snail eater

[peterkoh]

hi folks,

i've an outbreak of snails in my 2 ft cube tank. they seem to have a lovely time and always mating ! i'm thinking of getting khuli loach as i read somewhere they do eat snails. can anyone comment ?

puffer is out for me as i understand they are fin nippers and i don't want to risk my red noses and cardinals which i've kept for some time. rams - my 4th and 5th attempt died last week. they are very shy and refuse to feed. ghost shrimp i read will attack small fishes as well. clown loaches - too big for my tank. any other snail eater i've missed ?

thks !

[Allen_1971]

Loaches....

[David]

rams

[roy]

David, rams good for snails? First time I've heard of it and would definitely include them in my tank if they are effective compared to loach and puffer.

Cheers,
Roy

[DEA]

the best snail killer out there is homo sapiens
never met a snail i couldn't kill

anyway, if you keep on killing the big ones, they'll go away very soon
and it helps if you get rid of the eggs when you see them

[turaco]

2 ft tank? Can consider taking out all your fish, put in puffers for a few days to finish off the snails?

[juggler]

I still trust the ghost shrimps. Cheap and good. Choose the smaller ones if you are afraid they might catch small fish. So far I did not catch them poaching my fish, but I am sure they could be the culprits for some tetras that disappeared.

[bleeder]

Puffers are the best snail destroyers I have known. But be warned. They are nippy.

[stormhawk]

u could get a ram or any other apisto. my apisto promptly removed every snail he could find in his 1.5 foot tank and even the eggs attached to the leaves were not spared. but with one condition --> they'll start eating the snails only when they have NO alternative food source. another good choice might the dwarf chain loach (Botia sidthimunki).

[Sims]

Hi there,

Would agree that puffers are the best snail killers. Though they are nibbers... it seems that my puffers no longer nib.They used to need my shrimps and my fishes but now seems that there is no more snails they go for my fish food and seem very happy about its life now.

Maybe having them eating my fish food defeats its role of eating snails but there are no more snails and I don't wish to remove them coz they are really kind of cute.

Just sharing

[David]

hi roy

rams do eat snails....and infact, i'll agree with stormhawk that some species of dwarf cichlids, i.e. aspitos, eat snails.

however the best method is like what yimin (aka DEA) has suggested....start picking off the big ones preferably first (i mean if you do see smaller ones..pick them off as well )....spend about 10 to 15 mins everyday (i can get between 25 to 35 of them) and progressively go for the smaller ones..

my discus tank at one stage was infested full of snails...it was really bad...dont want to get puffers because of my discus....so pick them off myself....its now 6 weeks later .....almost none left...and my aspitos are picking off the really tiny snails.

so i will agree with yimin that the best snail hunters are ...homo sepians...[]

[turaco]

Depending on how dense your planted tank is, I had been catching them for months & they are still there ! Once I trimmed down my plants, their population decreases also..

[David]

that's true too turaco

what kind of snails ramshore or common water snails?......

[williamng]

Where to get the apisto or ram? There is more and more snail in my tank.

[PeterGwee]

William, might be good to start looking into your external filter if you are using one as snails like to hide in them. (Always find lots of small ones in them...GOD..how do I stop this pest )

[vinz]

Personally, I don't mind snails in my tanks. They help eat algae, some dead/dying plant materials and I've seen them clean dead fish to the bone.

I've notice the following:
- Less algae => less snails
- Many snails on glass => algae on glass, even if not visible to naked eye. If you look at the glass from the side, you might see something. So, if you see many snails on the glass, it's time to clean the glass.

[chia2k]

uh guys , know where to get malayan trumpet snail ? seen shops selling apple snails but no trumpet snail. heard they are good for preventing soil from compacting

[sherchoo]

Chia2k
Don't see how your post is related to this thread.... care to start a new topic instead?

The rest,
I'm with Vinz. Had lots of snails previously and I did not bother to really rid of them. I'm leaving them in to clear away dead matters. Recently the population seem to reduce dramatically. Not sure if it's due to the my 'better' control of algae or my newly introduced Apisto and Rams. Either way, I wouldn't worry about snails infestation if I were you.

[peterkoh]

I think it's unsightly more than anything else. A wall or driftwod full of these creatures is quite a turn off. But yeah, I don't think they will pose much harm to the flora and fauna in the aquarium.