Snail assasin suggestions??

[oldhead]

Well I came home from vacation last night to find that I have a ramshorn snail explosion...... I was wondering if you guys would have any suggestions for a freshwater fish that would help to eliminate them. I would like to find sometihng that is pretty peaceful as I have a community tank. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

My tank info.:

65g fresh community
Live plants (water sprite, 2 crypts)
Ph = 7.6
6 rainbows
2 pleco
3 small danio

[Ty]

I will take some of them off of your hands.

[karbomb]

loaches will eat snails and they are friendly. my personal favorite is the dojo loach.

[gm72]

Ditto on the opinion for loaches. They have a voracious appetite for snails.

[oldhead]

Is it true that they get 10-20" in length? That might be a bit large for my tank. What other foods should I supplement them with and are they nocturnal? I kinda was looking for something that I might actually see a bit when the lights are on. Thanks for the suggestion! :c3:

[oldhead]

I will take some of them off of your hands.

If you were closer to me I'd gladly take you up on that one lol.

[Angila]

i used to have a dojo and he ate our snails and fish but we did see him often during the day

[Ryuu]

If youve tried all other resorts, go out and buyu copper safe it kills ALL snails, and youll have shells and bodys everywhere, take em out in a hurry tho it fouls the water fast

[smaug]

Yoyos stay under 6".I have 2 and my mts snails have been very rare ever since.Get 2-3 of them.

[Evil Slimy]

My bolivian rams eat the baby snails and eggs so they do a good job of keeping the population in check. A few eggs and babies must survive just because the tank is densely planted and the rams don't venture to the top too often. Still there must be very few and well hidden small snails because since I added the rams I have not seen any myself.
Once a month or so I cull the adult snails manually by putting zucchini in the tank and removing it and the pile of snails in the morning.

[oldhead]

My bolivian rams eat the baby snails and eggs so they do a good job of keeping the population in check. A few eggs and babies must survive just because the tank is densely planted and the rams don't venture to the top too often. Still there must be very few and well hidden small snails because since I added the rams I have not seen any myself.
Once a month or so I cull the adult snails manually by putting zucchini in the tank and removing it and the pile of snails in the morning.


Hmm I didn't think about the zuchini trick... Might have to try that one out tonight and see how it works. I'm not sure about the rams as my water is pretty hard it seems. Are they really pretty voracious eaters of snails? I need something that is active near the bottom of the tank also as my other fish seem to perfer the top to middle region.

[oldhead]

If youve tried all other resorts, go out and buyu copper safe it kills ALL snails, and youll have shells and bodys everywhere, take em out in a hurry tho it fouls the water fast

Thanks but I'd really like to steer clear of the additive route if at all possible. I need to stock my tank more so I thought it'd be a good idea just to find a fun tank mate that would help clear them out.

[KingFisher]

I have a trio of skunk loaches in my 29 gallon tank. They are very active and fun to watch. They do a great job keeping the snail population in check, but do not totally eliminate them. Also if any uneaten food settles into any tight out of the way spots in the tank, these guys will find it. They also emit an audible clicking noise when they chase each other around the tank. I really enjoy these fish.

[Wild Turkey]

Another vote for loaches, there are species that dont get over 3" as well so you can have more

[oldhead]

So is it safe to assume that all loaches eat snails??

[Wild Turkey]

So is it safe to assume that all loaches eat snails??

As far as i know, yes but taking size into consideration

[robnepper]

Skunk loaches would be great.

[oldhead]

I keep reading that these little guys are highly aggressive and shouldn't be kept in a community aquarium as they will bother the other fish. I have room for about 3 of them but I fear they'll possibly disrupt the peace in the tank. What do you guys think?

[sktadood13]

yea i have had the same probly and i found the best solution is the dojo....mine loves them(use to...died...i think parasite) but yea they work great