Best loaches (or other fish) to treat snail infestation?

[irmuddled]

My 55 gallon is hideously infested with snails. I just set up a 10g tank for a betta and transferred some of the gravel from my 55gal, not thinking that I was going to transfer snails and I did. It doesn't look bad now but in a few weeks I know it'll look just like the 55.

I know loaches are good snail eaters, but which loaches would be appropriate for the 10gal and 55gal tank? Or what else could I do to treat the snail problem? In the 10gal there's only one betta right now, and in the 55gal there's an angelfish, german blue ram, and red platies...

 

[soobie]

I wouldn't get a fish just to take care of a pest problem. If you don't overfeed, the snails won't over run the tank. You can reduce the existing population by hand picking them or by baiting them into traps.

 

[irmuddled]

I feed them only a few times a week, and the snail problem is still there. There's hundreds of snails so hand-picking would be next to impossible, not to mention all the eggs that are probably around there :/

Not expecting to get some miracle fish, but SOMETHING that will control the infestation and help me see see through the tank instead of hundreds of snails sticking to the glass!

 

[Michwol42795]

I wouldn't get loaches unless you really want them. There are other ways to get rid of the snails, you could try putting bait in the tank then collecting it and either giving the snails away or euthanize. Decreasing food supply would also lower the population of snails. If you want loaches though, the 10 g. could have Dwarf Loaches, the 55 g. could have Yo-Yo Loaches (they love snails in my experience).

 

[irmuddled]

Thank you Mich I'll note them and ask around in my LFS! I do really want loaches, but since I've never owned any before other than kuhlii loaches I'm not sure what to get.

I tried putting zucchini as a trap and removing them myself, but months later the snails are still there. Currrse them...

 

[blue2fyre]

I think a 10 gallon is pretty small for most loaches. Here is a good article on controlling snail populations:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182687

 

[irmuddled]

Great article! Would an assassin snail be good for the 10gal at least?

I know better than this, but would getting a small loach and then transferring it to my 55gal after the snails are controlled be feasible?

 

[jpappy789]

You could always try the baiting method. It wont completely remove the snails but it keeps it under control.

 

[IslandHopper]

I know better than this, but would getting a small loach and then transferring it to my 55gal after the snails are controlled be feasible?

Sure. As long as you KNOW the fish will outgrow the tank, and you have a plan to accommodate that, then no reason not to. Just be aware that some popular Loaches (like Clowns) will eventually get too big, even for a 55!

 

[Chrisinator]

I think the small loach is the Dwarf Loach. They are very hard to find though and expensive.