specific removal of snails

[johnny1beat]

I have a new tank which has been running for 3 months now, with neon and glowlight tetra's. I also have 3 very attractive apple snails at about 1 inch. The problem came when I introduced some tropical plants which must of had some snail eggs on them. I now have a plague of small browish snail of 2mm to 10mm. Is there any fish I can introduce that will eat the small ones and leave the apple snail and also leave my tetra's alone or can anyone suggest another way of removing them.

 

[rachel21]

squash them when yo usee them!

sorry it's all i can suggest as i have same problem

 

[black angel]

you can buy remedies to kill snails,but you would need to remove the snail you want to keep first.
im not sure but there might be a catfish that eats snails maybe someone else will know

 

[clutterydrawer]

There are loaches which eat snails. However you need to get a shoal of them, so I hope you have some stocking space left.

if you dont wanna introduce fish specifically to eat snails, put some cucumber on the tank floor at lights out, a lot of snails should congregate on it and you can remove them in the morning.this wont eliminate them but can help control the poulation. also try feeding your fish less, the snails will breed more if tehre is more waste food for them to eat.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi johnny1beat

Welcome to the forum

Those little bitty snails can turn into a real nuisance if they start reproducing but I would caution you about adding another fish to eat them. This will be something you will also have to live with and unless it fits into your idea of what you want your aquarium to be, you might be less than happy with that solution.

Here's a link to a thread in the Invertebrates and Amphibians section that you might find useful:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=41473

 

[bubbs]

I have the same problem and have been told by my lfs that clown loaches are good for eating snails. Have just bought two last saturday but so far I haven't seen any improvement.

 

[mandi]

I have the same problem! The little snails I've gotten are light brown with dark brown/black specks (kind of look leopard-printed). They appeared seemingly out of nowhere. I just keep picking them out of the tank, and thankfully I haven't been over run by them (yet).

Thankfully all the fish in that tank (2 platies & 3 otos) are getting moved to my new 20 gallon tank, and the tank with the snails is going to be the new home for a dwarf puffer (who should hopefully enjoy the lil' snails as a snack!)

 

[Inchworm]

I have the same problem and have been told by my lfs that clown loaches are good for eating snails. Have just bought two last saturday but so far I haven't seen any improvement.

Hi bubbs

While it's true that clown loaches will eat snails, not everyone has room in their tanks to add fish that could grow to be a foot in length.

 

[Arfie]

I've got loads of them, the cucumber doesn't work for me, but blanched lettuce does, I then remove the lettuce and the snails along with it

I will not use a chemical in my tank.

I would like a snail eater, but the small ones tend to need to be in groups, the big ones won't fit and the dwarf puffer which I would love will eat all my other fishes fins.

I have sent a few in the post to those that have puffers so they can feed them to the puffers.

Arfie

 

[bubbs]

While it's true that clown loaches will eat snails, not everyone has room in their tanks to add fish that could grow to be a foot in length.

oops

didn't know they grew that big. lfs will have to take them back once they get too big!

 

[Rach]

Although Clown Loaches grow 12" in the wild, I have read that they are only likely to grow between 6 and 8" in an aquarium. So don't panic yet!

 

[Joviella]

I have the same problem and have been told by my lfs that clown loaches are good for eating snails. Have just bought two last saturday but so far I haven't seen any improvement.

Hi bubbs

While it's true that clown loaches will eat snails, not everyone has room in their tanks to add fish that could grow to be a foot in length.

While I know for a fact that clown loaches love to eat snails.........so do alot of their "family" of the botia species........lovely loaches that mostly don't grow as big as the favourite clown loach......botia striata ,for example,don't grow very big and will eat snails.Another one thats best in a group though.......if your tank allows.

 

[Yeaulman]

My black moors ate all the small snails in my tank when they hatched.... those little pigs will eat anything

 

[Aquascaper]

I have the same problem and have been told by my lfs that clown loaches are good for eating snails. Have just bought two last saturday but so far I haven't seen any improvement.

Hi Bubbs,

Clowns should also be kept in groups of 3 - 4 minimum. If you have room at the moment (you've already said that you will need to re-home the ones you have already - excuse for a bigger tank ) i would try and get another one. You will see a big difference in their behaviour when they're in groups of 3 or more and they will become more boisterious and probably eat more snails

Just my 2p

 

[handsomeboy]

new home for a dwarf puffer (who should hopefully enjoy the lil' snails as a snack!)

careful! i had some puffers in a tank with too many snails and they ate themselves to death!