# Fish that eat Snails



## able_ranui (Feb 26, 2004)

What kind of fish eat snails? I know Clown Loaches do, but what else? Anything that wouldn't outgrow smaller tanks 20 gallon and less? 
thanks


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

I have a couple yo-yo loaches that really love ramshorn snails. They keep my tank snail free, and they are great fish to watch.


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## jdigiorgio (Jan 29, 2004)

*fish that eat snails*

Depending on what other type of fish you have, freshwater puffers are GREAT!!!! There are several types and they will wipe out ANY snail population in a short time. There is one that only gets about an inch or 2 long. Cute and they eat snails like thers no tomorrow!!! The only drawback is that they all can be a tad nippy to slow moving fish. I have a few in with my discus and they are fine.


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## bms (Feb 19, 2004)

There is a breed of dwarf puffer called a South American Puffer, which is freshwater, able to tolerate salt, 70-80 temp range, and generally very, very peaceful unlike the majority of its puffer kin (although some S.A.'s may nip fins at feeding time, many will not... watch their behavior before you buy). They are not schooling fish and can be kept 1 to a tank if desired, and they don't even seem to notice other fish (except for one week where the young puffer followed my guppies and pretended to be one!) S.A. Puffers will eat snails, and the vigorous ritual is very comforting for those who have had snail problems.

Excerpt from http://www.guppylog.com/comments/2003/11/5/135649/875/9


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## tsunami (Jan 24, 2004)

_Tetraodon travancoricus_ the dwarf freshwater pufferfish is great and gets no larger than an inch.

_Botia sidthimunki_, the dwarf or chain loach, also stays rather small. These little fish are amazing and will keep you entertained for hours with their playful antics. They are really expensive though at thirty dollars each around here!

Carlos


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

I really like the dwarf loaches, but cant find any around here :-(


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## Sir_BlackhOle (Jan 25, 2004)

I really like the dwarf loaches, but cant find any around here :-(


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

I just got 8 of the B. sidthimunki and they're really growing on me. I love Yo-Yo loaches, but they just get too big for my 20g. These little guys are just the right size, now all they need to do is eat all the snails.


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## able_ranui (Feb 26, 2004)

I've never seen those loaches in our LFS. They've had Barred Loaches (Nemachelius) and Skunk Botias. Along with Hillstream Loaches. What about Bettas, Red-tailed and Rainbow Sharks?


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## aquaverde (Feb 9, 2004)

Phil, you've made me seriously jealous. I've been looking for B. sidthimunki for several months, calling the LFSs within an hour's drive to check the order sheets on the days they put in their orders. Nothing on anyone's list so far. It took six months to find SAEs, and it may take that or more to find these.

Wonder if they might be in the Albany area. Anyone in the Capital district seen them? (NY, that is...)


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## Pigheaddd (Feb 27, 2004)

i got 5 of B. sidthimunki, but all of them didnt make it. all of them had ick problem. i tried my best to help them to recover, but they didnt make it!!! its $7.99ea here. 3 for $23 

its my problem, not fish store's problem. i tried all possibility to get rid of ick problem, but it still remain some inside my 20gh tank!!! quick cure works perfect in my nano tank but not in 20gh!!!  

dwarf puffer eats snails. if u have shrimps, dont put them in. they like shrimps as well as snails.


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## able_ranui (Feb 26, 2004)

Well, I decided to try the Skunk Botia (Botia Horae) and I saw one eat snail and there is no longer as many snails in the tank. So hopefully they will keep them under control or get rid of them.


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## able_ranui (Feb 26, 2004)

Will loaches that eat the smaller pond snails bother bigger snails(apple etc) or shrimp? I'm thinking of my barred loaches and skunk botias. I'd like to get some shrimp but I'm worried that the loaches may bother them.


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## Corigan (Mar 15, 2004)

I introduced 2 zebra loaches today into my aquarium (My LFS only had 2, supposed to get me 2 more so I can have a little school of em). They are fairly small (supposedly don't get over 3 inches) and will eat snails. Cute guys too, great stripings, I can't wait to add 2 more next week.

Matt


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## guppy (Mar 7, 2004)

i heard somewhere that rams also eat snails i dont know if thats true but i saw it somewhere...


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## Corigan (Mar 15, 2004)

guppy said:


> i heard somewhere that rams also eat snails i dont know if thats true but i saw it somewhere...


I did see my Pelvicachromis taeniatus "moliwe" female slurp down a snail the other day.

Matt


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## nonamethefish (Feb 25, 2004)

Pretty much anything will eat pond snails if they are big enough. Certainly not a food of choice though!

Now MTS, thats another story.... :roll:


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## Falstaf (Mar 22, 2004)

Red tail Sharks are a great choice for getting rid of snails, they eat them as if there was no tomorrow, the only problem with those is that you have to get a pair, male / female because males are very aggressive toward other males.

Any boitia will eat anything that dwells the bottom of the tank including shrimp  (bad experience)


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## Corigan (Mar 15, 2004)

Falstaf said:


> Any boitia will eat anything that dwells the bottom of the tank including shrimp  (bad experience)


I know my amano's seem to be gone after adding in the zebra loaches, including a ton of snails, hehe..

Matt


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## bms (Feb 19, 2004)

I had a hughe snail pest on my tank... unfortunately I also had guppies and guppy fry on it, so I had to be careful about what to add.

I bought a couple of Clown Loaches about a week ago, they ate all the snails in about two days, and my 2-3 week old guppies (very small as you might guess) are still happily swiming around.

Now I have to go to the LFS to get more snails for them to eat :lol: 

I bought them for under 7.00 dollars locally, so they are not that expensive, and believe me they do a great job at getting rid of snails and are not aggresive at all.


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## Corigan (Mar 15, 2004)

The main problem with clown loaches is they will get pretty big. They can get up to 12". They do a heck of a job on snails, but really any botia will.

Matt


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## bms (Feb 19, 2004)

They do grow to be big, but it does not happen even in a couple of years, they live up to 15 years... from what I've read they grow easiyl to 3 inches, then the growth really slows down.

The advantage of the Clown Loach versus others is that it can be put on a community tank, as it is not an aggressive fish.


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## Falstaf (Mar 22, 2004)

That's why I prefer Yoyo Loaches, they aren't that big and they are as friendly as Clown Loaches. Also, if they get to big for your tank you can always take them back to your LFS and exchange them for smaller ones, usually they are more than glad to take full grown ones.


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## keef (Feb 10, 2004)

I have one B.striata and three yo yo loaches. They have really decimated the snail population in my tank. I thought they had eaten my amano shrimp because I couldn't find them. Then the shrimp all turned up once, when I was doing a water change. Both species of these Botia are friendly and still rather small. I want to change the yo-yo s for three more striata just to make the tank more uniform.


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