# Will Clown Loaches eat ghost shrimp?



## cgcaver (Jul 10, 2005)

I have somehow managed to start growing some beard algae (I think that's what it is) on some of my glosso leaves. Basically it looks like little green needles growing out, a few millimeters long, on top of some of my glosso carpet.

I also have 2 clown loaches (about 3-4") in my tank, along with an army of MTS. I bought the loaches about a month ago to clean out the MTS pop., however, they don't seem to eat them at all. I have yet to see 1 empty snail shell, and the population looks healthy as ever.

While I know my water params and lighting should be my #1 concern w/ any algae problem (and they are), I was planning on adding some ghost shrimp, because I've heard they can help with certain algae problems. Will the (pathetically lazy) clown loaches eat these shrimp?

I was also planning to add some SAE's (even though I'm never sure if I'm actually buying real SAE's)... but maybe I should add a Pleco or Syno instead? Thoughts?


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## Piscesgirl (Feb 25, 2004)

I would put my money on the loaches eating the shrimp although I suppose there are reports of some that don't eat them. I surprised they haven't dented your MTS population -- I can't keep snails in my 55 loach tank even though now I want to!


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## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

I've found that most any fish will eat Ghost shrimp, however there are some exceptions to this.

Ghost shrimp are mainly scavengers and eat very little algae, so not a good source for your needs.

If your snail population has increased, cut back on the amount of food you are feeding your fish. This will help control the population a bit.

Here is a link to help you ID a true SAE... http://www.petresources.net/fish/article/sae.html


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## cgcaver (Jul 10, 2005)

I dont feed the fish at all. Was trying to do this to make the loaches eat the snails.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

If what you have is really beard algae, you won't find anything that will eat it. 

All you really have to do is make sure your co2 and macro nutrient levels are adequate. Remove what you can manually and give it a little time. That's it.


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## natalie_nmt (Mar 7, 2011)

cgcaver said:


> ...I also have 2 clown loaches (about 3-4") in my tank, along with an army of MTS. I bought the loaches about a month ago to clean out the MTS pop., however, they don't seem to eat them at all. I have yet to see 1 empty snail shell, and the population looks healthy as ever...


My loach refused to eat the snails for a while, too--then I cracked one of the snail's shells against the glass, and my loach immediately devoured it. Try breaking a few of the larger shells and see what happens.

Best of luck!


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