i know there have been several posts about this, but i have a question. ever since i started adding plants every now ant then i see a tiny little snail pop up here and there now they are not a problem now but i would like to get a handle on it before it becomes a problem. I hear that loaches eat snails. i would like to do this without chemicals if at all possible
I think I read somewhere also that loaches eat snails, but eat the inside of them and spit the shells out. Mine started off with 1, then 2 and so on, and they lay eggs on the glass or anywhere they can and totally infested my tank to the point I had to strip down the tank. Even the gravel vaccuum would suck up the shells, get half way up the tube and drop out. Since I cleaned everything totally, I have seen about 3 and I crushed them before I think they had a chance to lay eggs. I would also like to know if there is such a fish that will eat the whole snail, shell and all so you don't have little black shells all over the gravel.
Min 75gal. As the site says they can grow to 16" but I think this is more a size quoted for their growth in the wild...I haven't seen many aquarists with a clown this large, but don't think they won't grow to a foot plus over time.
The absolute best way to control snail populations is by not overfeeding fish. They reproduce based upon supplemental food availability.
I've said it once, twice, thrice, and I'll say it again, Dwarf Puffers are amazing at controlling snail populations, but won't eat the eggs. They're 100% guaranteed not to outgrow a 5gal tank at 1-1.5". lol They'll also deal well with some larger varieties of fish (aside from cichlids).
Unfortunately they probably won't mix well with your minnow/white clouds or betta, as they can be pretty aggressive little guys. Brandon seems to make out well with them in a community tank (Poetic Irony) but he has asstons of cover for them to hide, break their line-of-sight, and create territories (they're very territorial) within the plants and away from the other fish. They're not known to go on discus raiding parties, fortunately for Brandon. :)
Personally when kept in check I don't see snails as a bad thing and could never see a reason to completely wipe them out of any of my tanks. They can keep algae under control, will eat dead/decaying plants/leaves before they can screw up water params, and the same goes for fish if you have one that dies in the night or perhaps if you're away for a few days. Params will obviously not be great after the death of a fish but snails will get rid of the body much faster than normal decay/bacteria. I've yet to see evidence that ramshorns/pondsnails will eat any healthy plants, either.
When I drained my 30 gallon half way of water, the walls of the glass was covered with snails, not 1 inch didn't have a snail or a glob of eggs. It was awful, I bet I picked out more snails than I had gravel for the 30 gallon tank. It would be nice for smaller fish to come along and eat shells and all. My silver dollars catch a snail off the glass and play tag with it and then drop it after they realize what it is. As for the tilapia, I think these yankees here consider it catfish as I do down south. We love us some catfish! lol
to get last of the last snail, u gonna have to strip ur tank. I did and still had 2 to 3 snails appear after all the cleaning.. I crushed them and hope they are gone bye-bye!
