Zac Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 Hey all, I’d like a snail eater for my 30 gal to keep my population of small snails in check. I definitely want them, but I’d like to not be overrun. They came in on my plants. Does anyone have any suggestions for snail eating fish for a 30 gal other than a pea puffer and assassin snails? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jawjagrrl Posted May 15, 2022 Share Posted May 15, 2022 (edited) Yes! I just got some dwarf chain loaches and LOVE THEM. They max out around 3" and according to an older vid Cory did on his top 10 loaches, listed them as a favorite for snail control. I plan for 8 in a 55 and the definitely school and want buddies - you could easily do 6 in your 30, maybe 8 if it's a long. They are super active for me, through all levels of the water column and my current favorite fish in the house. Wide range of parameters, but can go hot for discus/ram setups. Irene did a nice species profile on them too. Edited May 15, 2022 by Jawjagrrl Added photo 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Parker Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 Your tank size limits you on the kinds of loaches for sure, so I would highly recommend @Jawjagrrl's suggestion. Another nano loach would be the Rosy Loach, but I'm not sure on how enthusiastic they are about snail-eating. The Dwarf Chain Loach's behavior sounds a lot like my yoyo loaches' and they leave no snail alive 🤣 The only other loach that would do well in a 30gal would be kuhlis, but they don't really eat snails that much. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jawjagrrl Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 On 5/16/2022 at 10:00 AM, hannah662parker said: Your tank size limits you on the kinds of loaches for sure, so I would highly recommend @Jawjagrrl's suggestion. Another nano loach would be the Rosy Loach, but I'm not sure on how enthusiastic they are about snail-eating. The Dwarf Chain Loach's behavior sounds a lot like my yoyo loaches' and they leave no snail alive 🤣 The only other loach that would do well in a 30gal would be kuhlis, but they don't really eat snails that much. I've never kept rosy loaches, but maybe they can eat the really tiny baby snails? I've never seen my kuhlis eat snails, but I do find the odd shells sometimes. But we are enjoying the chains so much that they will be a go-to for in suitable setups. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon p Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 You are right to many snails can just be too much. I have many tanks and snails in most. In may 75 gal it would be nice to have a few snails but I can’t. I do have a snail grave yard. I have some clown loaches(your tank is to small) and any snail that goes in is eaten. I will take a half hour and pick as many snails as I can and toss them in the clown loach tank. I have also gotten small clown loaches at the LFS and got a few smaller clowns and kept them in a tank with a snail problem and the took them back. I have a good relationship with the LFS and sell some fish there. As long as the fish look good there is no problem. That might be hard if you don’t. I’m sure some one mentioned a snail trap, slow but works. There are assassin snails that may work. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 Not a fish but assassin snails are fantastic at controlling without eliminating other snails. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zac Posted May 16, 2022 Author Share Posted May 16, 2022 On 5/15/2022 at 11:49 AM, Jawjagrrl said: Yes! I just got some dwarf chain loaches and LOVE THEM. They max out around 3" and according to an older vid Cory did on his top 10 loaches, listed them as a favorite for snail control. I plan for 8 in a 55 and the definitely school and want buddies - you could easily do 6 in your 30, maybe 8 if it's a long. They are super active for me, through all levels of the water column and my current favorite fish in the house. Wide range of parameters, but can go hot for discus/ram setups. Irene did a nice species profile on them too. Where did you get yours from? I want 6 but it seems websites are either out of stock or only sell in groups of 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lots Of Loaches Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 You can look at Striata Botia as well. They love to eat snails and get along well with all types of fish. They also don’t get really big (about 3 1/2 inches) and a group of 5 or 6 would fit well in a 30 gallon IMO. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jawjagrrl Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 (edited) On 5/16/2022 at 11:30 AM, Zac said: Where did you get yours from? I want 6 but it seems websites are either out of stock or only sell in groups of 4 Aqua Huna - they are packs of 4, but you want at least that many for them to be happy. They are way more social with one another than my khulis are. I am planning to get 4 more for my 55. Edited May 16, 2022 by Jawjagrrl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zac Posted May 16, 2022 Author Share Posted May 16, 2022 On 5/16/2022 at 4:04 PM, Jawjagrrl said: Aqua Huna - they are packs of 4, but you want at least that many for them to be happy. They are way more social with one another than my khulis are. I am planning to get 3 more for my 55. Right. I’m trying to get 6 that’s the problem. I don’t want 4 or 8 lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tihshho Posted May 16, 2022 Share Posted May 16, 2022 Best thing to do would be to start with 4 and look for the other 2 locally. Otherwise, wait to find them FS at a LFS. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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