The Panda Loach And Snails

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Mayu

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I have a 20 gallon tank with 2 mollies and a few x-rays.

I brought in some live plants, and then the snail population exploded. (I'm assuming they're bladder snails), the largest ones are not quite as big as my pinky fingernail. They're pretty small.

I've tried lettuce. I get rid of a bunch, but more take their place.

I've hand picked them out...

I've vacuumed them out (along with a lot of what appear to be dead snails)

I've pulled back on the feeding... while I was out of town for 3 days I didn't add a weekend feeder... and due to an emergency with my puppy, I was out of town 5 days instead of 3 days.

no matter what I do, there are just more and more and more and more. I find tons of what look like sticky water drops on my decorations which I take out and squish (assuming they are snail eggs)

It just seems I turn the light out at night, and when I turn the light on in the morning, they are crawling over the sides of the tank in swarms.

I added a theraputic dosage of aquarium salt (since I used salt to treat an outbreak of ick, and all my fish did fine...) but it did nothing. Then I read online small snails can have a high tollerance for aquarium salt.

They've gotten so bad, my bottom feeder died, cause I think they ate off all of the food supply. I can't take it. I'm at wits end!

So someone recommended getting a clown loach... (not realizing I'm sure, that they get a foot long and are not appropriate for a tank that size.)

I did see there is a Panda loach that gets to be 2-2.5" as adults that are peaceful.

Do you think those would help eat off the extreme snail infestation? (I have a 30 gallon I could transfer them over to after they do their job if 20 gallons is too small once they get fully grown.) I was thinking 2 or 3.
 
Assassin snails.
They'll eat all the snails one by one, without the need to add another fish.
Great thing is, they only breed once a month so you wont get over run by them either!
 
Assassin snails.
They'll eat all the snails one by one, without the need to add another fish.
Great thing is, they only breed once a month so you wont get over run by them either!

Funny you should say that. I went to my local petstore to see if they have any panda loaches (which they didn't) and they told me to get the assassin snail. They only had one... but I may order some from Drs foster and Smith live aquaria.

They're very pretty snails, so I wouldn't mind having a few of those in my tank. What's good is, I've read online that some people have had instances where they have snail booms despite having loaches in their tank... (some of the loaches weren't interested in the snails.) I understand that... I had a porcupine puffer, who in the 6 years I owned him, never ate a snail offered even though they supposedly like snails.

But assassin snails love tasty snails. They're pretty, I've read they are sexual which means they'll only mate if they have a snail of the opposite sex, they don't have a lot of babies, and they don't eat each other. So its a perfect solution!

I'll probably get 5 or so more.


**Update** Drs foster and Smith doesn't carry Assassin snails, and I bought the last one from the only pet store in a 100 mile radius.

I can get a panda loach from them... but now I don't want it to eat the assassin snail I just bought cause it's pretty.

**Update 2** I found some on ebay from a seller with excellent reviews... I may call my local store tomorrow and see if he can order some more and get them in asap, otherwise I'll order them from ebay.
 

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