View Full Version : Snail control?
Mordred
03-03-2004, 2:35 PM
I've heard that Clown Loaches are good for snail control, but I've also heard that they can grow quite large.
Are there any other good community fish that control snails that don't grow too big?
id go with like some botia type loach, like a "yo yo"
sprite42
03-03-2004, 3:22 PM
Zebras and skunks work well also. Skunks can be a little aggressive, but stay small.
NY Detailer
03-03-2004, 6:00 PM
Originally posted by Mordred
I've heard that Clown Loaches are good for snail control, but I've also heard that they can grow quite large.
Are there any other good community fish that control snails that don't grow too big?
how big do clown loaches grow. I just bought two of them and they are the smallest fish in my tank. Should I snails for them
downloader
03-03-2004, 6:47 PM
Clown loaches get to about 6 inches. However they grow pretty slow, if you are getting clowns it is best to have a least 3 or more
NY Detailer
03-03-2004, 7:01 PM
Originally posted by downloader
Clown loaches get to about 6 inches. However they grow pretty slow, if you are getting clowns it is best to have a least 3 or more
Just wondering why 3
3 is sort of the absolute minimum for school fish. 5 is always better. Clown Loaches can easily get to be 8 inches if the proper aquarium is given, though they do grow slow. However, unlike many other loaches they get heavy bodied as well. A 75 gallon min. is often advised.
And while they eat snails that should be a treat and not the diet. Flakes, pellets, brine shrimp etc... are all good food choices.
NY Detailer
03-03-2004, 8:01 PM
If they grow slow, i should not have a problem. I have a 46 gallon tank. I guess it would be good for a while.
Thanks for all the info.
Mordred
03-04-2004, 1:33 AM
My tank is about 55 US gallons I think (220 Litres)
How big do the zebras and skunks get, and are they ok in a planted aquarium? (I assume they dont dig up and wreck plants?)
Zebras and yoyos should be good in a 55 gallon tank. They do dig around but well established plants should do fine. Stem plants that have a weak root system might get uprooted every so often. A smooth, sandy or small gravel bottom will be best. Larger stones aren't great.
Mordred
03-10-2004, 12:05 AM
Thanks for all the advice so far.
Do Yo-Yo's have another name?
I've managed to find the skunk and zebras, kuli (seems to be listed as coolie) in my fish books, but can't find yo-yo's
Locust
03-10-2004, 1:33 AM
You probably won't have much trouble w/ loaches digging up plants. They generally only dig as much as they need to to get at what they're after (food!).
Zebras & Yo-Yo's get to be roughly 4". I'm not sure about skunks (though I bet they're right around that size, too).
loaches.com is a good specific loach resource (It might have alt. names for Yo-Yo's... I can't think of any myself).
Do keep in mind that most loaches are community fish, so you'll want a few of them.
Off loaches for a second, I've also heard of puffers being recommended for snail control, though they are more aggressive.
Clown loaches actually can get much larger than six inches, they can grow to around a foot and a half.
dethjam316
03-10-2004, 1:51 AM
skunks also get to 3 or 4". IME, skunks are no more aggressive than any other botia loach, provided they are kept in the recommended numbers. i have 7 and have never had a problem with them. on to more important matters...
i'd go yoyos in that tank. buying a fish as (comparably) expensive, sensitive, and large as clowns get is a bad idea if you're looking for snail control. clowns basically demand a tank tailored and dedicated to them...even more so since they're at their best in groups of 3 or, arguably, 6 or more.
there seems to be a lot of recommending of clowns lately for this purpose...or IMO (no offense) uninformed recommending. clown loaches are a solution to a snail problem, but they are a poor one for all of the above reasons.
in addition to adding yoyos or other smaller botia species (also needs to be in groups of at least 3), remember that overfeeding (as OG pointed out in another thread recently) is the most common cause of a snail "outbreak." cut back on feeding...less food for the snails. less snail population.
Mordred
03-14-2004, 9:15 AM
Great thanks.
The tank is fairly new (5 weeks)
I'm slowly struggling to bring algae under control at the moment, and I suspect the excess algae is what is driving the excess of snails.
I'm tempted to get a few zebras or yo-yos to keep the snails in check without eradicating them totally.
dethjam316
03-14-2004, 11:38 AM
Originally posted by Mordred
I'm tempted to get a few zebras or yo-yos to keep the snails in check without eradicating them totally. IME, they *will* eradicate them totally.
Mordred
03-14-2004, 1:58 PM
Ah,
I figured at the rate the snails multiply a few small ones would always survive.
Thoughts it might be a nice balance.
yonderway
03-14-2004, 5:24 PM
Originally posted by Mordred
Are there any other good community fish that control snails that don't grow too big?
Dwarf Puffers (http://www.dwarfpuffers.com/)
often dignified
03-14-2004, 5:42 PM
Dwarf puffers are not community fish.
dethjam316
03-14-2004, 5:45 PM
...unless you don't like fish having fins and possibly eyes....yes, i agree, dwarf puffers are terrible for community tanks.
yonderway
03-14-2004, 6:30 PM
Originally posted by often dignified
Dwarf puffers are not community fish.
Shhh. My community dwarf puffers might hear you and stop getting along.
Mordred
03-15-2004, 2:34 PM
Thanks for all the comments so far.
I really dont want to buy anything that will ultimately grow too big for the tank so I guess that rules the clowns out for me.
Do the dwarf loaches eat snails, or are Zebras and Yo-Yos as small as it gets in the snail eating capacity?
Also, found the other name for Yo-Yos. Over here they seem to be referred to as a Pakistani Loach.
jt325i
03-15-2004, 5:29 PM
foot & a half clown loaches? I never had any get that large..... then again I only had mine from infancy to a few years old. How many decades are we talking before they get that big?
dethjam316
03-15-2004, 6:21 PM
i'm pleased that mordred is sensible enough to disregard those clown loach suggestions, as they get too large. i've never seen an 18" but have seen a few over a foot in size. they do take quite awhile to get THAT large, but IME they get to the 4"-6" range rather quickly, so having a trio (minimum) would fill up a tank fast anyway.
as for the dwarf loaches...i have no experience with them. if their genus (scientific name) is botia, i would venture a guess that they do eat snails.