Red Belly Vs Snail?

[evilchild]

getting rbp soon, thinking of put sand in, have heard the some snails will churn up the sand and keep the tank a little cleaner? but a don't want to add a snail or two then end up with 200? is there a way round this or is it best just to do a clean once a week.

this is more than likely a stupid question but i thought i'll ask any way.

thanks

 

[Sharpie]

getting rbp soon, thinking of put sand in, have heard the some snails will churn up the sand and keep the tank a little cleaner? but a don't want to add a snail or two then end up with 200? is there a way round this or is it best just to do a clean once a week.

this is more than likely a stupid question but i thought i'll ask any way.

thanks

I personally like snails because they act like a tank vacuum and eat any left over food. Black mystery snails are my favorite but they do have the habit of over population. I believe there are a few ways to kill them off without hurting you're fish but I've never looked into it. there are types of snails that only breed once or twice a year so do some looking around (look into the Japanese Trapdoor Snail) . As for if they will churn up the sand, I have no idea. In any case you're going to have to do a LOT of water changes and cleaning anyway for RBP. We had a lot of problems with left over food at first and the suckers seem to produce a lot a waste. It's not so bad anymore but still we have to clean once a week. (Keep in mind me and my roommate are new to this.)

 

[fish-aholic]

Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS) dig into your substrate and churn it around. They do however reproduce like rabbits but when they do you could sell them on eBay to make some cash.

 

[evilchild]

yeah thats what i'm worried about, them breading like rabbits. lol. it's not like i can realy put a kind of loach in there as it has a good chance of getting bitten or eaten at some point. would a small fresh water crab be a better idea?

 

[PRW1988]

Not with red bellys, you can try a Pleco, but chances still are bad...