# fish for snail control, not elimination



## thaerin (Dec 12, 2004)

Hey guys,
I've got lots of lil ramshorns and i think pondsnails in my tank now. This was on purpose actally, as i wanted them to help remove any excess food/dead plant/etc. My main worry is if they start breeding and over run the tank. What fish would be ok in my tank and help keep the snails in check?
Residents:
7 White clouds
2 pygmy corys (hoping to get more)
1 bristlenose pleco
and some ghost shrimp, MTS's and the ramshorns.
20 long tank, medium density planted, half pea gravel, half flourite (bout 2 inches deep)
75-77 degrees, liquid rock water  8.1 ph, hard well water

thinking a loach maybe or a dwarf puffer, but they're nippy. do kuhli loaches eat snails? they look rather cute


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## Robert Hudson (Feb 5, 2004)

Actually I have found the Indian dwarf freshwater puffer to be not the least bit nippy. They are actually very timid fish that shy away from just about anything that moves.


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## Error (Apr 16, 2004)

Robert Hudson said:


> Actually I have found the Indian dwarf freshwater puffer to be not the least bit nippy. They are actually very timid fish that shy away from just about anything that moves.


I have found the exact opposite...my girlfriend kept them with small cichlids and rosy barbs for a while and they snuck up and smacked just about every fin they could find. They were persistent, too...even when they were well-fed they did this.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Kuhli's are cool loaches to have in almost any tank, but they won't do much for Ramshorns and pond snails.

I really doubt there would be much you could put in a tank that small that would eat snails, but wouldn't eat your shrimp.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

off topic but do you play baldur's gate two as well as icewind dale? btw yoyo loaches/clown loaches eat snails


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

Yo-Yo loaches will also kill the ghost shrimp, I know from experience.

You may just want to put a lettuce leaf in the tank, once the leaf gets covered with snails remove the leaf from the tank.


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## thaerin (Dec 12, 2004)

Zapins said:


> off topic but do you play baldur's gate two as well as icewind dale? btw yoyo loaches/clown loaches eat snails


LOL how did u know that Zapins? I loved both games and have played through both repeatedly. Gotta love a high level fighter/mage (like lvl 20/lvl 20) He just tore through anything that got in his way


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

trenac said:


> Yo-Yo loaches will also kill the ghost shrimp, I know from experience.
> 
> You may just want to put a lettuce leaf in the tank, once the leaf gets covered with snails remove the leaf from the tank.


And Clown loaches are too big for a 20....

The lettuce sounds like a good solution.


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## thaerin (Dec 12, 2004)

http://fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/burmeseloach.xml
4.3 inches so it's small enough for my tank, very peaceful and loves snails. Anyone have any experience?


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## Error (Apr 16, 2004)

thaerin said:


> http://fishprofiles.com/files/profiles/burmeseloach.xml
> 4.3 inches so it's small enough for my tank, very peaceful and loves snails. Anyone have any experience?


I don't trust any estimated "maximum size" where loaches are involved. Most sources list the Pakistani/Yo-yo Loach as topping out at 4 inches...I've seen them 6"+. The same goes for other loach species I've kept.


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## ringram (Jan 10, 2005)

Kuhli loaches are neat looking, but remember they like to burrow, so they usually do best in sand substrates. The coarser stuff roughs up their nose.


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## rohape (Feb 7, 2005)

i have a 55gal. with only two mini puffers, my experience is they leave all alone. i catch them fin-nipping occasionaly, but not enough to do any damage, and its rare. i use them for exactly the reason your looking for; snail control. i have seen them take down a full ramshorn, but right now i have two mystery (trap door) snails, and they haven't messed with them. you should be fine if you got only one min puffer.


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