Snails

[loachman]

If you want a snail, get a single apple snail. They wont' reproduce without a companion.

Blimey, are you saying that common snails can reproduce without a companion? I recently saw a small snail in my tank. I figured since it was the only one it wont do much harm. Now I'm a bit scared since I have heard of horror stories on these forums of tanks being overrun by snails. I haven't seen the snail for quite some time. How can I rid my tank of the few that might be there? I reckon it will be easier now than later

Yes, the common snails can reproduce on their own. That's the main reason they are such a pest.

For loaches, all the botia species should be kept in groups. 3 absolute min, with 4-5 being much better. Botia striata aren't super common in LFS, but not rare either. It seems to depend on the fish store.

 

[darkwolf29a]

I would try clipping a piece of lettuce to the side of the tank. Supposedly, if what I read is right, they are attracted to it and then you just remove the lettuce.

 

[fmervin]

For loaches, all the botia species should be kept in groups. 3 absolute min, with 4-5 being much better. Botia striata aren't super common in LFS, but not rare either. It seems to depend on the fish store.

Great! My lfs does stock zebra loaches and they look much better than the clown loaches Now to just wait for the nitrites to drop to zero (currently around 0.3-0.4) and then to add the loaches Thanks all for the help. I feel much more confident that the snails will be under check

 

[azzman]

sorry im new to this fishey thing, i thought a few snails were good for keeping the algee away? iv only had a tank for 2 days (im real new) and was gunna introduce some snails. so bad idea?

 

[loachman]

sorry im new to this fishey thing, i thought a few snails were good for keeping the algee away? iv only had a tank for 2 days (im real new) and was gunna introduce some snails. so bad idea?

It's not necessarily a bad idea, they are decent at cleaning algae and uneaten food. It's just that you need to be aware of what snails they are and their potential to reproduce. I suggest getting a single apple snail. They go by alot of other common names as well but they are the large ones and will not reproduce without a partner. Note that they will not eat fish waste.

The small Malaysian trumpet snails, ramshorn, and pond snails you want to stay away from. These tend to reproduce like mad and are very hard to get rid of once they enter a tank. Most fish won't eat them. I personally throw them in to my tank every once in a while, but I got 10 botine loaches in there so they don't last long.