snails

An abundance of snails means there's an abundance of food available for them to eat. In heavily planted tanks, it often means some plants are losing leaves that are not being removed from the system (most snails commonly found won't eat healthy leaves, but will go after decaying ones). While there are a number of fish that will eat snails, controlling the population through controlling food is a better option--doesn't leave you with as many empty shells in the tank.

In terms of what fish will work--smaller loaches. Most will eat snails, few will bother plants or other fish. But--a lot of that will depend on what other fish you have. I would avoid puffers--they are all prone to nipping fins, even the dwarves.

Agree w/OG - overgrowth to pest proportions of populations of the common inverts - snails, planaria, nematodes, and perhaps even hydra, indicate that there is excess of their food sources available in the tank. Correct whatever is causing the excess food supply, and the "pest" population will collapse. The first three on that list I gave are excellent indictor organisms - large numbers of any of them are symptoms that the tank operation needs adjustment. Whenever possible treat the problem, not the symptom - when we try just treating the symptom and not the underlying problem, the same or a comparable problem will come back.

I would buy a clown loach and put it in there I have been told and read that they will get rid of yoru snail problem

My there always seems to be snail issues around here. My planted tanks seem to explode if a: I have been away for awhile and algae starts creeping in or b: I get lazy and don't take all of the dead or algae covered leaves out of the tank often enough.

If I do that and control how much food I add for the fish then my snail population seems to hang out at a very comfortable level. And snails are a good thing IMO as they eat some alage and old food and provide for more diverse life in my tanks.

And as for clown loaches, they get far too big for a 40 gallon tank and shoud be kept in large groups. To my knowledge most loaches like to be kept in groups and they are social. The zebra is a good choice but when you run out of snails you run out of snacks.

I had same thing
i bought a clown loach and put him
in the snails went away
my clown loaches i have 3 now arent growing
much maybee i need to feed em more