Snail Eaters? Please Help....

[Le Sorcier]

Hi,

I've had tons of snails in my small tank for ages. It doesn't seem to bother my fish. I just wondered if there are any small snail eaters that would help me out?

I seem to get out hundreds of snails every time I clean the tank!!

Thanks

 

[Super Dude]

you could try and find someone to lend you a small clown loach. they eat snails.

there are also chemicals that kill them.

 

[Nick16]

how about just cutting down feeding! sooo simple. dont get something that will 'solve' the problem as then you will be lumbered with something else.

 

[wolfwolf]

How "small" is the tank? I have 5 chain loaches living in my 29 gallon aquarium. They are ferocious snail eaters. When I add snails in from my other tank they rarely hit the bottom of the tank before the chain loaches are at them.

The downside is that they will not let my cories alone. They do not bother my plec or rasboras.

 

[TylerFerretLord]

how about just cutting down feeding! sooo simple. dont get something that will 'solve' the problem as then you will be lumbered with something else.

This so very, very much. A large population of snails(or any other thing for that matter) is a symptom, not the problem. They aren't getting the matter they're made from out of thin air after all.

Do not use snail killing products. What happens to the dead snails? They rot and cause an ammonia spike. You should also not get a fish to 'fix' something. When the 'problem' is gone you're stuck with a fish you likely never wanted in the first place.

 

[Amunet]

Cutting feeding does work, IF that's the problem, however, in our 5 gallon tank. Housing 1 female betta, the snails are ALL over the place in that tank. I feed the betta once a day. About 4 or 5 bloodworm (our cat is causing the betta to hide so sinking bloodworm is all she's eating atm)... and she gobbles those up. But still.. snails everywhere.. and why? B/c of the little bit of algae that grows on the tank walls. The snails are all pretty small, but that little bit of algae is still enough for them to reproduce like crazy! So, don't be too quick to think that someone must be overfeeding.

 

[Le Sorcier]

Thanks guys.

I should've put what fish I have first.
2 Platy
2 Mollies
2 Endlers
2 Cories

I guess the Chain Loach isn't an option?

My tank is very small but does have some algae. I don't think I overfeed?

When I change the water I probably get rid of a couple of hundred snails each time!!!!

 

[Le Sorcier]

Got gravel as well so that would rule out a Chain Loach?

 

[loachman]

Not necessarily. Gravel is okay for loaches as long as it isn't sharp. They're similar to cories in that they search the substrate for food items, and have similar needs in that regard.

Zebra loaches are also pretty good for snail removal. They're peaceful loaches and probably the next smallest loach that would work (they're bigger than the dwarf chain loaches). They'll reach about 4 inches max.

What size tank is it?

Also, what type of snails are they? MTS snails are generally resistant to most loaches. Ramshorn and pond snails are usually decimated.

 

[jourdy288]

Botia kubotai

 

[Inchworm]

Another possibility to consider is an apple snail. They won't eat the snails themselves, but they will eat their eggs. Then you can remove the snails without them continuing to multiply. Since an apple snail will lay their own eggs in big clusters, above the waterline, they can be easily removed.

I haven't tried this myself, but a member of the aquarium society I belong to has reported great success with them.

 

[AdAndrews]

dont the assasin snails eat other snails?- they are being sold on aqua essentials, i would cut down on feeding, when you see a snail pick it out, and if this is the case with the assasin snails, then get a couple- if your setup provides for their needs

 

[greenbottle]

pull out what you can and post them to me! haha, im searching for snails...

 

[Le Sorcier]

dont the assasin snails eat other snails?- they are being sold on aqua essentials, i would cut down on feeding, when you see a snail pick it out, and if this is the case with the assasin snails, then get a couple- if your setup provides for their needs

LOL. At night I can see about 500 hundred!!!! That would take a long time.

Thanks for all the advice. I will cut down on feeding and continue to filter them out regularly. Most of them are tiny.