ok so i have this new tropical set up as you all know all is fine with fish, but the snail population is getting out of control!!! the buggars must have come in on the plants, so what i need to know is there a small fish that i can get that will eat snails?? i know clown loaches are good for this but they grow really big!! the tank is a bow fronted
2ft x 18"x20" help!!

Tina ,I recently read that there are smaller loaches that will eat snails........I will go and try to find the link for you.

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Tina
this quote is from the site i was looking at

"Other smaller species of the genus Botia will also eat snails and would be considered a more appropriate choice for the smaller community aquarium."


I hope they dont mind me posting a link
http://www.loaches.com/species-index...a-macracanthus


now to find a smaller Loach if that the way your thinking of going.
others have in the past said drop a 2p coin in the tank ,being copper it will kill the snails with copper poisoning ! i have not tryed this method....................i have no snalis since i bought 6 clownloaches lol

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thanks Rob (again!) i have beed through site and i think i have found a suitable loach its the Zebra Loach (Botia striata) now all i have to do is find a stockist lol

how about weighting bits of lettuce on the tank floor, usually you will get quite a few snails on it, then remove them all and the lettuce. I think it's supposed to work better overnight.

Also, cut right back on feeding, i mean the bear minimum for a week or so, this will not only help control the snail population but also possibly make the snails more likely to munch on the lettuce over night.

The above might not eradicate them completely, but i've always found that careful feeding and the ocassional blitz with manual removal keeps their numbers to acceptable levels.

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i could do that but what do i do with them when ive removed them!!!! do goldfish eat snails?? i have my large 8" common could i feed them to him??

oh i just remembered do loaches eat shrimps!!

Yes, they do.

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ok so no loaches for me then my son bought me some shrimps for mothers day they are soo cute!!

Saying that rob-c i have not had any problems with clownloaches with japonica shrimps in the past!

though i did loose 2 freshwater muscle's to them years ago !


what to do with the snails ........thats upto you tina! i dont think your goldfish will sniff at them to be honest

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