Need help with snails

[lakota]

Hello all. I need help.
I started off, as many, with a few ram's horn snails and trumpet snails that were hitch hikers along with the fish, and my pleco was taking a toll on the numbers. But, he out grew my 30 gallon and I gave him to a good home. Well, needless to say, I'm over grown with snails of both types now.
I have kuhli loaches to try to tame the numbers(6 of them to be exact) but they just aren't doing it for me, the snails are overwhelming me and the loaches. I have to kill at the very least 10-15 each day, which I hate doing. But, at least after I crush them my other fish eat the flesh, so it's not that bad, but I don't wanna keep killing them in this manner. So, long story short(too late) can anyone give me a good natural fish that can help me with my epidemic?
Now what you may need to know is my tank consists of mostly guppies, cories, one swordtail, two neons, a striped raphael, 2 platies. Mostly livebearers, anyway, what fish can I get to take care of the snails and one that one wreak havoc on my happy lil tank? Any opinions on the matter.
Oh yeah, I've tried the plate thing, where you put food in between two plates, with a space for them to climb into, but the trumpets live in the gravel and eat what's in the gravel so they do not readily go to the plate.
Again, I'm sorry this is so long, but any advice would greatly be appreciated. Thanks for sticking out the long topic

thanks-Lakota

 

[akudewan]

Don't really know about fish that eat snails, but have you tried the lettuce trick? Put a lettuce leaf in the water and all snails will come stick to it. It worked for me.

Edit: it will take one day or so.

 

[big mick]

Clown loach are the best for eating snails or try putting in a lettuce leaf at night, in the morning it will be covered with snails and you can just lift them out with the lettuce.

 

[Lisecw]

I've been doing the lettuce thing and have 4 clown loaches, but my snail infestation was not getting any better so I have resorted to Snail Away by Aquarium Science. I put the first dose in yesterday, so I'm not sure if it's working. I'm still leaving the lettuce in and rinsing everything else they are clung to on a daily basis.

I suspect mine can with plants too.

Cheers,

Lisecw

 

[JDS]

I'm sure i read somewhere that a snail population rise might be caused by overfeeding.
I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will correct me if im wrong
I've eased back a bit on the feeding and the few snails I had have dissapeared.

 

[kat and james]

clown loach definatly keep the snail numbers down in our tank, we have a group of 4, however thiry gal is really the minum size for clowns (according to the website i just read), but really any type of loach will do!

 

[emma12321]

Cut back on feeding and sell the trumpet snails on ebay or in the buy/sell/swap section on here. They are always in demand. A trio of zebra loach would munch the snails and stay small so wouldn't out grow the 30 gallon. Alternatively get a puffer fish (in a seperate tank) and you have plenty of food for it.( as mts are rock hard it would only be able to crush the babies.)

Emma

 

[moist]

i remember reading somwhere that they're arent many fish that can eat trumpet snails because of they're hard shell. i duno if its tru to not, but if it is looks like lettuce is ur only hope.

 

[houndour]

I've heard that loach may prefer fish food over snails. So try keeping the clown loach hungry, they should go for the snails. They may not eat larger snails anyway, but they may suck out the snail if they are starving. I have 3 botia striata and they eat my snails. I only have 1 snail that I see on a regular basis (I assume he's the same snail as he has some algae growing on his shell!)

Over feeding will help increase the snail population, although I don't believe feeding correctly will help lower it much either (I have a 5 gallon with no fish and no food added yet its overrun with snails).