pest snails who eats them

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
 
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.
 
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:
 
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.
 
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