Can I Keep Snails In A Cichlid Tank?

[fishnovice]

What snails are safe to keep with cichlids?

I keep a few Apple and lots of Malaysian Trumpet snails in my community tank. They keep the sand bottom spotless and also eat any leftover veg which I feed to mollies and baby BN.

I'd like to keep snails in my cichlid tank (convicts and jewels)#16##### well to eat up the pleco's leftover veg and keep tank clean. Will cichlids eat Apple and MT snails? Put a large Apple snail in with the jewels when they were fry and had to take snail out quickly as they were bashing it against tank

 

[three-fingers]

MTS will be fine, apple snails wont. Nerite snails should also be fine, though make sure your pH is 7.0 or above for them.

Ramshorn, tadpole and pond snails will be eaten, but may reproduce fast enough to counter that (depends on food, temperature and cover), so are worth a try.

 

[SBL]

Really, I have to counter your opinion there three-fingers. I have an apple in with a HRP pair and I see no problems. Really, depends on the size of the snail and aggression of the cichlid. I've seen many tiny apples in with an oscar and the oscar not eat a single one but, I've also seen a JD that's refused to let alone a 4 inch apple. With Fishnovices idea, I don't see any problem. Cons might toture snails that get to close to spawn and so will Jewels. Just my opinion here.

 

[fishnovice]

Really, I have to counter your opinion there three-fingers. I have an apple in with a HRP pair and I see no problems. Really, depends on the size of the snail and aggression of the cichlid. I've seen many tiny apples in with an oscar and the oscar not eat a single one but, I've also seen a JD that's refused to let alone a 4 inch apple. With Fishnovices idea, I don't see any problem. Cons might toture snails that get to close to spawn and so will Jewels. Just my opinion here.

OK then I'll try the MTS. They are breeding anyway and not expensive so can afford to lose a few if they get eaten, unlike expensive large Apples. Jewels are real terrors for their size, much nastier than HRP

 

[three-fingers]

Really, I have to counter your opinion there three-fingers. I have an apple in with a HRP pair and I see no problems. Really, depends on the size of the snail and aggression of the cichlid. I've seen many tiny apples in with an oscar and the oscar not eat a single one but, I've also seen a JD that's refused to let alone a 4 inch apple. With Fishnovices idea, I don't see any problem. Cons might toture snails that get to close to spawn and so will Jewels. Just my opinion here.

Cichlids will be cichlids, unpredictable.

But I've seen cons eat small snails in nature, and "torture" them in aquariums too. Jewels can be very nippy, depends on the individual. But apple snails are big, tasty and relativity slow moving with antennae that stick out a lot and look like worms, most medium-large bored cichlids wouldn't be able to resist in an aquarium setting IMO. Not saying there aren't exceptions (always are with cichlids), just don't think it's wise to try unless you don't care about the apple snail your experimenting with.