# Need small snail eating scavengers



## steel1212 (Feb 21, 2006)

I have a 29 planted tank that I need a small snail eater for. I would also like it to be somewhat of a scavenger as well and not eat shrimp if thats possible.


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## Mjproost (Nov 17, 2005)

pea puffer, or dwarf indian puffer. I don't what they are like long term without some salt in the tank.


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## Blazerfrs (Feb 3, 2006)

Dwarf puffers require NO salt.... they are full freshwater their entire lives.

They will eat snails, but some will also eat shrimp. It depends on their individual temperment. They can also be quite aggressive towards tankmates, esp. as they mature.

I would look for a small loach of some kind- Kuhili (sic) maybe? idk if they eat snails or not...


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## jeff63851 (Feb 23, 2005)

Here are the ones I can come up at the top of my head:

Clown Loach, Skunk Loach, Puffers, Malawi Cichlids, Chocolate Cichlid, Giant Gourami, and some say Convict cichlids eat snails.

-Jeff


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I vote for loaches, they will eat snails and scavenge the bottom. 

Dwarf puffers do not make good community fish.


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## steel1212 (Feb 21, 2006)

cichlids are out, clown loaches are out, and if the giant gourami is indeed giant its out they all just get to big or mean. I've got some 6 inch clowns in my 92 that I can't catch with out destroying my tank.


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

The "yoyo" loach (Botia lohachata) and also Botia sidthimunki are both great snail eater loaches and both stay small (lohachata around 7cm/3" and the sidthimunki around 5.5cm/2").

Yes, forgot the clown loach. They can grow up to 30cm/12".


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

YoYo loaches!


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

If you're looking for something small the sidthimunki would be the best choice for you. They are one of the smallest of Botia's, and really cute.

The Yo-yo's are nice, but they do get quite a bit bigger, and they're a bugger to catch if you need to move them out later....


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

"they're a bugger to catch if you need to move them out later...."

isn't everything though? 

at least yoyos/loaches will hide in things, so you just have to move out the thing they are hiding in.


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## steel1212 (Feb 21, 2006)

sidthimunki anybody have a link where I can see one?


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Here's a guy that gets them in on a pretty regular basis.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/anubiasdesign/

Otherwise, you see them for sale on Aqua Bid from time to time.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

vancat said:


> "they're a bugger to catch if you need to move them out later...."
> 
> isn't everything though?
> 
> at least yoyos/loaches will hide in things, so you just have to move out the thing they are hiding in.


Oh how I wish they would have done that for me last week when I had my whole tank ripped apart and still couldn't catch them.... It's still fresh in my memory. hoto: LOL!


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

Here's some pics.

http://www.loaches.com/species_pages/botia_sidthimunki.html


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## Laith (Sep 4, 2004)

I just noticed on the link I posted that they mention a size of up to 5" for the sidthimunki.

Strange. I've never seen them anywhere near that big and I know people who've had them for years...

Maybe wild caught ones... or a different subspecies?


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## vancat (Nov 5, 2004)

well, you know, not everything on the internet is true.....!

Jan- yeah- I had 2 yoyos who liked to hide in a knothole in the driftwood- so i just took out the driftwood complete with yoyos! To catch some clown loaches, i put in a piece of PVC. when they got comfy hanging out in there, i put a cap on one end. when they got used to that, i just put my hand over the one open end & lifted them out.


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## steel1212 (Feb 21, 2006)

Will the yoyo harm cherry shrimp as I plan to add some to my tank.


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## acbaldwin (Nov 3, 2005)

My yoyos are pretty big, and my cherries still breed like mad. I keep my tank well fed, so the cherries don't even begin to look tasty.


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