Best bottom feeders that would eat snails?

[momsspaghett]

Hello. Just recently I have gotten an explosion of baby snails in my tank. I was planning on adding some bottom feeders in the tank like a cory or siamese. Any suggestions? Theres a betta and oto in it currently, planted tank.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

I'll say it, to save half a dozen other members saying it...try not to think about buying a fish to use as a tool to solve a problem.

An 'explosion of baby snails' suggests an abundance of food in the tank for them to eat, meaning that there's a lot of organic waste, possibly due to overfeeding?
Whilst some would swear on all sorts that their Betta is quite happy in their community tank, the actual choice of tank mates for Bettas can be limited.
You need fish that won't nip the Bettas fins and, to be honest, you need a nicely planted tank.
For the lower levels, corydoras are a good choice, but understand that some corys need to be in a larger group and be aware that some species can grow. They won't normally eat snails, but they will go for eggs and tiny babies.
A bristlenose would also eat stuff on the bottom, as well as algae elsewhere, including any snail eggs.
Ottos should be in a group, so you could seriously think about getting some companions for your single one. Just be sure to keep 'em fed once they've eaten all the algae.
Khuli loaches will disappear in your tank and will also eat teeny snails and eggs. Again, these need to be in groups.

How big's the tank?

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Oh yes...and snails, whilst possibly unsightly, should not really be a problem for your tank...they're only cleaning it up.

 

[Byron]

Several things to mention here. First, a male betta is not a community fish so it should be alone. Snails and most (but not all) shrimp are OK. The oto is a risk as this fish likes to browse plant leaves for common algae (or diatoms) and this brings it into the betta's space. Things may seem OK now, but more than one member in the past has told us of how it all changed overnight, suddenly.

Second, cories do not eat snails, not live ones anyway, as they (cories) have no teeth, nor are they capable of otherwise getting the snail out of the shell. Siamese I assume refers to the Siamese Algae Eater...this fish gets 5-6 inches, needs a group, and so far as I know is ineffective against snails. As are most if not all catfish, loricariids, etc. There are some loach species that can/might get the snails but these loaches also have specific needs, need a group of five or more, some get large even very large (a foot) and need a 6-foot if not 8-foot long tank which I will assume is not the case here.

Never acquire any fish or living creature to deal with a "problem," most cannot, and they bring their own issues.

Edit. Bruce posted as I was typing, we're on the same page. I agree that an increase in snails is because they have food, whether algae, fish food overfed, dying plants, etc.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

As said above, getting a fish to solve a “problem”, usually creates more problems than it solves.

 

[momsspaghett]

Several things to mention here. First, a male betta is not a community fish so it should be alone. Snails and most (but not all) shrimp are OK. The oto is a risk as this fish likes to browse plant leaves for common algae (or diatoms) and this brings it into the betta's space. Things may seem OK now, but more than one member in the past has told us of how it all changed overnight, suddenly.

Second, cories do not eat snails, not live ones anyway, as they (cories) have no teeth, nor are they capable of otherwise getting the snail out of the shell. Siamese I assume refers to the Siamese Algae Eater...this fish gets 5-6 inches, needs a group, and so far as I know is ineffective against snails. As are most if not all catfish, loricariids, etc. There are some loach species that can/might get the snails but these loaches also have specific needs, need a group of five or more, some get large even very large (a foot) and need a 6-foot if not 8-foot long tank which I will assume is not the case here.

Never acquire any fish or living creature to deal with a "problem," most cannot, and they bring their own issues.

Edit. Bruce posted as I was typing, we're on the same page. I agree that an increase in snails is because they have food, whether algae, fish food overfed, dying plants, etc.

ok then since fish wont help out the problem, just leave the snails alone?

 

[momsspaghett]

I'll say it, to save half a dozen other members saying it...try not to think about buying a fish to use as a tool to solve a problem.

An 'explosion of baby snails' suggests an abundance of food in the tank for them to eat, meaning that there's a lot of organic waste, possibly due to overfeeding?
Whilst some would swear on all sorts that their Betta is quite happy in their community tank, the actual choice of tank mates for Bettas can be limited.
You need fish that won't nip the Bettas fins and, to be honest, you need a nicely planted tank.
For the lower levels, corydoras are a good choice, but understand that some corys need to be in a larger group and be aware that some species can grow. They won't normally eat snails, but they will go for eggs and tiny babies.
A bristlenose would also eat stuff on the bottom, as well as algae elsewhere, including any snail eggs.
Ottos should be in a group, so you could seriously think about getting some companions for your single one. Just be sure to keep 'em fed once they've eaten all the algae.
Khuli loaches will disappear in your tank and will also eat teeny snails and eggs. Again, these need to be in groups.

How big's the tank?

i just have a lot of plants. ill just get some more ottos then

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

i just have a lot of plants. ill just get some more ottos then

Snails don't eat the plants, so a lot of plants isn't the reason for your mollusc masses.
Ottos will do well to enjoy algae in the tank and need to be in quite large groups to thrive. They do best in mature, established tanks.
Good luck.

 

[Byron]

i just have a lot of plants. ill just get some more ottos then

Remember that more otos (or any fish) means more food for the snails. What size is the tank? This was previously asked but hasn't been answered. How many otos are there in the tank now?