium in a cabinet where heat is less likely to escape.  Regardless, if the environment drops below 60F/15C for more than two days, consider moving the aquarium to a warmer location.

We use a specific amount of “Living Gravel”, size bamboo and number of snails to sustain the EcoAquarium environment you purchased with our EcoAquarium.  Because it is measured for your EcoAquarium, it will not sustain a larger aquarium.  If you do upgrade your aquarium, it will be necessary to use an external filter and aerator and carefully monitor the ammonia levels in your new aquarium.

First, remove the animal immediately.  You’ll also want to clean the aquarium (following the instructions under “CARE AND MAINTENANCE”) in order to remove any pathogens that may still exist in the aquarium.  Remember not to wash or thoroughly clean your “Living Gravel”.  Do not add water back to your aquarium until you are ready to add your new fish/frog.  Keep the snails and the bamboo in a separate bowl of fresh spring water while you research and chose your new aquatic pet.  Once you have chosen and purchased your new pet, complete the aquarium assembly and add fresh spring water.  See also the section dedicated to “FISH”.

Note that the “Living Gravel” can remain in the aquarium without water for up to one week before it “dies” and becomes ineffective for your eco-system environment.  For this reason, it is important to replace your fish/frogs within this time.

For the most part, mixing animals in any aquarium depends on the animals and their behavior and temperament.  It is best to research yourself the compatibilities of different aquatic animals.

With that said, we do not recommend sharing an EcoAquarium with fish and frogs.  The reason is that fish dwell at the bottom of the aquarium and fish at the top, so often the fish will eat all of the food during feedings before any has a chance to sink to the frogs.

If you have just purchased your EcoAquarium, the bamboo may be yellow because it is new and has not been in your aquarium for very long.  Just give it some time to acclimate into its new home and grow.

If the water in your EcoAquarium is becoming cloudy white at the same time your bamboo is yellow, check to see if the stalk is soft and it smells rotten.  If this is the case, your bamboo has become sick and needs to be removed and replaced immediately.  You will also want to do a water replacement (see “CARE AND MAINTANENCE”) to replace the dirty water.  The aquarium does not need to be cleaned, though you will want to replace your plant as soon as possible.

While it is possible to remove the lid to allow the bamboo to grow up and out of instead of into the aquarium, we do not recommend it for a few reasons.  First, the lid reduces the evaporation of the water, which not only (obviously) reduces the frequency of water refills but also maintains a cleaner EcoAquarium.  Second, the lid provides a protection against dust and other particles, which can surprisingly build up very fast in a small aquarium such as yours.  Remember as well that the majority of dust in your home is dead skin cells, which in an aquatic ecosystem could become filthy.  Third, while the frogs are fairly docile when in water (until, of course, you leave and they break out their lava lamps and disco balls), the little guys have been known to jump out of the aquarium when given ample opportunity to do so.  As well, the snail also likes to explore and has been known to crawl out of his space ... albeit very, very, very slow.

While we like to think that our EcoAquariums are perfect, we understand that we cannot meet every customers' personal taste requirements.  For this, we understand if you wish to add to or compliment your EcoAquarium with accessories.  It is completely safe to add accessories to your aquarium as long as you follow these tips:

1. Wash your hands with antibacterial soap before (and after) you handle anything in the aquarium.  If you use hand sanitizer, it is important that you wash your hand after, as the sanitizer acts like a lotion and may cause harm to the ecosystem.

2. Rinse any accessory thoroughly with fresh spring water.  Any dust or soap residue must be removed before adding.

3. Do NOT add additional plants, as most aquatic plants grow very fast, can pollute your EcoAquarium, and require some levels of sunlight.  The living bamboo in your aquarium will suffice for the ecosystem, and because it is a low-light plant, it can thrive in regular room light or less. 

4. Do NOT add any accessories that ...
... may disintegrate in water, such as sea shells.
... have holes and small spaces where the animals can hide and become trapped.
... have other organisms living within it.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure your snail needs to be replaced.  We would hate to have their little siesta interrupted by a quick trip to the waste bin.  For the most part, if your snail has flipped over, exposing it's white underside, and no snail is visible in the shell, then it has expired.  

You will need to replace your snail from time to time, and you can do so with any fresh water snail.  Stick with one that is about the size of your pinkie finger nail (unless you are Shaquille O'Neil).  Of course, Wild Creations provides new snails at our retail outlets as well as through the mail for a modest shipping fee.

Now, your EcoAquarium will be fine while you are finding a replacement snail.  Their job, at least why we contracted them, is to clean the aquarium and keep algae and left over food debris to a minimum.  They do not provide a life support function to the ecosystem or the frogs/fish.  While you are waiting for a replacement snail, there are a few things you can do to help keep the EcoAquarium clean in the interim. 

1. Keep the EcoAquarium away from sunlight and in a darker place. 
2. Keep your feedings to a minimum.
3. Remove any debris that has built up on your gravel with a cooking (turkey) baster every month, or more often if you wish.