View Full Version : pest snails who eats them
emptywallet
04-23-2008, 8:16 PM
are there any fish that can eat snails i know that many fish eat the babies but i mean when they get a shell
SpockthePuffer
04-23-2008, 8:18 PM
Puffers! I just fed my puffers some snails a few minutes ago, they loooveee them :D (And they keep their teeth down)
malken
04-23-2008, 8:36 PM
I agree, puffers are the stuff of snail nightmares but fish are seldom the best way to eliminate an infestation. I say clip some lettuce to the inside of the tank just before lights out and just before you turn the light on in the morning it should be covered in snails. then pull out the lettuce and dump it. repeat as necessary.
jm1212
04-23-2008, 8:43 PM
i would not get a fish just to eat snails.
try feeding less and take out any snails you see.
emptywallet
04-23-2008, 8:45 PM
yes i watch my feeding but i just got hitchhiker snails and i dont like them plus my tank is a 55 tall. also if the fish makes a great addition i would like it like clown loaches i like them but i dont know if they r community freindly fish
malken
04-23-2008, 8:50 PM
clown loaches need decent sized groups and get huge. a yoyo might be a decent option though I don't know how voracious they are as snail hunters. any puffer would most likely eat your guppy fry.
All botiine loaches eat snails but they should not be deprived of their company. Keep 5 as the minimum and stay away from clown loaches unless you can upgrade in the near future. If this is a 55g, then Botia striata is your best bet but you will have to sacrifice your fry.;)
I have a yoyo. He doesn't like to eat snails. Mostly, I just pull the snails out using the "drop in a food wafer and wait for it to be covered with snails" method.
malken
04-23-2008, 9:19 PM
Or, you could convert the pest snails into PET snails simply by naming them. that's how we solved the rodent problem at my work.
maxthedog123
04-23-2008, 9:31 PM
I have 5 yoyo loaches in my 55 and I never see any snails. I have taken plants from that tank and put them in my other tanks and I always end up with snails so I know the yoyo's are taking care of it in the 55.
In my other tanks, there are no fish that eat snails. I agree with other posters - you can pick them out as you see them and watch what you feed.
emptywallet
04-24-2008, 8:31 AM
Or, you could convert the pest snails into PET snails simply by naming them. that's how we solved the rodent problem at my work.
lol well i am just worried that they will eat my plants and not be useful for my tank
dubels
04-24-2008, 8:55 AM
Tiger Barbs eat them. I just found that out when I was trying to drop in a pond snail for my DP to eat. The tiger barb sucked the snail out of the shell before the snail even got half way down to the gravel. I have to now place snails on a net and force my DP to go hunting around my net for the snail.
Sploke
04-24-2008, 9:31 AM
There are very few snails that will eat healthy plants. If the snails are eating your plants, they are likely on the way out anyway.
Tiger Barbs eat them. I just found that out when I was trying to drop in a pond snail for my DP to eat. The tiger barb sucked the snail out of the shell before the snail even got half way down to the gravel. I have to now place snails on a net and force my DP to go hunting around my net for the snail.
I have 9 barbs in my tank and the snails dont stand a chance in there. I acutally wanted to keep snails as a clean up/sand stirring crew but they keep disapearing shortly after introduction.
Clown loach was the snail eating machine too.
It must be the stripes I guess. :headbang2:
Jayhawk
04-24-2008, 10:41 AM
Skunk loaches (B. morletti - although I think that's not the current scientific name...it was until recently) also do a bang up job on snails. If kept in groups of 3+, they leave the other tankmates alone...but if kept as a single fish, they can be terrors.
If you have malaysian trumpet snails, be aware puffers can't break their shells, and puffers are not community fish at all! Botia type loaches will suck out the MTS from it's shell and are fun to watch and listen to (they click).
Eric
Do not worry about your plants. Small pest snails will not eat them. They will eat decaying plants for sure. Usually what is considered snail damage is just nutrient problems leading to holes in the leaves. If you have the room and want a loach school than that is great. You have a 55 gallon tall so not a huge bottom. So smaller loaches would be okay. Zebra or yoyo would work. Loaches can be a problem with some plants as they dig around for snails. Plants with poor roots will often get uprooted easily. Probably not a problem in a well established planted tank. Puffer would be a poor choice and really only do well in a species only tank.
Skunk loaches (B. morletti - although I think that's not the current scientific name...it was until recently) also do a bang up job on snails. If kept in groups of 3+, they leave the other tankmates alone...but if kept as a single fish, they can be terrors.
If you have malaysian trumpet snails, be aware puffers can't break their shells, and puffers are not community fish at all! Botia type loaches will suck out the MTS from it's shell and are fun to watch and listen to (they click).
Eric
Skunks are already terrors even in groups. No point mixing any number in a community setup. They are by far the nastiest I have ever tried among several loaches.