I've just bought two new clown loaches to help me with my snail problem. I'm over run with pond snails in my aquarium. They sold them to me and called them something else and said they wouldn't multiply along with a zebra snail. They multiplied. The loaches aren't eating them. What do I do? They're everywhere!
New Clown Loaches
- Thread starter Bethsnikpmot
- Start date
What size is your tank? Pretty as clown loaches are, they like to be in a group of 6 or more...but grow (slowly) to 10+ inches. I've kept clowns a few times & they do eat snails. Mine kind of controlled them but never really ate them all, they were spoiled for food choices. They seem to have preferred ramshorn snails to pond (bladder) & rarely ate MTS (trumpet snails). Hungry loaches will eat more snails but MTS have a "trap door" to protect them & very hard shells. Smaller loaches can't eat them.
You should try feeding a lot less food & look to baiting the snails with veggies (zucchini or romaine work) to manually remove them. I think someone said in your other thread...My clowns also liked veggies a few times a week...
You should try feeding a lot less food & look to baiting the snails with veggies (zucchini or romaine work) to manually remove them. I think someone said in your other thread...My clowns also liked veggies a few times a week...
Clowns can and will eat MTS. But the clowns need to have some size. Clowns suck the snail out of the shell. I had a couple 5 gal. cans of damp substrate (Fluorite) I bought which had MTS unbeknownst to me. I moved my clowns to the tank using that substrate. The MTS vanished. I used to feed the clowns pond snails until the clowns got big. Then I worried they would accidentally inhale the snails shell and alld trying to suck out the good part so I got assassin snails. Now I am overrun with them. 
At least I pull pond snails from breeder and grow tanks where I feed heavily. I drop the snails into the planted tanks where I have the assassins.
At least I pull pond snails from breeder and grow tanks where I feed heavily. I drop the snails into the planted tanks where I have the assassins.We used to call ramshorn snails "loach candy" & fed them as treats.
TTA, don't clowns eat assassin snails? Seems like they might, given the chance with bigger loaches...I've never had assassins, I kind of like a few "pest snails" in limited amounts. Just part of the larger biotope...
TTA, don't clowns eat assassin snails? Seems like they might, given the chance with bigger loaches...I've never had assassins, I kind of like a few "pest snails" in limited amounts. Just part of the larger biotope...
I do not have any snails in my clown tank and have not for over a decade. The assassins are in grow tanks and display tanks. I also have sidthimunkis. They too eat snails, but they eat the smaller ones as sids are a pretty small loach. Clowns eliminate snails by eating the big ones so they do not reproduce. Sids eat the tiny ones, so they never make it to breeding size. Either way the result is no snails.
F fishorama
I am happy to send you some assassins if you want them. I have lots of them.
F fishorama
I am happy to send you some assassins if you want them. I have lots of them.
Thanks for the offer TTA. Can I think about it over the summer please? It gets pretty hot for shipping here until, say, late Sept or Oct. Coolish/breezy the last few days but not a lasting trend...it's often HOT, really hot here, you can only imagine, my upstate (ish) NY friend, lol.
It's actually really simple. Sorry if it's been mentioned but all you have to do is put less food into your tank. Too many snails is an indication you are adding too much food to your tank.
