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View Full Version : Best loach for snail control (ramshorn) with fry present?


Salvelinus
01-19-2009, 05:08 PM
I have a 75 gallon tank with a group of platties. 6 adults and about 4 or 5 broods of fry in various stages of growth. A few of the female platties really hunt the newborns, so on average only 2-6 fry per brood are making past the stage where they no longer fit into the mouths of adults (tank is heavily planted, but two females in the group are real hunter/killers of fry). I also have two chinese algae eaters in this tank. They pretty much keep to themselves.
This tank has a bad problem with ramshorn snails, and I can't keep up by just picking them, so I'd like to introduce some loaches.
Question is, which loach would be compatible with the two fish species already in the tank and aren't fry eaters, but would deal with the snails.

Thanks!

Brookfish
01-19-2009, 05:46 PM
I would recommend clown loaches but they are best kept in groups and
will eventually out grow your 75g, you could try yoyo's or polka dots,
both will do a job on your snails but I dare say like most fish will take
the odd fry as well if the opportunity arises.
Have you tried putting a peice of lettuce in the tank at night?
the snails will accumulate on it, then it's just a matter of lifting
them out next morning.