Dwarf Puffers

[Arfie]

I've got loads of snails and I saw a dwarf puffer last week and I believe they lurve their snails, so I thought I may add one to my community tank.

I now hear they are fin nippers, but having seen them swim, I can't see them causing too much trouble to my fish, could one really sneak up on a Neon Tetra or Harlequin Rasbora ? They look too slow to get them and surely after they get nipped once or twice they'll not hang round if it approaches them .

I also have a Gibbicep, I guess he could be a target as he lays around a lot .

If there's no chance any suggestions for a 10 gallon (UK) tank to eat the snails as I'm sick of being elbow deep in tank water picking the sods out.

Arfie

 

[SirMinion]

I have 'succesfully' kept neons & rummynose tetras with dwarf puffers with no fatalities, but some very trimmed tails. (DP can really shift when they want to, and the tetras have got to sleep sometime!)

Eventually I decided that the stress of having to avoid the puffers was unfair on the tetras and took them out.

Those puffers are certainly effective on the snails though!

As an alternative, perhaps you could consider one of the small botia species instead, just as effective against snails but kinder on the tetras.

Examples:
Yoyo loach
Chain Loach.

But remember that these need to be in groups of at least three.

 

[TorPeteO]

I haven't had experience myself, but I was going to make the same recommendation as SirMinion. If it could be avoided, I would. DPs are fast when they want to be, and they're very good at sneaking up on things.

 

[Opcn]

Sounds to me like you should borow a fish not buy one

 

[Da_Oz]

I had DP with 14 inch Red Belly Piranha and they held there own in there. But if you over ran with snails you need them. Snails will only repoduce to the tanks limits. They stop when the left over food stops. They are very good at tank cleaning. So if you under feed and clean the tank real good for about a month you will not see any snails. I have some in every tank in my house cept the 40g plant tank with no fish.

 

[David]

Alternately you can bait the snails with a piece of lettuce left in the tank overnight. In the morning it should be covered in them. Then you can either dispose of them, or crush them up and feed em to your fish.

 

[Arfie]

Once again, thanks to all for replying, I will give the puffers a miss I think.

Sirminion - Thanks for the loach suggestions, I had decided on a yoyo, but saw a puffer and well , will also look into the dwarf/chain now.

opcn - thought about it, but don't know anybody with one and the shop I saw the puffers in don't know me yet, so I wouldn't ask them.

da-oz - yeah I've cut down their food a bit recently, i think it was caused with frozen food blocks that are too big for the tank, so that has been stopped, but the snails have since colonized and started eating my plants, so I can't win, no food, they eat the plants instead . I'm also worried about lots of snails starved to death and decomposing under the surface of the gravel.

David - this I am doing right now, another 40-50 were taken out 1 hour after lights out last night on lettuce leaves, along with thorough gravel cleaning and hand picking. Unfortunately my Gibbicep like lettuce, so it's a fight.

Thanks again.

Arfie